LIPA Awards First Green Building Incentive to New York State’s First Gold LEED Certified Supermarket

 (Oceanside, N.Y.) - Today the Long Island Power Authority and the Wild by Nature Market announced that the supermarket chain’s Oceanside location has earned the coveted U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification.

The Oceanside store opened in the summer of 2008 and is the first supermarket on Long Island and in New York State to achieve Gold LEED Certification. During the planning and construction phase of the Oceanside market, Wild by Nature participated in LIPA’s Commercial Construction Program (CCP) and has also earned the distinction of being the first company to receive LIPA LEED Green Building Credit incentives.

As a natural and organic supermarket it is only fitting that Wild by Nature’s new building has been designed to achieve LEED certification for a whole-building approach to sustainability. It is recognized for its performance in energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. The building design of Wild by Nature helped protect and save precious resources while also making good economic sense.

Together with LIPA assistance, Wild By Nature’s building design team worked from concept to completion, to develop an energy efficient building. The Wild by Nature store used the full compliment of LIPA’s programs, including Whole Building Design, Building Commissioning, and Green Building Incentives.

“In this rough economic climate, it is encouraging to have local businesses like Wild by Nature participate in LIPA’s Commercial Construction Program,” said LIPA President and CEO Kevin S. Law. “By becoming more energy efficient local businesses can sharpen their competitive edge, enhance their bottom line and help reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”

By employing LIPA’s Whole Building Comprehensive approach, this Wild by Nature building will save 316,500 kWh of energy annually for a savings of approximately $57,000 per year. That is enough energy to power over 30 average-sized Long Island homes, and represents a savings in energy costs greater than 28% over NYS Energy Code.

“Deciding to build a green energy efficient building becomes more cost effective when LIPA and National Grid energy efficiency incentives are available to offset some of the higher costs for those measures,” said Joe Brown, Co-President of Wild By Nature. “The project becomes more cost effective. The whole process, beginning with the energy modeling, helped us decide what energy measures to choose for our building. We are very pleased with the funding provided and the expertise available to us through the LIPA and National Grid team. We are very proud to be the first known supermarket in New York to receive Gold LEED certification.”

“National Grid is committed to providing our customers with opportunities and incentives that can help them be more energy efficient, save money, and ultimately help protect  the environment for future generations,” said Joe Rende, Vice President of Energy Solutions Services, Metro NY, at National Grid.  “We are proud to support Wild by Nature in their goal by providing the resources that help in the care of our planet,” said Bruce Johnson, Director of Energy Efficiency, National Grid.

“The Wild by Nature Market is the first known supermarket to be LEED Gold Certified in the United States,” said Art Desin, Chairman of the Long Island Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council. “I would like to commend LIPA, National Grid, and Wild by Nature for working together and taking a leading role in energy efficiency.”

LIPA has awarded Wild by Nature $169,962 in incentives and services, which includes $25,000 for energy modeling, $24,250 for commissioning and $108,712 for commercial construction rebates. LIPA has also awarded $12,000 in LEED credit rebates. In addition National Grid has rebated Wild by Nature $6,256 in gas efficiency savings.

Wild by Nature is a wholly-owned subsidiary of King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc.

LIPA, a non-profit municipal electric provider, owns the retail electric Transmission and Distribution System on Long Island and provides electric service to more than 1.1 million customers in Nassau and Suffolk counties and the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. LIPA is the 2nd largest municipal electric utility in the nation in terms of electric revenues, 3rd largest in terms of customers served and the 7th largest in terms of electricity delivered. In 2006, LIPA outperformed all other overhead electric utilities in New York State in all three major reliability categories. LIPA does not provide natural gas service or own any on-island generating assets. More information about LIPA can be found online at: http://www.lipower.org