CHERRY HILL, N.J. and PORTLAND, Maine, March 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®, announced today that after the first full year of monitoring, its net-zero bank has achieved net-zero energy operations and contributed excess energy back to the energy grid in South Florida.
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(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081031/NEF005LOGO-a )
TD Bank's net-zero energy store in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., was the first net-zero energy bank built in the United States. It is connected to the local Florida Power and Light utility grid. In the first year of monitoring, the store produced 106,814 kWh of energy, and the approximately 400 solar panels at the store generated 111,185 kWh, yielding 4,371 kWh (3.8 percent) of solar-generated power that was put back onto the grid.
What does that mean? The TD Bank net-zero store used, and returned to the grid, the amount of electricity it would take to power approximately 10 and a half homes for one year.*
"We've not only proven that we can build greener, but our net-zero energy store has become a great way to share tips on being green with our customers. They learn about what we're doing at TD Bank, and they tell us they want to do something in their own homes to be a better partner with the environment, too," said Ernie Diaz, Florida Regional President, TD Bank.
TD Bank's net-zero energy store opened on May 13, 2011. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory defines a net-zero energy building (NZEB) as a residential or commercial building that produces and exports in a year at least as much renewable power as the total energy it uses.
"At TD Bank, we strive to be a responsible community partner, and we are thrilled at how well our net-zero energy bank has performed," said Jacquelynn Henke, Real Estate Green Strategy Officer, TD Bank. "TD has been committed to building energy-efficient, LEED-certified stores and corporate offices since 2010, and the success of this net-zero store is another example of TD being as green as our logo."
A NZEB has two key energy features: The building is constructed with energy-efficient technologies that significantly reduce its energy demand, and renewable energy sources supply at least as much energy as the building uses over the course of a year.
The net-zero energy TD Bank store is also Platinum LEED-certified, which is the highest rating available for buildings built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. TD Bank has opened more than 100 stores and offices targeting LEED certification for their green design, and all 41 of TD Bank's stores relocated and opened in 2012 are energy-efficient and LEED-designed. LEED evaluates buildings for their overall environmental performance in five areas: sustainable sites, water use, energy efficiency, materials and resource use, and indoor environmental quality.
In the last year, TD Bank achieved a number of accomplishments around its environmental initiatives in real estate. In December, TD Bank was awarded the International Council of Shopping Centers Gold U.S. Design and Development Award for the development of the net-zero energy bank in Ft. Lauderdale. Last fall, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency presented TD Bank with a 2012 Green Power Partner Leadership Award for the bank's extensive purchase of renewable energy credits and carbon offsets.
* According to calculations on the EPA website.
About TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank®
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is one of the 10 largest banks in the U.S., providing nearly 8 million customers with a full range of retail, small business and commercial banking products and services at more than 1,300 convenient locations throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Metro D.C., the Carolinas and Florida. In addition, TD Bank and its subsidiaries offer customized private banking and wealth management services through TD Wealth®, and vehicle financing and dealer commercial services through TD Auto Finance. TD Bank is headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., and Portland, Maine. To learn more, visit www.tdbank.com. Find TD Bank on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TDMoneyLoungeUS and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TDBank_US.
TD Bank, America's Most Convenient Bank, is a member of TD Bank Group and a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank of Toronto, Canada, a top 10 financial services company in North America. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges under the ticker symbol "TD." To learn more, visit www.td.com.
SOURCE TD Bank