CET has transformed a 100-year-old brick mill building into a modern green building with the help of funding from Columbia Gas. The building will house the EcoBuilding Bargains store, a non-profit recycled construction materials retail establishment.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency similar commercial buildings and manufacturing plants account for nearly half of all U.S. energy consumption or $2 billion a year.
This EcoBuilding Bargains store is a green standard-bearer, using only about 1/2 of the energy than a normal building of its size, according to John Majercak, CET’s Executive Director.
The $3.3 million energy-efficient makeover of the historic structure is a forerunner in sustainable practices and is just one of the many “Deep Energy Retrofits” (or superbly-insulated, highly-airtight buildings that dramatically reduce heat loss) supported by Columbia Gas around the Commonwealth.