Union Gas Unveils New Kingston Regional Centre

Green "LEED" design reflects company's commitment to the environment

KINGSTON, ON, Oct. 30 /CNW/ - Union Gas today demonstrated its commitment to Kingston and to environmental stewardship by unveiling a new energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly building to serve as the new Union Gas Kingston Regional Centre.

"Union Gas is committed to environmental responsibility and vibrant communities," said Steve Baker , vice president, business development storage and transmission, Union Gas. "This new facility reaffirms our long-standing commitment to the Greater Kingston Area and is part of our larger plan to reduce our energy consumption and our environmental footprint."

On hand to assist Steve Baker with the ceremonial ribbon cutting was the Honourable John Gerretsen, Minister of the Environment and MPP Kingston and The Islands, and Kingston Mayor Harvey Rosen .

Union Gas' new Kingston office, which serves as a base for nearly 70 employees, features state-of-the art energy and environmental technologies and was designed to qualify for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standard certification.

    
    The new Kingston office features:
    -   An automated computerized control system for security, lighting,
        heating and cooling;
    -   A building design that provides 75 percent of employees with natural
        lighting in their workspace;
    -   A rainwater harvesting system designed to capture water to flush
        toilets;
    -   Landscaping that features drought resistant and native plants; and
    -   Building products chosen for their recycled content and environmental
        sustainability.
    

In addition, over 75 percent of all construction waste was recycled.

The Kingston Regional Centre is one of three new Union Gas buildings across the province that have been designed to LEED standards. The Union Gas Burlington office was recently certified as LEED Gold, while the Windsor office is currently awaiting LEED Gold certification.

"Designing green and sustainable buildings is fundamental to our ability to address the challenges of climate change and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions," said John Gerretsen, MPP for Kingston and The Islands and Minister of the Environment. "The leadership Union Gas has shown in making this dream a reality is truly impressive and will certainly inspire others to do the same."

"I congratulate Union Gas on the opening of their new regional centre and I would especially like to acknowledge the special attention the company has given to the LEED design and construction of their building," said Mayor Harvey Rosen . "The City of Kingston has set an ambitious goal to become the most sustainable city in Canada . It is inspiring to observe a prominent business in our community contributing to this city-wide effort, by recognizing the need to operate in an environmentally-responsible way. I applaud Union Gas for their leadership in this regard and I hope that their efforts will continue to set a positive standard for Kingston's future."

Over the past few years, Union Gas has also introduced energy conservation measures in its existing 60 company buildings across Ontario such as a retrofit of existing lighting which has reduced the associated electricity consumption by up to 58 percent and the installation of water-saving devices, which have reduced water consumption by up to 40 percent.

In addition, Union Gas has been delivering energy efficiency programs to its customers for over a decade. Last year alone, these programs helped our customers avoid 139,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and reduce their consumption of natural gas by over 74 million cubic metres - the equivalent of removing more than 25,000 cars from Ontario's roads each year.

About Union Gas

Union Gas Limited is a major Canadian natural gas storage, transmission and distribution company based in Ontario with nearly 100 years of experience and service to customers. The distribution business serves 1.3 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in more than 400 communities across northern, southwestern and eastern Ontario. Union Gas's growing storage and transmission business offers premium storage and transportation services to customers at the Dawn Hub, the largest underground storage facility in Canada and one of the largest in North America . It offers customers an important link in the movement of natural gas from Western Canadian and U.S. supply basins to markets in central Canada and the northeast U.S. A Spectra Energy company, Union Gas has assets of $5 billion and approximately 2,200 employees. Visit uniongas.com for more information.

For further information: Andrea Stass, Manager, Public Affairs and Media Relations Union Gas Limited, Ph: [phone] or 1-800-571-8446 ext. 5490, Cell: [phone], Fax: [phone], E-mail: [email protected]