New Chamber Building Features Solar Power

Solar Ceremony
By Mike Copeland | Wednesday, September 24, 2008, 02:30 PM


The new Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce headquarters near Heritage Square hosted a ceremony today at which Mayor Virginia DuPuy and chamber president Jim Vaughan thanked Green Mountain Energy for the donation of 48 solar panels that will be used to meet the energy needs of the 14,000-square-foot building.

The solar array on top of the chamber building covers nearly 720 square feet and will offset about 6.5 percent of the building’s annual electrical use.

Attending the ceremony were third-grade students from Sul Ross Elementary and Super Earth, who is Green Mountain Energy’s mascot.

Green Mountain Energy has signed a two-year contract with the Waco chamber to provide electricity at the new headquarters.

The chamber is pursuing a LEEDs designation for the “green” building that has such features as a living roof and flooring made of crushed glass. LEEDs stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Designation, and the designation is awarded by the U.S. Green Energy Council.

Frontera Development is a full service real estate development firm based in Waco, Texas. The firm focuses on residential, commercial developments and master planned communities that emphasize the values of New Urbanism and Traditional Neighborhood Development. For more information, contact Mark P. Felton II at 254-495-1241.