First-time honors presented to San Mateo County commercial, residential leaders
Peninsula Clean Energy revealed the recipients of the first awards recognizing builders, property owners and design teams at the forefront of building electrification in San Mateo County at Sustainable San Mateo County’s 22nd annual Awards Celebration on May 14.
At the online ceremony, Peninsula Clean Energy presented two inaugural All-Electric Commercial Leader awards to the William V. Campbell Academic and Arts Center at Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton and the Redwood City Veterans Memorial Senior Center. Peninsula Clean Energy also recognized the Sweet home in Redwood City as the All-Electric Residential Leader and the Bobba home in Burlingame as the All-Electric Residential Emerging Leader.
The William V. Campbell Center also received the Green Building Award from Sustainable San Mateo County (SSMC) and the San Mateo County Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
Each commercial winner received a check for $3,000 and each residential winner received $1,000, along with plaques. Honorable mentions in the residential category were awarded to Tah Mah Lah in Portola Valley and the Boles home in Pacifica.
SSMC presented 2021 Sustainability Awards to San Mateo Deputy Mayor Rick Bonilla; The HEAL Project, which offers hands-on teaching to children about the connection between food, health and the environment; and Bay Area sustainable facility maintenance company Service by Medallion. Former SSMC Board Chair Bryan Chen received the Ruth Peterson Award, named in memory of a longtime SSMC leader.
The all-electric William V. Campbell Center includes sophisticated monitoring providing real-time data tracking energy production from the 364-kilowatt rooftop solar photovoltaic system, as well as energy and water use. It uses natural lighting and ventilation and is designed to improve indoor air quality, while minimizing nonrenewable energy consumption and overall water and energy use. Also extraordinary was the concerted push by project leaders to factor the carbon footprint into all aspects of the process and construction. This resulted in the sourcing of regional materials, curbing of embodied carbon and transportation emissions and recycling of roughly 70 percent of the construction waste.
“The William V. Campbell Center represents the best of what our communities can achieve not only in creative, collaborative and inclusive teaching and learning but also in cutting-edge sustainable construction,” said Rick DeGolia, Atherton council member and chair of Peninsula Clean Energy’s board of directors.
The Redwood City Veterans Memorial Senior Center, expected to be completed in 2022, will feature an all-electric kitchen that uses electric induction cooking rather than methane gas-powered commercial cooking equipment. It will have a solar photovoltaic system serving most of the building, as well as a microgrid for both emergency power and for more routine energy storage that allows the building to be powered by solar energy during peak demand hours and in the evenings.
The all-electric Sweet home in Redwood City produces energy from both solar photovoltaic and solar thermal systems. It uses recycled and sustainable materials exclusively and irrigates the landscape through a system incorporating shower water. Owners Eric and Diane Sweet also have distinguished themselves as residential sustainability leaders through their company, emeraldECO, which specializes in working with homeowners who want to retrofit their homes to all-electric.
The Bobba home’s owner, Bobba Venkatadri, is also working toward making his home emission-free. He has added a rooftop solar system, converted his gas furnace and water heater to all-electric systems, installed a smart thermostat and electric fireplace, and plans to add an electric induction cooktop.
About Peninsula Clean Energy
Peninsula Clean Energy is a Community Choice Aggregation agency. It is the official electricity provider for San Mateo County and, beginning in 2022, for the City of Los Banos. Founded in 2016 with a mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the county, the agency serves 295,000 customers by providing more than 3,500 gigawatt hours annually of electricity that is 100 percent carbon-free and at lower cost than PG&E. As a community-led, not-for-profit agency, Peninsula Clean Energy makes significant investments in our communities to expand access to sustainable and affordable energy solutions. Peninsula Clean Energy is on track to deliver electricity that is 100 percent renewable by 2025. The agency has earned investment grade credit ratings from Moody’s and Fitch.
Follow us at PenCleanEnergy.com, on Twitter and Facebook (@PenCleanEnergy) and on LinkedIn.
About Sustainable San Mateo County
Founded in 1992, Sustainable San Mateo County (SSMC) is a nonprofit dedicated to a vision of a sustainable future for everyone in the county. Its mission is to drive impactful action on economic, environmental and social equity issues that leads to sustainable practices and improves the long-term health of San Mateo County. For more information, visit sustainablesanmateo.org, or contact advocate@sustainablesanmateo.org.
Media Contacts
Darren Goode
Peninsula Clean Energy
dgoode@peninsulacleanenergy.com
(202) 550-6619
Terry Nagel
Sustainable San Mateo County
terry@sustainablesanmateo.org
650-678-7082