These ten geothermal wells are located in the parking lot and access road directly behind Valley Forge Flowers. The water that is looped through the wells to transfer the earth’s energy is piped underground and into the building. There is a pump room located on the second floor of the building that distributes the water and the earth’s energy to five heat pumps and the flower cooler.

Low Voltage Mechanical Equipment:

The fan motors and pumps required to distribute the air and pump the geothermal well water to the units are all three-phase electric motors that require less electricity to run than conventional single phase motors.

Low Voltage Lighting

LED track lights are used throughout the building and comprise about 80% of the artificial light. LED lights use about half the electricity of conventional incandescent lights, and create less heat than halogen lights. The life expectancy of an LED is approximately ten years, so bulb replacement should be very infrequent.

Lighting Control Systems

The lights are on an automatic dimming system so that during the daylight hours when less artificial light is required, the lights will be on a dimmer setting, requiring less electricity.

Natural Day Lighting

Windows were placed throughout and dormer windows were installed in the roof to bring natural light in up high to disperse throughout the sales area to reduce the amount of artificial light needed in the building.

Rain Water Harvesting System

A 1,700 gallon tank is buried below the planter outside the front vestibule tower to collect the rain water from the roof. The roof gutters and downspouts are piped to the collection tank below the sidewalks. The water in the tank is known as “grey water” because it is non-potable, and is piped to special faucets located inside and outside the building for the purpose of watering all the plants and flowers in and around the store.

Certified Lumber and Engineered Lumber

All new lumber used in the building is FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified to ensure the sustainability of our forests. The framing for the conservatory was done with FSC cedar. Engineered lumber includes Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) for new floor and roof framing. Laminated veneer lumber is the wood scraps from the mills glued together to create wood products that are stronger than natural lumber of their equal size that will not shrink and create squeaky floors. Swamp Cypress was used for the ceilings, beams and trusses. Although Swamp Cypress is not yet an FSC lumber, it is a fast growth wood and reforested, therefore not adversely effecting the global environment.

Reclaimed Materials

The wood flooring is reclaimed oak from an old barn that had been torn down. The brick flooring has been reclaimed from an old building. Re-using materials saves the land fills.

Energy Efficient Building Components

The doors and windows have four coatings of Low-E to create the maximum of solar reflectivity and maximum insulating value to minimize the impact of the doors and windows on the heating and cooling of the building.

The insulation is the most energy efficient insulation you can get for thermal protection and air leakage and infiltration. Closed cell urethane insulation (spray foam) is usually petroleum based, however the manufacturer of this product replaced a portion of the petroleum with soy, reducing the depletion of non-renewable resources.

Recycled Content in Building Materials

The drywall contains 95% recycled content. The recycled content in the wall board is gypsum from the old wall board removed from the demolition of other buildings.

The concrete in the new sidewalks, new footings and foundations contains 18% fly ash. Fly ash is a product of burning finely ground coal in a boiler to produce electricity and used to be distributed to land fills.

The stonework is a manufactured product which eliminates mining the earth. The manufactured stone has 20% recycled content and is manufactured locally, reducing transportation energy.

Solar Reflective Materials

The roof shingles employ solar reflective technology to deflect the sun’s ultraviolet rays to reduce the heat absorbed by the roof. Reflecting the heat reduces the cooling load inside the building as well as eliminates heat emitting from the roof at night, creating a heat island.

Concrete paving, being a light color, creates a heat reflective surface. The concrete sidewalks deflect the sun rays in the same manner as the reflective roof shingles to further reduce heat emitted from the sidewalk creating a heat island.

Low Flow Plumbing Fixtures

The toilets and sink faucets with low water flow were used to reduce the amount of water used.

Drought Tolerant Plants

The exterior planting beds have been planted with drought tolerant plants to reduce the requirement for watering and irrigation.

Local Materials and Products

Research was done to find as many products, materials and equipment within 500 miles of Valley Forge Flowers to reduce the energy required for transportation of the materials.

Zero and Low VOC Materials

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) are emitted as gases from certain materials. The paint used inside the building is rated at zero VOC’s. The paint used for the exterior of the building is well below the acceptable levels of VOC. All adhesives and sealants used throughout the building, both inside and outside are well below the acceptable levels. Keeping VOC’s to near zero level allows for better air quality. The job site was run as a smoke free zone to keep air quality for the construction workers at a healthier level.

Preferred Parking

Reserved preferred parking has been provided for customers and employees who drive low emitting vehicles. Preferred parking has also been provided for customers who car pool.

LEED Certification

The Valley Forge Flowers building is registered with USGBC for LEED certification.