Van Meter achieves LEED gold for new Iowa City location

A new building housing the office and warehousing functions of Van Meter Inc. in Iowa City has achieved LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Cedar Rapids-based electrical and mechanical supplies distributor outgrew its previous Iowa City operation on Highland Court and broke ground in July 2011 for a 22,840-square-foot office and warehouse building at 470 Ruppert Rd. By February of this year, product was transferred and the facility opened for business.

The Van Meter building features  high-end LED lighting and controls as well as a geothermal heating and cooling system to electric vehicle charging stations and a 14 kilowatt solar system. The building's performance will be monitored and measured so it can be viewed and controlled remotely.

The structure consumes 57 percent less energy than a building of similar size built to current state energy and building codes. That translates to an annual savings of approximately $17,504.

Van Meter expects the remaining energy consumption will be significantly offset with solar energy.

The  facility incorporates an indoor drive-through that customers can use to pick up call-ahead orders, a high-tech training center and a large customer service sales counter. It also has allowed Van Meter to expand its local inventory levels by over 30 percent.