The Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s East Campus Operation Centre (SMUD EC-OC) has become the largest and most sustainable utility operations centre in the United States.

The campus received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. Designed by Stantec, in association with RNL and built by Turner Construction, the campus supports the sixth-largest public utility in the U.S.

The campus is aiming to reach net zero energy by generating as much energy as it consumes in a year. The 361,000-square-foot SMUD EC-OC includes offices, maintenance and warehouse buildings, and storage space.

The LEED platinum building uses weather-predicting technology to control the central utility plant, running equipment when weather conditions allow for the highest efficiency. The six-storey administration building has a radiant heating and cooling system. Windows on the north and south facades provide daylight, while the east and west facades have no windows to reduce heat gain into the building.

The techniques used throughout the campus result in energy reductions of 36 per cent less than ASHRAE 90.1 for the campus. The campus’ office building uses 60 per cent less energy than the average office building in California.