Intel scores first green building certification

Technology giant Intel has earned its first Gold level LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for a new design center set to open in June in Haifa, Israel.

Technology played a significant role for Intel in helping earn the designation. Here are some quick specifics:

• The data center uses Intel Xeon processors (of course), which reduce power consumption potential by roughly $200,000 per year considered against comparable technology
• The company has installed automated controls that regulate the use of natural lighting, which is available to about 75 percent of the "populated" areas of the building; it also is using individually controlled lighting for a higher degree of energy efficiency
• Intel is using automation to measure carbon dioxide levels in the offices

Apparently, this new Intel Design Center is the first facility in Israel to be blessed with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. This is Intel's first high-level LEED blessing. One of its facilities in Kulim, Malaysia, received a more basic LEED nod for a retrofit. The company also has a Gold certification pending for its Octollio campus in Chandler, Ariz.