By Mark Hacking
Auto123.com
SOREL, Quebec — By teaming up with Nissan Canada and investing in proven energy-saving technologies, Yves Ayotte, owner of Sorel-Tracy Nissan, has seen an annual reduction in his energy bill of more than $15,000.
Thanks to the Nissan Retail Environment Design Initiative (NREDI) program, the dealership was able to maintain the brand image while creating a workspace that will have a minimal impact on the environment. The facilities (10,000 sq. ft.) now boast a new environmentally friendly design.
With the help of sustainable engineering firm Concept-R, Sorel-Tracy Nissan created a greener building that is 50 percent more efficient than the Canadian building energy code. At the same time, the overall atmosphere has remained intact.
In October 2005, Concept-R engineers looked closely at the overall structure of the dealership, particularly the windows and lighting systems. Thanks to a high-performance glazed glass, the lighting inside now automatically adjusts to the amount of light coming from the outside, thus reducing the air conditioning capacity by up to eight tons. Moreover, the exterior lighting adjusts to the sunrise and sunset.
Other energy efficient changes include geothermal heating and cooling systems, low-flow water fixtures and automatic high-velocity hand-dryers.
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.