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Call centre embraces solar solution
November 04, 2009
from globeandmail.com
LoyaltyOne had a dilemma when planning its new Mississauga, Ont., call centre. The company had committed $2-million to install an 800-panel solar power system, Canada’s largest. But how could the company possibly show it off as an environmental showpiece when the panels would be located on the roof where most people will never see them?
Interior designers suggested incorporating the system’s inverter panel - where the direct current (DC) generated by solar panels is converted into alternating current (AC) - as a design feature on one of the walls in the staff lounge.
Next to the pinball machines, pool table and team-building video games, employees will be able to see how sunshine is converted into electricity.
“When we started this process, we wanted to have an environmental landmark, to create something that our employees could learn from,” explains Debbie Baxter, vice-president corporate sustainability and facilities for LoyaltyOne, the Toronto company that manages the Air Miles loyalty card program.
This month, 500 call-centre staff will move into 50,000 square feet of leased space in the new building, which was built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) core and shell silver standards, while the interior will qualify for LEED gold, Ms. Baxter says. The building is managed by Bentall LP, and owned by British Columbia Investment Management Corp., that province’s public-sector pension fund manager.
