New Energy Efficient Office Building Opens in Kingston, Pa

(Kingston, PA) The cityscape is looking greener on Kingston's main drag. Not because there is a new park, but because Shazaam Realty LLC, owned by David and Tracey Selingo, built a new "green" office building on the former site of an urban eyesore. Last August crews demolished an old single-story warehouse that contained several industrial shops and an appliance retail store. Then the new building rose on the front half of the 1.4 acre lot. After nine months of construction Shazaam Realty LLC is ready to move into its new 4,700-square-foot energy-efficient building at 345 Market St.

The media attended the ribbon cutting and opening celebration of the new energy-efficient Shazaam Realty building on Friday, May 16th.

"We wanted to be responsible," Selingo said. "We wanted to have a pleasant work environment, in modern space that recognizes the limited supply and costs of our natural resources." Keeping sustainability in mind recycled building materials were used in construction of the new office to reduce the building's overall carbon footprint.

Sustainable Energy Fund (SEF ) helped Shazaam Realty by providing green building strategies and crucial funding needed to turn this commercial project into a sustainable design building. SEF is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting energy efficiency, renewable energy and energy education in eastern and central PA. The building will be equipped with solar panels, window coatings and shades, and a highly efficient heating and air conditioning system.

Attorney Selingo said, "Working with SEF provided us with more benefits than we ever imagined. Not only did SEF help us focus our design efforts on environmentally friendly systems that provide long-term savings, SEF's funding participation also opened up other funding sources to us. In the end, SEF enabled us to put together a project that has received broad community participation and support."

Jennifer Hopkins, president of SEF said, "The green building strategies used at Shazaam Realty should result in energy savings of almost $35,000 per year, while potentially increasing employee productivity by providing a more comfortable and healthier indoor working environment." Hopkins will present a wall plaque to Shazaam Realty, LLC in recognition of its commitment to energy and the environment.

Others who are expected to attend the ribbon cutting and building opening are Kingston Mayor James Haggerty, Kyle Kinsman, the architect, Joseph Solano, president of A. Pickett Construction, and representatives of the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce.

Sustainable Energy Fund was established in 1999 as part of a settlement approved by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. It is a private, 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that promotes energy efficiency, renewable energy, and energy education initiatives in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with a focus on eastern and central PA. SEF is headquartered in Allentown, PA.