Walgreens
Net-Zero Energy Store
To help Walgreens reach its goal to reduce energy usage 20 percent by 2020, Salas O’Brien designed the company’s first net-zero energy store, the first retail store in the nation to create enough energy on-site to provide its own power annually.
Our client
Walgreens is the nation’s second largest pharmacy store chain. Starting out as a neighborhood drugstore in Chicago, Illinois, the company now specializes in providing wellness products, filling prescriptions, and educating people about health in person, over the phone, through the mail, and online.
Project highlights
Their challenge
Walgreens Boots Alliance has adopted a goal to reduce emissions to help mitigate climate change. To support this goal, Walgreens set out to reduce energy usage in their more than 8,000 stores, As part of that effort and to set a new standard in the industry, Walgreens wanted to build the nation’s first net-zero energy retail store.
Our solution
We designed the mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems for their new store and provided LEED consulting services. The designs included over 800 solar panels, wind turbines, geothermal energy, LED lighting and daylight harvesting, a CO2 refrigeration system, and natural ventilation.
The results
To kick off Walgreens’ efforts to reduce its energy usage by 20% by 2020, this store achieved LEED Platinum Certification. The project also earned the ASHRAE Excellence in Engineering Award.


