The Race for Carwash LEED Certification (The Race to LEED)

The race is apparently on for carwash LEED certification. As new building construction has slowed in the carwash industry, environmental fortitude among many operators has risen. The two aren’t necessarily related, but that doesn’t change that carwashes seem to be gaining momentum as eco-friendly businesses. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program from the U.S. Green Building Council is a rating system that awards points to buildings that meet certain green building criteria in categories like developing a sustainable site, water conservation, energy efficiency, building materials and indoor environmental quality.

The third-party validation of a business’ environmental stewardship — as it pertains to a facility — is becoming a relatively prestigious designation. For professional carwashes, the certification also could provide a nice boost in community relations and public perception. For an industry that continues to fight public and government misperception about water use and wastewater management, carwashes that achieve LEED certification not only would help dispel lingering stigmas but also push professional carwashing’s environmental resume beyond water.

In Milwaukee, a new venture called Good to Go is billing itself as an ecologically friendly convenience store, carwash and alternate fuel station. Scheduled to open May 1, Good to Go’s convenience store features a green roof with plants and sod designed to minimize sunlight absorption that could heat the building and force overuse of its HVAC system. The company, which has applied for LEED certification, says the system is designed to boost summer energy savings by as much as 25 percent. The sod also will absorb rain and reduce storm water runoff.

If that sounds like a nice little story, consider that the company wants to have at least 150 locations in Wisconsin, Iowa and northern Illinois by 2010.

This month’s carwash operator profile is about Easywash, a Canadian carwash that, besides a state-of-the-art water reclamation system, uses rainwater collection and its own water well, and is part of a project that has allowed it to use a hydrogen fuel cell designed to provide 90 percent of the carwash’s energy demands. The company has applied for LEED certification in Canada and also has interest in franchising.

These are hardly the only cases. There are at least four carwash facilities that have earned Energy Star designation from the Environmental Protection Agency (Energy Star qualifications are a prerequisite of LEED certification for existing buildings), and others, like Harv’s Car Wash in California and Autobell in North Carolina, have received environmental recognition from organizations outside the carwash industry.

Operators who can absorb the initial investment in green practices also point to the long-term financial benefits as motivation. Energy Star reports that Foam & Wash in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., saves more than $7,500 in energy costs per year, and Easywash reports it saves $4,500 a month in water and sewer fees. In general, a Green Building Council study in 2006 found that building owners could annually save, on average, 90 cents per square foot in energy and other costs by retrofitting buildings, earning back their investment in about two and a half years.

How quickly green building practices become widespread in the carwash industry is hard to say. But as more carwashes come into line with water reclamation, the spirit of competition dictates operators to push forward for new points of differentiation. The more operators continue to elevate environmental stewardship — and can show financial gains for their efforts — the more pressure there is for others to follow suit.