BROOKSVILLE, FL (July 14, 2021) – Barrette Outdoor Living is the recipient of the 2021 Duke Energy Power Partner Award for Sustainability Excellence. The award recognizes customers that have shown exemplary leadership and extraordinary partnerships with Duke Energy — demonstrating success by moving quickly, adapting to new opportunities and driving success in new and impactful ways beyond the norm.
Barrette Outdoor Living and Duke Energy have an interconnection agreement for solar production that is the result of a rooftop solar array placed on the company’s 300,000 square foot aluminum fence and railing manufacturing facility in Brooksville, FL — the largest privately-owned solar project in Florida at the time of contract.
The array, which is capable of producing more than 2,352,489 watts DC of power output, offsets approximately 81 percent of the facility’s electricity consumption. In addition, Barrette Outdoor Living’s Brooksville facility is an industry leader in its efforts to recycle aluminum scrap, steel parts, cardboard and wood.
The plant also reclaims and reuses 97% of over-sprayed material in its aluminum powder coating process which generates no hazardous waste and reduces CO2 emissions by up to 60% as compared to use of liquid paint. The plant’s use of a closed-loop process water system and LED lighting systems also contributes to greater energy efficiencies.
“We take a lot of pride in being ‘green’ and have developed solid partnerships with local vendors who take our recycled material and reuse it in a variety of ways. The company’s continuous push to further our sustainability efforts really resonates with our employees as well,” said Chip Howison, Vice President of Production, Barrette Outdoor Living.
As a whole, Barrette Outdoor Living is strongly committed to being a global environmental steward and works diligently to minimize its carbon footprint and to becoming as waste neutral as possible. Through the company’s GreenWays initiative — which initially began as a regional Vinyl/PVC recycling program — the company has expanded efforts throughout all of its locations to foster a broader awareness of sustainable practices. This initiative also enables the company to find new ways to increase the amount of recycled material used in its products — like the substrate materials used in Barrette Outdoor Living’s composite decking and vinyl fencing.
“We are honored to be the recipient of Duke Energy’s Power Partner Award for Sustainability Excellence and look forward to an exciting future of continued growth and implementation of even more sustainability initiatives at our Brooksville facility and throughout all of our locations,” said Jean desAutels, CEO, Barrette Outdoor Living.
For more information on the company’s sustainability efforts, visit www.barretteoutdoorliving.com/sustainability.
About Barrette Outdoor Living®:
As the leading North American supplier of exterior home products to the residential market, Barrette Outdoor Living empowers homeowners to bring their personal outdoor space to life, however they envision it. Barrette Outdoor Living produces vinyl, aluminum, steel and composite fencing and railing; composite decking; and other outdoor products sold through specialty retailers, home centers and lumberyards. Barrette Outdoor Living employs more than 2,000 people at 10 locations throughout the United States and at its distribution center in Canada. For more information, visit www.barretteoutdoorliving.com.
About Duke Energy:
Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.
Duke Energy is transforming its customers’ experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit’s regulated utilities serve approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states — North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6 million customers in five states — North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects.
Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2020 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list, and Forbes’ 2019 “America’s Best Employers” list. More information about the company is available at www.duke-energy.com.
