When Shoemaker’s Travel Plaza underwent a rebuild several years ago, Dave Shoemaker, owner, made the decision to construct a LEED-certified building. LEED—or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design—is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices. Shoemaker took advantage of several technologies and designs, including the type of lighting used as well as the HVAC layout, that could cut costs while also increasing the location’s sustainability.
As part of the design, Shoemaker implemented several water-saving technologies. The location used minimum flush toilets and urinals. Shoemaker said he chose Sloan Flushmate toilets. “It uses a pressure tank and it is absolutely the way to go,” he said. “We just remodeled our other location and put them in, it is pretty much the end of plugged up toilets.”
Shoemaker’s also utilizes a circulation pump on the hot water that provides nearly instant hot water when the faucet turns on so people don’t waste water waiting for it to warm up when they wash their hands. “We have one set of restrooms farther away from the main part of the building and we use a hot water on demand water heater, so you don't have a tank of hot water all the time,” he said.
Shoemaker recently shared his insights with NATSO operators during the Domestic Study Tour.
Photo Credit: Jules Clifford/NATSO
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