Energy Efficient Gas Station on Richardson Road

When the new gas station opened at 1919 Richardson Rd., in late February, it became an environmentally friendly building that focused on being a convenience store to the neighborhood.

The parent company, Home Service Oil, built a larger Arnold store that benefits from skylights allowing natural daylight into the building and florescent lights that automatically adjust brightness during the day, says an article in Convenience Store Decision website.

Motion detectors automatically activate lights in storage areas, coolers and the bathrooms, the article says.

The decision helps the company save on electricity costs on the 5,200 square foot store that would normally have every high lighting and cooling expenses.

The building has four 8-foot ceiling fans that help control the temperature and lower the need to heat or air condition the building.

The larger store, which employs 14 employees, contains more products for shoppers’ convenience.

It has a larger cooler space to hold numerous kinds of beverages, has a pizza restaurant and offers pre-made sandwiches.

And, naturally, the convenience store sells a variety of gasoline from its 12 gas pumps.