High Concrete Group has invested $275,000 in high-efficiency water heating, chilling, and recovery equipment for its Denver, Pa., headquarters manufacturing operations. The new system delivers water to the company's concrete batching operations for ideal concrete casting temperature throughout the year, and in cold weather supplies process water for heat-curing of the company's signature precast double tees for parking garages.

"The state of commercial construction makes this the right time to invest in our future in a sustainable way," says company president Rick Scheetz. "This new system conserves precious water and energy, allowing us to hit our emissions reduction targets while setting the stage for growth." High Concrete Group has set a target of reducing emissions at its Denver facility by more than 18 percent versus its 2007 emissions.

The system scavenges heat from exhaust gases and supplements primary heating in a tank. Redundant burners ensure fail-safe operation. The system significantly reduces natural gas consumption during reheat mode which occurs during approximately 50 percent of the plant's wintertime operating hours. In summer, chilled water overcomes excess temperatures of powder products and sand and stone aggregates. Further, it facilitates the use of additional water from High's innovative water reclamation system during the summer, taking the place of potable city water. The company also plans to use the system to achieve increased consistency in architectural finishes and to meet DOT concrete mix temperature standards for precast bridge fabrication.

The water management equipment is the latest in a series of High's investments in sustainable processes that include an industry-leading $750,000 water reclamation system and a $4.1 million LEED^® Silver-certified maintenance facility on its Denver campus constructed with the company's lightweight CarbonCast^® enclosure and double tee components. The effort is part of an ongoing, multi-discipline green initiative led by the High organization.

Headquartered in Denver, Pa., High Concrete Group is a recognized leader in producing sustainable buildings with architectural enclosures and structural precast components. A founding member of AltusGroup, Inc., www.altusprecast.com, High Concrete Group has fabricated lightweight and thermally efficient CarbonCast panels for award-winning projects including The Heldrich, New Brunswick, N.J., Symphony House, Philadelphia, Pa. and the Gill-Simpson Headquarters in Owings Mills, Md., which is expected to achieve LEED Gold Certification.

Employing more than 500 co-workers, the group has provided precast components for more than 5,000 projects since 1957, and is found on Engineering News Record's list of the Top 600 Specialty Contractors. High Concrete Group operates precast plants in Denver, Pa., Buena, N.J., Springboro, Ohio, and Paxton, Ill. The company also operates High Concrete Accessories, a Denver, Pa.-based national precasting embedment supplier. For more information on High Concrete Group, including employment opportunities, visit www.highconcrete.comor e-mail to concrete.answers@high.net.