3M is playing an important role in the recently announced Better Buildings Challenge, an effort to grow the country's clean energy economy. The initiative aims to improve energy efficiency in commercial buildings by 20% by the year 2020, a move that is projected to reduce energy bills for American businesses by approximately $40 billion per year and to create more than 100,000 jobs.
As a partner in the challenge, 3M has committed to reduce energy use by 25% in 78 of its plants, encompassing nearly 38 million-sf of building space. The company has already achieved significant gains; in 2011 alone, 3M improved energy efficiency in its operations globally by 8.9% compared to the same period last year, and avoided more than $43 million in energy costs. Additionally, more than 150 employee-inspired energy projects helped the company save nearly $7.7 million.
Within 3M, the Renewable Energy Division directs its efforts toward helping customers meet their energy targets by providing energy-saving solutions. 3M Renewable Energy creates products and technologies to advance the solar and wind industries, as well as energy conservation window films for the commercial building sector. These technologies hold significant promise in helping 3M and other participants in the challenge increase energy efficiency. Notable products in 3M's line include:
- Sun Control Window Films, which use non-metalized nano-technology to create reflectivity that's actually lower than glass. These spectrally-selective interior and exterior films reject up to 97 percent of the sun's heat-producing infrared light to help keep buildings cooler.
- Cool Mirror Film 330, a unique, multilayer optical film designed for low concentration, crystalline silicon photovoltaic (low X CPV) installations. The films reflect only the wavelengths of light that can be absorbed by solar cells, substantially reducing the amount of solar energy that can degrade the performance of CPV systems.
"3M has cut its absolute worldwide greenhouse gas emissions by 72 percent from 1990 to 2010," said Tim Thornton, director of 3M Renewable Energy Division's Energy Conservation business. "We are proud to take part in this challenge and to share our knowledge with others, so we can all move toward achieving this ambitious goal." BD+C
Related Stories
| May 20, 2011
Hotels taking bath out of the bathroom
Bathtubs are disappearing from many hotels across the country as chains use the freed-up space to install ever more luxurious showers, according to a recent USAToday report. Of course, we reported on this move--and 6 other hospitality trends--back in 2006 in our special report "The Inn Things: Seven Radical New Trends in Hotel Design."
| May 19, 2011
BD+C’s "40 Under 40" winners for 2011
The 40 individuals profiled here are some of the brightest stars in the AEC universe—and they’re under the age of 40. These young architects, engineers, contractors, designers, and developers stood out among a group of 164 outstanding entrants in our sixth annual “40 Under 40” competition.
| May 18, 2011
Sanford E. Garner on the profitability of being diverse
Sanford E. Garner, AIA, NOMA, LEED AP ND, NCARB, founding partner and president of A2SO4 Architecture, LLC, Indianapolis, on gentrification, the profitability of being diverse, and his goals as NOMA president.
| May 18, 2011
8 Tips for Designing Wood Trusses
Successful metal-plate-connected wood truss projects require careful attention to detail from Building Team members.
| May 18, 2011
Major Trends in University Residence Halls
They’re not ‘dorms’ anymore. Today’s collegiate housing facilities are lively, state-of-the-art, and green—and a growing sector for Building Teams to explore.
| May 18, 2011
Former Bronx railyard redeveloped as shared education campus
Four schools find strength in numbers at the new 2,310-student Mott Haven Campus in New York City. The schools—three high schools and a K-4 elementary school—coexist on the 6.5-acre South Bronx campus, which was once a railyard.
| May 18, 2011
Eco-friendly San Antonio school combines history and sustainability
The 113,000-sf Rolling Meadows Elementary School in San Antonio is the Judson Independent School District’s first sustainable facility, with green features such as vented roofs for rainwater collection and regionally sourced materials.
| May 18, 2011
New Reform Jewish Independent school opens outside Boston
The Rashi School, one of only 17 Reform Jewish independent schools in North American and Israel, opened a new $30 million facility on a 166-acre campus shared with the Hebrew SeniorLife community on the Charles River in Dedham, Mass.
| May 18, 2011
Design diversity celebrated at Orange County club
The Orange County, Calif., firm NKDDI designed the 22,000-sf Luna Lounge & Nightclub in Pomona, Calif., to be a high-end multipurpose event space that can transition from restaurant to lounge to nightclub to music venue.
| May 18, 2011
Lab personnel find comfort in former Winchester gun factory
The former Winchester Repeating Arms Factory in New Haven, Conn., is the new home of PepsiCo’s Biology Innovation Research Laboratory.
