Today, Legrand joined President Obama and Department of Energy officials in Washington, D.C. to announce the company has joined the Better Building, Better Plants Presidential Leadership initiative to create American jobs through energy efficiency.
Legrand is a manufacturer of electrical and data networking products for residential, commercial or industrial buildings. The company is one of just nine U.S. industrial organizations that have joined the initiative as Challenge Partners, pledging to the most aggressive energy savings, management and reporting practices outlined in a U.S. Department of Energy agreement.
By encouraging office and plant upgrades and renovations, the deployment of energy-saving solutions will boost local construction projects and expand opportunities for architects, design engineers, contractors and installers in communities throughout the U.S.
“People think energy-saving solutions are more complex than they are,” explained John Selldorff, president & chief executive officer of Legrand North America. “We hope to show our customers, suppliers and other mid-size manufacturers how to cut through the complexity with simple, repeatable solutions that are currently available to significantly reduce energy consumption. It can be as simple as controlling the lights to make sure they are off when not needed.”
The Better Building Challenge reporting requirements demand transparency and encourage replication of Challenge Partner projects across the U.S. economy.
“As other companies see what we do and deploy these ideas, they’ll realize energy and cost savings and, ultimately, spur more job creation in their own communities,” continued Selldorff.
As a Challenge Partner, Legrand has agreed to a series of high-impact actions that include:
- Reduce corporate wide energy intensity by 25% over ten years.
- Implement a “Showcase” project at a single site that will achieve a 10% energy intensity reduction in just two years.
- Deploy a “market innovation” that will accelerate achievement of energy efficiency gains.
- Report regularly on progress toward goals and lessons learned in deploying innovations and energy efficiency solutions.
Specific Legrand energy saving pledges and projects will be announced at a later date; however, the company is already installing sub-meters technology at 14 of its U.S. offices, manufacturing plants and warehouses. The technology will allow Legrand to instantly measure energy use, determine where greater efficiencies can be achieved through lighting and plugload management, and identify other upgrades needed to achieve energy efficiency goals. BD+C
Related Stories
| May 25, 2011
Hotel offers water beds on a grand scale
A semi-submerged resort hotel is the newest project from Giancarlo Zema, a Rome-based architect known for his organic maritime designs. The hotel spans one kilometer and has both land and sea portions.
| May 25, 2011
Smithsonian building $45 million green lab
Thanks to a $45 million federal appropriation to the Smithsonian Institution, the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, Md., has broken ground on what is expected to be one of the most energy-efficient laboratories in the country. The 69,000-sf lab is targeting LEED Gold and is expected to use 37% less energy and emit 37% less carbon dioxide than a similar building.
| May 25, 2011
World’s tallest building now available in smaller size
Emaar Properties teamed up with LEGO to create a miniature version of the Burj Khalifa as part of the LEGO Architecture series. Currently, the LEGO Burj Khalifa is available only in Dubai, but come June 1, 2011, it will be available worldwide.
| May 25, 2011
Developers push Manhattan office construction
Manhattan developers are planning the city's biggest decade of office construction since the 1980s, betting on rising demand for modern space even with tenants unsigned and the availability of financing more limited. More than 25 million sf of projects are under construction or may be built in the next nine years.
| May 25, 2011
Olympic site spurs green building movement in UK
London's environmentally friendly 2012 Olympic venues are fuelling a green building movement in Britain.
| May 25, 2011
TOTO tests universal design at the AIA conference
If you could be 80 years old for 30 minutes—and have to readjust everything you think you know about your own mobility—would you do it?
| 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.
