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
| Oct 11, 2010
MBMA Releases Fire Resistance Design Guide for metal building systems
The Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA) announces the release of the 2010 Fire Resistance Design Guide for Metal Building Systems. The guide provides building owners, architects, engineers, specifiers, fire marshals, building code officials, contractors, product vendors, builders and metal building manufacturers information on how to effectively meet fire resistance requirements of a project with metal building systems.
| Oct 11, 2010
Rhode Island is the first state to adopt IGCC
Rhode Island is the first state to adopt the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). The Rhode Island Green Buildings Act identifies the IGCC as an equivalent standard in compliance with requirements that all public agency major facility projects be designed and constructed as green buildings. The Rules and Regulations to implement the Act take effect in October 2010.
| Oct 8, 2010
Union Bank’S San Diego HQ awarded LEED Gold
Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building located at 530 B Street has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute under the standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Gold status was awarded to six buildings across the United States in the most recent certification and Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building is one of only two in California.
| Oct 6, 2010
Windows Keep Green Goals in View
The DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has almost 600 window openings, and yet it's targeting LEED Platinum, net-zero energy use, and 50% improvement over ASHRAE 90.1. How the window ‘problem’ is part of the solution.
| Oct 6, 2010
From grocery store to culinary school
A former West Philadelphia supermarket is moving up the food chain, transitioning from grocery store to the Center for Culinary Enterprise, a business culinary training school.
| Sep 30, 2010
Luxury hotels lead industry in green accommodations
Results from the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s 2010 Lodging Survey showed that luxury and upper-upscale hotels are most likely to feature green amenities and earn green certifications. Results were tallied from 8,800 respondents, for a very respectable 18% response rate. Questions focused on 14 green-related categories, including allergy-free rooms, water-saving programs, energy management systems, recycling programs, green certification, and green renovation.
| Sep 22, 2010
Michael Van Valkenburg Assoc. wins St. Louis Gateway Arch design competition
Landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh and a multidisciplinary team of experts in “urban renewal, preservation, commemoration, social connections and ecological restoration” have been picked for the planning phase of The City+The Arch+The River 2015 International Design Competition.
