ABB is aiming to reduce the amount of energy it uses by 2.5 percent per year until 2011, continuing a drive for greater efficiency in the way the company uses energy that began several years ago.
The reduction target is part of the company's sustainability objectives for 2010-2011, and will help reduce costs and fulfill ABB's commitment to curb carbon dioxide emissions, the gas widely believed to be most responsible for global warming.
The measures needed to meet the savings target are being determined locally at about 350 production and administrative sites worldwide. The savings achieved will be measured and monitored by an existing global network of about 400 employees responsible for sustainability and environmental issues.
ABB’s own activities are not energy-intensive, and annual greenhouse gas emissions total about 1.5 million tons, including both the direct emissions from its operations and the indirect emissions from purchased electricity. Based on 2009 data, production processes consume approximately 60 percent of the energy ABB uses; the remainder is used in buildings.
Monitoring energy use
Auditing how and where energy is used identifies opportunities for reduction. As part of the company’s energy efficiency objective, the 23 ABB sites accounting for 45 percent of ABB's energy consumption are required to perform formal energy audits to underpin their energy efficiency programs.
This program is already showing results. An audit at an ABB plant in Florida making relays and switches led to measures that cut energy consumption by 13 percent by more effectively controlling air conditioning and lighting systems.
An energy audit led ABB managers at a plastic injection factory in Italy was followed by the installation of modern drive technology to control press machines. The drives reduced electricity costs by $80,000 per year, saving 442 megawatt-hours of electricity annually (enough to power 116 average-sized European homes for a year).
In 2008, the company launched a Green Building Policy as an integral part of ABB's commitment to sustainability. The aim is to embed the policy in our strategies, processes and day-to-day real estate business throughout the company. ABB has now set a target for improving energy efficiency in all of its buildings by 2.5 percent from 2009 to 2010.
Ongoing energy savings
ABB's office and factory sites in Ladenburg, Germany, cut carbon dioxide emissions by one third following completion of building upgrades to improve heating systems, insulation, windows and roofing. The improvements have reduced energy costs for all ABB units in Ladenburg.
Carbon emissions at ABB sites in Switzerland have fallen by 55 percent since 1990 (expected to reach 60 percent in 2010) thanks to ongoing building retrofits and factory upgrades that also save the company on average $2 million per year.
In addition, the company is on target to meet a commitment made to the Swiss government to reduce electricity consumption by 6 percent between 2006 and 2010.
ABB in China launched a campaign in 2009 that has yielded hundreds of practical suggestions from employees on ways to save energy and costs in ABB's operations, from reducing the number of overhead lights and turning lights off over lunch time, to turning off air conditioning a half-hour before the workday ends.
Electricity intensity at ABB China has fallen 55 percent over 5 years.
ABB’s operations in Sweden have been among the most active parts of the business when it comes to energy savings.
Projects identified
ABB in Sweden have identified 140 energy-saving projects in technical and behavioral categories and more than one-third of these projects have now been completed. These completed projects already generate energy savings equal to 4150 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually, reducing annual energy costs for ABB in Sweden by $0.8 million.
For example, the high-voltage cable factory in Karlskrona is slashing power consumption by as much as 50 percent with heat recovery technologies that capture heat produced by factory processes and use it to keep the building warm.
Behavioral projects encourage employees to make energy efficiency an integral part of daily life, and adopt simple, but highly effective measures, like turning out lights when leaving a room unoccupied, and switching off PCs and office equipment at the end of the work day.
ABB's head office, manufacturing and logistics center in South Africa is an ultramodern green building complex near Johannesburg that embeds the company's latest energy efficient technology in daily operations. In addition to special water collection and capture systems, the newly-opened Longmeadow site uses solar power for hot water, high-efficiency motors for air-conditioning, an intelligent building automation system and energy-efficient lighting.