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Decrease Carbon Emissions
Lowering carbon emissions can save on energy costs, while creating a greener, more sustainable facility
Buildings that work minimize their impact on the environment. It’s what people want and many governments require. Efforts to reduce carbon emissions also lower energy and operational costs. That’s why today’s businesses, educational institutions, health care facilities, and government agencies are becoming greener and more sustainable.
Reduce your carbon footprint
The first step to carbon footprint reduction is quantifying your carbon footprint. Online tools enable users to enter information such as electricity, gas and diesel fuel usage; fleet size and vehicle fuel consumption; and renewable energy generation. The consolidated data from all your sites provide an accurate measurement of your organization’s total carbon footprint.
The next step is to develop and implement a carbon management and sustainability strategy. For example, by installing more efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems, building state-of-the-art central utility plants, and deploying renewable energy technologies such as photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, you can lower carbon emissions, energy consumption, and fossil fuel dependence.
For example, the Johnson Controls’ Corporate Headquarters, in Glendale, Wisconsin, implemented onsite solar electricity systems which are helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 827,000 pounds annually. Those efforts helped us achieve Platinum certification at four buildings on site under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) program. Integrated Design Associates, Inc. (IDeAs) in San Jose, California, made its headquarters a net-zero energy/net zero carbon emissions building by using renewable energy sources. It now operates without any negative impact on the environment.
Efficient real estate
Another way to reduce your carbon footprint is to reduce your real estate footprint. You can do so by consolidating where possible and eliminating unneeded facilities. By reducing your square footage, you reduce your energy usage and carbon emissions. You can take advantage of numerous other programs to conserve natural resources and reduce carbon emissions – such as recycling, using less paper, and scheduling building cleaning shifts to overlap with regular business hours so you won’t have to leave the lights and HVAC system on at night.
Making energy efficiency affordable
There are a number of ways to make your projects affordable. Through performance contracting retrofits, energy and operational savings can offset project costs. Not only will you save money, but the environment will benefit. In fact, since January, 2000, our customers have saved more than 16 million metric tons of carbon dioxide as a result of performance contracting projects.
Learn more
To learn more about how others like you have reduced their carbon emissions, read our case studies. To find out how Johnson Controls can help you, contact us, or try our operational and energy savings calculator today.