Small steps can add up to major energy savings. Chrysler Group LLC Facilities group is proving just that with several new green programs at its World Headquarters and Technology Center complex in Auburn Hills, Michigan that are already leading to big leaps in reducing both carbon emmissions and energy dollars.
Bryan Whitfield, Manager – Central Energy Plant, Building Automation Systems – says simply eliminating lighting above the travertine hallways has added up to $16,000 a year in electrical savings. What's more, a project to optimize the use of hot water throughout the complex is estimated to generate more than $200,000 in natural gas cost reductions annually.
The energy savings also apply to the office suites, where overhead lighting has been reduced by half. Meanwhile, a new pilot program is looking into how best to automatically shut off computers that are left on during non-working hours. A test sample of some 1,500 computers found 60% were left on overnight, something managers didn't know when they began to investigate. And as G.I. Joe would say: Knowing is half the battle.
