After working toward additional energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reductions over the last five years, Cummins now is becoming a partner in the Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge announced by President Obama on Friday, Dec. 2. The criteria for being a partner in the U.S. Department of Energy’s program include reducing energy use by at least 25 percent per dollar revenue from 2005-2015, committing to complete a larger-scale energy efficiency project and reporting details on energy use and progress.
Cummins joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Leaders Program in 2006 and set the goal of a 25 percent reduction of GHG emissions per dollar revenue from 2005 to 2010. In May 2011, the company announced that it had exceeded the goal with a 28 percent reduction.
In becoming a partner in the Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge, Cummins will be building on this effort as about half of that 28 percent GHG reduction came as a result of energy efficiency improvements. The company’s new 25 percent energy efficiency goal over the 2005 to 2015 timeframe is equivalent to about a 40 percent GHG reduction.
“Cummins strongly believes in the business case for energy efficiency,” says Tom Linebarger, Cummins president and chief operating officer. “It is good business, good for our business, and it is the right thing to do. By being a partner, Cummins commits to aggressively pursue energy efficiency, which will continue to move our work forward. The Challenge also provides a forum to both share our knowledge and learn from fellow partners that can encourage other companies to pursue energy efficiency actions.”
The company’s wide-ranging energy savings actions have included projects such as high-efficiency lighting upgrades; power management systems; energy-efficient motors, pumps and fans; compressed air optimization; heating and cooling equipment upgrades; and energy recovery from engine test cells. Energy efficiency also is incorporated in the company’s global environmental management system – which is implemented at 69 sites around the world and the key mechanism for driving environmental improvements at Cummins facilities.
Cummins’ global energy efficiency team has implemented nearly 300 energy efficiency capital projects across seven specific energy themes. In addition to implementing capital projects, the company has trained a broad network of Energy Champions who coach and mentor site Energy Leaders to find and implement low and no-cost energy projects that also save money for their sites. These combined efforts have saved Cummins more than $20 million dollars annually.
