IR achieves 2020 energy efficiency goal

IRELAND: Ingersoll Rand, parent company of Trane and Thermo King, says it has achieved a 10% increase in production, two years ahead of a key target in its 2020 global climate commitment.

In 2014, Ingersoll Rand publicly committed to increase its energy efficiency and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions related to its operations and products. Part of that commitment was a 35% reduction of its greenhouse gas footprint from its own operations by 2020. To deliver on this goal, the company targeted a 10% increase in energy efficiency from a 2013 baseline.

Following an energy audit of its own large facilities and upgraded air conditioning systems, building controls and lighting, and eliminated energy leakage from its compressed air systems while measuring, validating and reporting the results. It reduced energy use by 109,000MBTU (31,945kW) and electricity consumption by 22,000MWh.

“Energy efficiency is a primary consideration in everything we do across our own operations and for our customers in the building, industrial and transport industries,” said Paul Camuti, senior vice president of Innovation and chief technology officer for Ingersoll Rand. “We are pleased to achieve this significant milestone, and thank the Ingersoll Rand team around the world for reducing energy use and our impact on the environment, and enhancing sustainable value for our customers.”

The company’s commitment also included a 50% reduction in GHG refrigerant footprint of its products by 2020 and lower-GWP alternatives across its portfolio by 2030. This also involved a $500m investment in product-related research and development to fund long-term GHG reduction

The company initiated solar installations to address 15% of the energy load at there of its large manufacturing sites in the US and China. In addition, Ingersoll Rand signed a power purchase agreement for approximately 100,000MWh of wind power annually. The wind farm is in Baylor County, Texas. The power agreement replaces 32%t of the company’s US electricity use with green energy, and reduces US Scope 2 GHG emissions from electricity by 32%.

“Availability and accessibility of renewable energy options continues to increase, making it attractive to manufacturers like Ingersoll Rand and to our customers,” said Keith Sultana, senior vice president – Global Operations and Integrated Supply Chain for Ingersoll Rand. “We engaged our own Trane Energy Supply business to provide a roadmap on how to be smarter about our energy purchases, and to organise an agreement that is responsible to the environment and good for our business.”