December 2, 2009
NEW YORK, NY – At its Global Energy Outlook Forum, Platts presented IKEA North American with an award for its 2009 contribution to sustainability. Platts is a unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies. IKEA North American received this special recognition for being a Platts Global Energy Awards Finalist for its outstanding 2008–09 energy efficiency program.
The initiative to reduce energy use and identify opportunities to employ renewable energy sources in IKEA’s U.S. stores and distribution centers was launched in spring 2008 as part of IKEA’s worldwide program aimed at reducing energy consumption and significantly decreasing its dependence upon fossil-based fuels, referred to as IGR, IKEA Goes Renewable.
In the initiative’s first phase, Sieben Energy Associates was selected to visit and evaluate all U.S. stores, distribution centers and IKEA’s U.S. headquarters facility. Sieben assessed existing operations and identified operational and capital-intensive energy cost reduction measures. Thirty-six sites were evaluated between March 2008 and April 2009 following a protocol that closely examined nighttime and daytime operations.
Throughout the year-long first phase there was close interaction between Sieben, IKEA’s U.S. Energy Manager and local site facilities and engineering personnel in order to assess the root causes of energy performance. The results of the evaluations were designed to serve as a guide for individual sites to begin a program of physical alterations and behavioral changes to significantly reduce long-term energy consumption.
Phase two efforts—the implementation of recommendations stemming from the evaluations—got underway at sites before the last stores were visited. Every evaluation included a comprehensive assessment of the use of renewable resources to offset grid-based electric and natural gas sources.
The initiative was designed to make a lasting impact on U.S. store operations that could be measured and verified through the tracking capability of IKEA’s in-house energy cost and consumption database. Sieben Energy Associates submitted IKEA North American for a Platts Global Energy Award in recognition of its extraordinary commitment to achieving improved energy efficiency at its North American stores and distribution centers.
“We appreciate the initiative and effort put forth by SEA on behalf of IKEA and our energy efficiency program,” said Mark Gasper, U.S. Energy Manager for IKEA Property, Inc. “We are very proud of our accomplishments and honored to be chosen as one of the finalists for this award category.”
About Sieben Energy Associates
Sieben Energy Associates (SEA) is a strategic and technical consulting firm that specializes in energy efficiency, sustainable design, and strategic energy management solutions. Since 1990, SEA has helped hundreds of clients in the commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors identify ways to reduce their energy costs, strengthen their sustainability profiles, and implement green solutions for new and existing buildings. SEA helps clients to reduce operating expenses, increase shareholder value, and manage the risks of global climate change.
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