GLENDALE, WIS. — Johnson Controls Inc. has joined a U.S. Department of Energy initiative to reduce energy use in industrial facilities.
The company – along with retailer Macy's and communications group Sprint – pledged to use energy savings practices that would reduce energy waste and save money, JCI and the Energy Department announced in a Feb. 21 news release.
"Johnson Controls commits to an additional 25 percent energy intensity reduction in its 71 U.S. manufacturing plants," said Clay Nesler, vice president of global energy and sustainability for JCI, based in the Milwaukee suburb of Glendale, Wis. The plan will cover 16 million square feet of production space through 2019.
JCI noted that it already has reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 18 million metric tons since 2000. The company has three major business units: building efficiency, the battery making energy storage group and its automotive interiors unit, with both seating and interior trim manufacturing.
The company previously set its own in-house sustainability goals, with a target of 30 percent reduction in energy usage between 2008 and 2018, a 20 percent reduction in its waste stream during that time and a 10 percent cut in water usage.
Its 2012 sustainability report noted that JCI had improved energy use by 24.48 percent at its Riverside, Mo., seating plant through a series of steps, which included high performance lighting and heating and air conditioning systems.