Climate
Discovering energy savings on-site at GE Healthcare
GE continues to intensify our ongoing focus on energy conservation through a process that allowed the company to identify opportunities to reduce energy and fuel consumption by $100 million in cumulative savings, maximizing environmental and financial return-on-investment.
In March 2009, 90 GE contractors and employees convened at the company’s Healthcare facility in Waukesha, Wisconsin, to take part in the largest energy “treasure hunt” in the company’s history. In an effort to search out inefficiencies in energy use, the hunt began with participants researching the site in “sleep mode” so they could see how energy was being used when the facility was not in use. Participants then inspected everything from water use and ventilation to light bulbs and computer monitors, determining where and when parts of the facility could be turned off, insulated better or simply removed. Over the course of the three-day hunt, the team identified $3 million in potential savings and a reduction of nearly 24 metric tons of CO2.
Energy “treasure hunts” have enabled GE to reduce CO2 emission by more than 700,000 metric tons and save more than $100 million in fuel and energy costs since its inception. To date, GE has conducted more than 250 treasure hunts with participation from more than 3,000 GE employees globally.
