May 17 2007
The Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) today launched the C40 Large Buildings Retrofit Program and introduced Johnson Controls as one of the lead providers of energy-efficient solutions and technologies working with the Initiative to reduce greenhouse gases in 40 cities worldwide.
Johnson Controls, a global Fortune 100 company that creates smart environments where people live, work and travel, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Initiative. Through this program, Johnson Controls pledges to work with CCI and city governments to improve energy efficiency in municipal and private sector buildings around the world.
"Climate change is a global problem that requires local action," said former U.S. President Bill Clinton. "The businesses, banks and cities partnering with my foundation are addressing the issue of global warming because it's the right thing to do, but also because it's good for their bottom line. They're going to save money, make money, create jobs and have a tremendous collective impact on climate change all at once. I'm proud of them for showing leadership on the critical issue of climate change and I thank them for their commitment to this new initiative."
President Clinton created and is directly involved with the Clinton Climate Initiative. It stems from his commitment to work with companies and governments around the world to address climate change. The launch is part of CCI's C40 Large Cities Climate Summit, focused on creating long-term collaborations with large cities to decrease carbon emissions. Cities are encouraged to work with participating suppliers and their national governments in order to expand the benefits. The program provides a framework for cooperation for the public-private consortium. It is comprised of an initial 15 city and national governments, five financial institutions and four companies such as Johnson Controls that provide energy efficiency solutions.
"Sustainability and energy efficiency are our core values and how we run our business internationally," said David Myers, president of Johnson Controls' building efficiency business. "This Initiative is an excellent platform for educating developers, owners and managers of large facilities on ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make their facilities part of a more comfortable, safe, sustainable and efficient world."
Urban areas are responsible for approximately 75 percent of all energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the world, according to CCI. Furthermore, according to the International Energy Agency, the building sector accounts for about 30 percent to 40 percent of global energy use; considerable energy is consumed by buildings' daily operations such as heating, lighting, cooling and ventilation. Energy efficient solutions for both old and new buildings could significantly reduce CO2 emissions and improve overall air quality.
Several of the 40 cities participating in the Clinton Climate Initiative are where many of Johnson Controls' facilities and customers are located including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Berlin, London, Paris, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Seoul and Tokyo. Johnson Controls has a 122-year record of providing energy efficient solutions that maximize energy usage, comfort, productivity, and safety in commercial, institutional and government buildings. Its projects range from historic structures retrofitted with the company's energy saving technologies to new buildings with built-in energy efficient solutions.
The Leonardo Academy estimates that by 2010, Johnson Controls will help customers identify and address areas for energy conservation that will lead to $18 billion of savings in utility costs and reduction in power plant emissions of 352 million tons. In environmental terms, this is roughly equivalent to planting 29 million acres of trees.
"We design, produce and execute our products and services with energy efficiency and sustainability in mind. While the Initiative is focused on retrofitting large existing buildings, we also have in-depth experience in designing and equipping new buildings to be energy efficient," said Myers. Some examples of the company's energy-efficiency projects include:
- In California, United States, Johnson Controls designed and constructed a seven-megawatt dual fuel cogeneration system for the Marine Air Ground Task Force Training Command (MAGTFTC). Through the Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) with Johnson Controls, MAGTFTC was able to fund improvements from guaranteed energy and energy-related operational savings. This saved the base an additional $1.1 million each year.
- In Beijing, China, Johnson Controls completed a project with U.S. Department of Energy and the Chinese government in 2004 to provide energy efficient headquarters for the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). This building was designed in accordance with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDTM) Green Building Rating System. It is the country's first internationally-certified green building. More recently in 2006, Johnson Controls was chosen to provide a comprehensive building systems solution for the Shanghai World Financial Center in Shanghai, China -- another project that will boost China's efforts to increase green components and sustainability into its cities.
- In Paris, France, Johnson Controls provided heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) services to Les Miroirs, a dramatic office building in the Paris business district La Défense. The energy-efficient HVAC and control systems provided by Johnson Controls enabled Les Miroirs to fully control temperature and air quality with guaranteed annual energy savings worth more than $272,000 (euro 200,000) over seven years.
Johnson Controls is listed in a number of socially-responsible investment indices, including the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index, FTSE4Good US Index, KLD Global Climate 100, and Domini 400 Social Index for its commitment to environmental sustainability and developing positive relationships with stakeholders.