Low energy, high praise: Efficiency efforts earn recognition

Boeing recently earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's ENERGY STAR Challenge for Industry Award, recognizing its significant efforts in energy reduction at the Developmental Center near Seattle. 

• The Challenge encouraged industrial sites to reduce their energy intensity by 10% within five years; Boeing exceeded the target with a 15% reduction. 

Why it matters: The award, Boeing’s sixth, underscores the company’s efforts in reducing its energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and positions it as a sustainability and energy efficiency leader in aerospace. It reflects internal efforts and helps set benchmarks for other companies to follow.

What we’re saying: “Boeing's recognition by the EPA underscores our efforts toward cost-effective, sustainable energy reduction,” said Jill Graftenreed, vice president, Global Enterprise Sustainability. “We are always finding new ways to innovate as we work to a more sustainable future.”

The image above shows how the switch to LED lights (right) at the Development Center improved the lighting while reducing energy.

The big picture: Efforts at the Development Center are a part of a broader strategy to enhance energy efficiency across Boeing’s operations, such as installing energy-efficient lighting, utilizing smart building technologies, and integrating renewable energy sources. 

By the numbers

• 22,000 bulbs: Number of fluorescent lighting fixtures replaced with LED lights at The Developmental Center in Tukwila, Washington.
• 10 million kilowatt (kw) hours: Annual reduction in kilowatt hours of electricity consumption due to the lighting upgrade.