The Electrolux three-part climate strategy focuses on developing climate-smart products, raising consumer awareness and increasing operational efficiency. The Group is on track to lower operational energy use by 28% between 2005 and 2012, having already achieved a 25% reduction by 2010.
Every plant in the Group works to meet Green Spirit energy saving targets and some, like Kinston, a dishwasher plant in North Carolina, USA, have an exceptional record. Kinston is reaping the benefits of a range of energy saving initiatives. For example, a major project to eliminate the need for a gas incinerator by switching to a water-based coating primer reduced natural gas use by 50%. In a separate undertaking, a 25% gas saving was achieved by cleaning dishwasher parts at ambient rather than raised temperatures.
At Kinston there are always moves afoot to find new ways to save energy and involve people. Employees are vigilant about switching off idle compressors and recently, the ‘Leak a Day’ initiative was launched, a joint departmental program between engineering and maintenance to find and repair a compressed air leak every day.
Together with installing motion sensors for lighting, these initiatives and others have reduced Kinston’s overall energy use by nearly 16% between 2008 and 2010. The natural gas element of the energy total fell by almost 30%.
Delivering energy efficiency is a continuing challenge and there are always new opportunities to explore. Considerable motivation comes from Green Spirit, a Group-wide environmental initiative and hub for collating global data and cross-fertilizing best practices. In keeping with the ethos of Green Spirit and an ongoing commitment to continuous improvement, Kinston is already investigating next steps by exploring way to make good use of waste heat.