Environmental Defense Fund Highlights Two Scalable Solutions for Energy Management

(NEW YORK, NY – January 22, 2015)  Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) announced today the release of two in-depth case studies that reflect the innovation of the adidas Group and the Housing Authority of the City and County of Denver (DHA)—both of which employed EDF Climate Corps fellows to cut costs while reducing their energy use and carbon footprints.

The two case studies—Conveyor Belt to Energy Savings about the adidas Group’s efficiency strategy for material handling equipment and Public Housing: Let Your Roof Make it Rain about DHA’s solar Power Purchase Agreement—are the latest examples of success stemming from the relationship of EDF’s Climate Corps program and forward-thinking organizations around the country.

They join the recently released case studies of Chicago-based JLL and Urban Innovations, both of which have risen to the City of Chicago’s call to reduce commercial building energy consumption by 20 percent in the next five years.

EDF Climate Corps transforms the way organizations use energy by pairing fellows—top graduate students from the nation’s leading universities—with companies, cities, schools and public institutions to identify, measure and implement high-value ways to save energy, carbon emissions and money. EDF Climate Corps has worked with over 300 organizations since the program’s launch in 2008, finding an average of $1 million in energy savings for each participating organization. Collectively, the program has uncovered enough energy savings to power 260,000 homes each year and save $1.4 billion in energy costs.

The release of the adidas Group and DHA case studies coincides with EDF’s announcement of the first batch of companies enrolled in EDF Climate Corps in 2015 (see related release), including Verizon, Shorenstein Properties and Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

“The adidas Group and Denver Housing Authority case studies highlight the innovation and cost savings that result from managing energy strategically,” said EDF Managing Director Victoria Mills. “They provide a pathway to any organizations seeking to improve energy efficiency and expand the use of renewables.”

DHA wanted to expand its portfolio of renewable energy sources and decrease utility expenses for the 12,000 units of affordable housing it oversees. The answer was an innovative Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) whereby solar panels were installed on 387 DHA buildings, yielding 3.4 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year and reducing CO2 emissions by 3,400 tons annually. As a result, DHA receives revenue from leasing its rooftops and purchases the renewable energy at a discount.

The case studies can be found at http://edfclimatecorps.org/impact/case-studies.

Like adidas Group and DHA, participating organizations benefit from EDF Climate Corps’ well-known expertise in product distribution strategies, demand response, energy data analysis, project financing, renewables, greenhouse gas reporting, energy-efficiency opportunity assessments and employee engagement campaigns.

EDF Climate Corps is still accepting applications for organizations interested in achieving energy wins in 2015. To sign up for EDF Climate Corps, visit edfclimatecorps.org or e-mail [email protected].