Legrand North America has installed a 500kW, solid-oxide fuel cell system to provide cleaner and more efficient power to its headquarters in West Hartford, Conn. The fuel cell is expected to produce up to 88% of the electricity to every building on its 263,000-square-foot, 100-year-old campus.
Legrand sought a solution that would reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of its corporate facility, and reduce wasteful spending on energy. The new fuel cell will generate an approximate 21% reduction in energy intensity and as much as 50% reduction in harmful CO2 emissions for the West Hartford facility. At system capacity, the net savings will be approximately $2.4 million over the first 10 years.
“Legrand now has its sights set on achieving another 25% total reduction in energy intensity across all of its North American facilities from a 2012 baseline and the fuel cell is going to help us meet that lofty goal here in West Hartford,” said Susan Rochford, V.P. of energy efficiency, sustainability and public policy at Legrand, North America, in a press release.
Five years ago, Legrand made a commitment to reduce the energy intensity by 25% in 10 years across 14 of its U.S. facilities and pushed the envelope to reduce its West Hartford facility’s energy intensity by 10% in only two years. These commitments established Legrand as a Better Buildings, Better Plant “Challenge Partner” in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings program. Within two years, Legrand met both goals and subsequently committed to achieving even higher energy reduction levels across all of its facilities throughout North America by 2022.
