Hunting for energy treasures in Cincinnati

Contributor Ryan Brown, manager, Environmental Health & Safety (EHS) and Security at GE Aviation in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Two things I like most about GE are the intense focus on efficiency and the work we do in the community. As an EHS leader, I’ve participated in many energy-saving audits. I thought it would be great if GE could share its experiences and teach organizations in the community how to save energy. Recently we did just that – creating an energy-saving audit program for Cincinnati Public Schools. (Our connection to the district is linked to a $20-million grant from the GE Foundation. One area of the grant is to use GE expertise to improve functional efficiency and effectiveness in the district.)

My colleague at GE Energy, Brian Noel, and I led a team of EHS volunteers in sharing learning from various “energy treasure hunts” performed at our facilities that discover ways we can reduce energy use, save money and work towards the ecomagination goal of reducing GE’s carbon footprint. Originated at Toyota, the treasure hunt concept has been leveraged across GE.

Teaming with University of Cincinnati architectural and engineering students and the facilities department at CPS we identified more than $25,000 worth of cost savings that accounted for more than 15% of one elementary school’s energy spend, in our first energy audit. The total GHG reduction will be 274 metric tons of CO2, which equals 46 U.S. cars removed from the roads each year.

Many savings came from basic behavioral changes. The team identified the HVAC system as one major area of opportunity, suggesting better controls and increased insulation levels in exterior walls. We also looked at permanent design changes that can be implemented in future CPS buildings.

We plan to conduct energy audits at more area schools this year, and we are considering expanding the program to other nonprofit organizations. By sharing our expertise, we’re teaching CPS to become experts so this initiative can spread across the school system.

* Learn more about GE’s commitment to the Cincinnati Schools through a recent story “GE employee expertise adds value to grants.”