Legrand recognized by Department of Energy for commitment to Better Buildings Better Plants Challenge; shares energy intensity reduction results and new resources

WEST HARTFORD, Conn., May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Legrand will be recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) at the International Energy Technology Conference (IETC) for its continuing efforts to make energy efficiency a top priority through the company's involvement in the Better Buildings, Better Plants (BBBP) Challenge.

The BBBP Challenge is a DOE program that highlights leaders who have committed to saving energy and providing energy intensity reduction models for others to follow.  The BBBP calls upon participating companies to achieve a 25 percent energy intensity reduction within 10 years. Legrand has already exceeded this challenge and achieved a 28.5 percent reduction across 14 U.S. sites since starting the program in 2011.

"We've been actively tracking our efforts, and in 2012 we achieved an incremental 8.34 percent reduction in energy intensity over our baseline year of 2009," mentioned Legrand, North America President and CEO John Selldorff. "In addition, we have pledged to reduce energy intensity at our West Hartford, CT headquarters by 10 percent in just two years and are continuing on the path to meet this goal." 

Through this steadfast commitment to improving energy efficiency, Legrand has begun installing sub-meters at many facilities to identify further energy savings opportunities and implemented internally focused initiatives that empower employees to use less energy in their day-to-day at work.

"We attribute our progress in 2012 to a combination of some new approaches, while working to expand and improve upon on previous years' efforts," added Susan Rochford, vice president Energy Efficiency, Sustainability & Public Policy for Legrand, "We will continue to share the tools and approaches we have developed in the course of tackling our energy intensity reduction goals.  Our latest tool is called Organizing for Results and includes a five-step process that other organizations may find useful as they develop and organize their sustainability efforts."

Additionally, the company has pledged to report and share its results with the DOE and public through its participation in the BBBP Challenge. All energy saving resources, including the Organizing for Results, Power Down Day Toolkit, Legrand's Corporate Energy Policy, Energy Management Handbook and Energy Project Evaluation Tool, can be found at www.legrand.us/aboutus/sustainability.

Both Selldorff and Rochford credit the company's successful efforts in reducing energy consumption to a combination of the engagement of its employees, the sponsorship of a dedicated leadership team, the development of tools and key management processes, and investment of the time and needed resources to put it all together.

This recognition by the DOE on Legrand's success in the Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge builds upon its presentation of the IETC Energy Award at the 2013 IETC event in New Orleans.

About Legrand
Legrand is the global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Its comprehensive offering of solutions for use in commercial, industrial and residential markets makes it a benchmark for customers worldwide. Innovation for a steady flow of new products with high added value and acquisitions are prime vectors for growth. Legrand reported sales of $5.8 billion in 2011. Legrand has a strong presence in the North American market, with a portfolio of well-known product lines that include Cablofil, Electrorack, Middle Atlantic, On-Q, Ortronics, Pass & Seymour, Vantage, Watt Stopper and Wiremold. The company is listed as LR.PA (PARIS: LR) on NYSE Euronext and is a component stock of indexes including the CAC40, FTSE4Good, MSCI World, ASPI and DJSI (ISIN code FR0010307819). www.legrand.us  

About the Better Buildings Challenge 
The Better Buildings Challenge is a voluntary leadership initiative that asks chief executive officers, university presidents, and state and local leaders to make a public commitment to energy efficiency. Through the Better Buildings Challenge, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is highlighting leaders that have committed to upgrading buildings and plants across their portfolio, and providing their energy savings data and strategies as models for others to follow. The goal of the Better Buildings Challenge is to make American commercial and industrial buildings at least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020. www.legrand.us/aboutus/sustainability  

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Media contacts:
Amy Hahne
(860) 523-3635 | [email protected]  

SOURCE Legrand