2Sustain

Last week, The Home Depot announced new targets for lowering energy use in U.S. stores and reducing GHG emissions in its domestic supply chain.

Since 2004, The Home Depot has reduced its U.S. stores’ energy per square foot consumption by 16 percent, and now –after a series of rather straightforward operational programs including the upgrading of store HVAC systems, aligning of stocking hours more closely with store operating hours, use of CFL bulbs and a switch to T5 lighting –the company’s U.S. store energy usage stands at 21 kWh per square foot.

Remarkably, The Home Depot estimates that over the past six years it has saved 2.6 billion kWh of energy —which is enough energy to power 203,000 homes for one year.

But, the company doesn’t want to stop there. The Home Depot believes it can reach 20 kWh per square foot of energy usage by 2015. How? According to a press release, the stores will continue to gain operational and energy efficiencies through:

• a move from 54 to 49 watt lighting,
• additional HVAC upgrades,
• installation of more white roofs, and
• shifted stocking hours to align more closely with  store operating hours.

These efforts, representing an additional reduction of approximately five percent from the current usage amounts, will bring the total reduction since 2004 to 20 percent.

In addition, like Walmart , Nike and others, The Home Depot is sharpening its focus on supply chain sustainability initiatives. Specifically, the company has set a 2015 target to reduce its domestic supply chain greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent from its 2008 levels.

The Home Depot says reductions in GHGs from its domestic supply chain will be largely the result of more efficient routing, scheduling and the consolidation of shipments to stores (again, relatively simple strategies aimed directly at improving  transportation efficiencies). Ultimately, the Company anticipates a reduction of 200 million miles driven per year –which equates to annual fuel savings of 25 million gallons or 8,000 trips around the earth.

It’s great to see The Home Depot, the world’s largest home improvement retailer, taking steps like these to reduce energy use and GHG emissions. The company is also expanding its Eco Options program, and back in December I wrote about the launch of The Home Depot’s Sustainable Cities Institute, an initiative designed to provide tools and resources to city leaders so that they can integrate sustainability principles into policies and practices.