Page 31 - Green Builder July-August 2020 Issue

Uponor

North America

Moving toward 100 percent renewable energy for production.

HEN IT COMES TO ENCOURAGING net zero
status with customers’ homes, it never hurts to
start with your own. Uponor, which manufactures
plumbing and radiant heating systems and tools,
W recently took that step when its Lakeville, Minn.,
distribution center became ƒ„„ percent wind powered last spring.
Since „ƒ†, the company has been increasingly buying blocks
of wind-produced renewable energy from local utilities. About ˆ‰
percent of its power in North America is now breeze-generated; the
company has set „ ‹ as the year for the entire operation to reach
all-green status.
This year, about . million kilowatt hours (kWh) of the distribution
center’s wind-generated energy will come from its participation
in the Dakota Electric Association (DEA)’s Wellspring Renewable
Energy program, according to DEA President and CEO Greg Miller.
That’s enough to power ‰ˆ residential homes for a year.
Uponor is the ”rst major manufacturer to participate in Wellspring, o e mana e our most precious resources a ects
he notes.
“[We] provide a way for businesses to receive all their power from the well-being of people and the planet for generations.
renewable sources without having to build infrastructure or get in By leading progress on the critical environmental
the energy business,” Miller says. “Uponor has demonstrated its
environmental commitment in a tangible way, and we are happy to challenges we face, we are preparing our communities
assist the company in achieving its environmental goals.”
Globally, Uponor’s sustainability platform is centered on four key and industry to thrive in a changing world.
areas: conserve water, reduce waste, improve energy e›ciency and
empower labor, according to Bill Gray, president of Uponor North years, and there have been a lot of them. There was, ”ttingly, the
America. “The milestone reached at our Lakeville facility,” he says, $‰¥ million new research facility for the National Renewable Energy
“is a leap toward achieving not only our goals for improving energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colo.; the Fairway Village Apartments
e›ciency in North America, but also on a global scale.” and the replacement of its ¥‹-year-old plumbing in Austin, Texas;
Uponor took on environmentally sound water management a and even a green plumbing system for a Tiny Home that has toured
few years ago, when it expanded its Apple Valley, Minn., facility by the East Coast since „ƒ‹, to name a few.
¡„,„„„ square feet—almost tripling its size—largely through use of The company has also set „ ‹ as a deadline for reducing waste
its own products such as the AquaPEX plumbing system and Wirsbo on its building sites to half of „ƒ‹ levels, with ƒ„„ percent of the
hePEX™ radiant heating. Upgrades included rainwater collection to scrap and packaging to be recyclable or reusable. And this point,
be used in landscape irrigation and toilet ¤ushing, waterless urinals, ¥„ percent of ƒ million square feet of plant and o›ce space is LEED-
low-¤ow toilets, and sensor-activated faucets. These features reduced certi”ed, Uponor notes.
potable-water usage by up to ƒ„„ percent, when collected rainwater Uponor also takes part in leading eco-advocacy groups, such as
is available, equating to ˆ¥,„„„ gallons of saved city water per year. the World Green Building Council, the U.S. Green Building Council
“It was important to the company to design a sustainable facility that (USGBC) and the Minnesota Sustainable Growth Coalition to help
would provide a superior environment for workers with respect to improve environmental policy and practice industrywide.
safety, work environment and amenities,” says Dan Hughes, Uponor’s “How we manage our most precious resources a¨ects the well-
director of Real Estate, Security and Environmental Health and Safety. being of people and the planet for generations,” the company notes.
Uponor, also known for its Phyn Plus leak detection technology, “As pioneers in water and energy efficiency, Uponor takes that
has been helping other entities work toward goals such as these for responsibility seriously.” GB

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