Corning Incorporated – Jithu Vadakkayil Puzhakkara – 2017

Goals

Corning Incorporated, one of the world’s leading innovators in materials science, with a 166-year track record of life-changing inventions, has aggressively invested in energy efficiency for over 10 years. Continuing with its environmental and energy management programs, Corning enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Jithu Vadakkayil Puzhakkara to identify ways to reduce energy use at the headquarters and surrounding buildings. Working alongside the Global Energy Management team, Puzhakkara was tasked with benchmarking energy use and uncovering opportunities to reduce energy and water use. 

Solutions

To start, Puzhakkara focused on tracking and analyzing energy usage in office buildings and benchmarking them with similar buildings nationwide. From this data, he identified several cost-effective energy-saving opportunities, including LED lighting retrofits and impeller trimming. Regarding water conservation, he identified opportunities for improving restroom fixtures as well as the existing irrigation system, suggesting standard best practices for new construction.

In addition to energy efficiency, Puzhakkara investigated renewable energy options, such as installing Solar PV systems that could reduce the company’s dependence on conventional energy sources. He performed a detailed analysis and devised a feedback mechanism to increase employee engagement in the offices. 

Potential Impact

Puzhakkara’s analyses, when implemented, can help Corning offset energy use by 1.5 million kWh, equivalent to taking 220 passenger cars off the road each year. The water conservation recommendations could bring additional savings of over 1.3 million gallons a year.