Taylor Morrison – Sana Ouji – 2014

Goals

Sana Ouji was enlisted by Taylor Morrison, one of the largest homebuilders in North America, to analyze its model homes’ electricity consumption and spending.

Solutions

Using historical usage data, Ouji extrapolated electricity spending for 300 model homes and projected that Taylor Morrison would spend $1.5 million on electricity in 2014. She estimated that employing additional energy efficiency upgrades and controls, such as LED lighting, higher efficiency HVAC systems and changes in thermostat settings, could significantly reduce the electricity costs. Further, Ouji created a benchmark for determining Taylor Morrison’s carbon footprint and its Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions specifically. Based on the latest homebuilding sustainability practices as well as current measures implemented by the company, she created a tracking tool that would enable the senior management to share best practices and communicate each division’s sustainable efforts with buyers. During her final presentation to the senior management, she recommended that Taylor Morrison consider contracting with a utility bill payment management company (Ecova) in order to save staff hours spent on bill processing and to access data gathering tools that the service offers. Additionally, she recommended installation of more solar panels on model homes as it reduces the environmental footprint and results in savings for the homebuyers.

Potential Impact

Ouji’s recommendations could save Taylor Morrison considerable amounts of energy and money while reducing waste. Her additional upgrades and controls advice alone could reduce Taylor Morrison’s 2014 projections by half a million dollars.