Fox Networks Group – Collin Rich – 2012

Goals

At 20th Century Fox, Collin Rich was tasked with the creation of a carbon calculator to quantify the impacts of sustainable production practices. He also modeled the financial costs and benefits of different air conditioning (A/C) systems and identified no-cost opportunities to save energy through information technology (IT).

Solutions

Rich’s model analyzed various A/C upgrade scenarios at the Los Angeles studios, from replacing old equipment to installing multiple cooling systems, which would run alternately at peak- and nonpeak-demand hours.

Potential Impact

The carbon calculator quantifies practices such as upgrading to fluorescent or light-emitting diode (LED) lighting and fueling on-site generators with biodiesel. It will be available for the roughly 15 pilots, 25 television series and 12 feature films that Fox produces each year. By reducing electricity consumption 2.9 million kilowatt hours annually, Rich’s A/C and IT projects could save Fox $1.3 million over their lifetimes. Additionally, they would avoid nearly 1,300 metric tons of annual carbon dioxide emissions.