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Climate Corps Projects

Guitar Center – Linh Tran – 2016

Goals

Guitar Center, the world’s largest music retailer with more than 270 stores across the U.S., enlisted EDF Climate Corps fellow Linh Tran to identify HVAC efficiency opportunities for stores in California. Having previously hosted Climate Corps fellows, Guitar Center set efficiency specifications for new HVAC units, but had not yet evaluated the business case for retrofitting or replacing existing HVAC units. Linh was tasked with devising a strategy that could be scaled throughout its facilities. 

Solutions

To get a better understanding of the company’s current energy stance, Linh visited store locations, conducted interviews with facilities staff and HVAC contractors and refined an inventory of HVAC units. She determined that variable frequency drive (VFD) retrofits and HVAC unit replacements presented the best opportunity for saving both energy and money. Twenty-seven units were identified for VFD retrofits and 36 units for replacement in California. Additional retrofit candidates in NY (21 units) and FL (18 units) were also selected.

Potential Impact

At the end of her fellowship, Linh presented her analysis to Guitar Center and discussed how to apply the HVAC screening process and business analysis to Guitar Center’s remaining 200+ stores as well as its data center, distribution center and corporate campus locations.

At a glance
Industry: Retail and Apparel
Project types:
  • Commercial Energy Efficiency
Year: 2016
Location: Westlake Village, CA
About the fellow
Linh Tran
Yale University
Linh Tran graduated with a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Linh was a webinar series manager and writer for the Yale Center for Business & the Environment. She is focused on advancing integrated, cross-sector approaches to energy and water management.

Who We Work With

EDF has collaborated with over 40% of Fortune 100 companies to align sustainability goals with bottom line gains