Walgreen Co. – Bobby Miyashiro – 2020

Goals

As Walgreens was approaching the end of their initial commitment to energy reduction through the Better Buildings Challenge, they knew their journey towards improving the sustainability of their business could not end there. Walgreens brought on Bobby Miyashiro to help establish the next key investments and operational changes to build upon their progress in energy reduction.

Solutions

Miyashiro began by analyzing electricity bills from all Walgreens stores over the previous five years to determine effectiveness of existing energy efficiency programs, which included energy management system installations, HVAC replacements, and interior and exterior lighting replacements. He then projected the time it would take to complete each energy efficiency program across all Walgreens stores. 

Using this information, Miyashiro developed a model that allows Walgreens to project energy savings, greenhouse gas emission reductions, capital expenditure, and run-rate savings based off expected energy efficiency project implementation over the next ten years. Miyashiro then researched next steps towards new energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities to create guidelines for Walgreens’ future energy pursuits.

Impact

Walgreens used Miyashiro’s model to project the energy and financial savings of existing programs, which served as the foundation for Walgreens to plan a potential long-term greenhouse gas emissions target. Miyashiro’s accompanying research in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects then provides the groundwork for Walgreens execute on projects that would contribute to a potential greenhouse gas emissions target.