Schneider Electric Canada shows off new green facility at customer day in Mississauga

Schneider Electric Canada invited customers and media to its new corporate head office in Mississauga, Ont., recently to demonstrate its commitment to the environment with its construction upgrades, and to highlight its own solutions for energy management.

Located at 5985 McLaughlin Road, the 100,000-sq.-ft. facility — 64,000 sq. ft. of office area and 36,000 sq. ft. of plant space — is home to 285 employees representing the company’s five domains of expertise — power, industry, energy, data centres and buildings. Previously, the company had multiple locations across the greater Toronto area before moving all units to the McLaughlin Road facility earlier this year.

Construction began in December 2010, and while the exterior of the building was maintained, the interior was virtually rebuilt to meet the company’s specifications. Construction upgrades include: replaced T12 linear fluorescent fixtures with energy efficient T8; installed recessed and Trac LED fixtures; occupancy sensors control lighting in offices, meeting rooms and washrooms; workstations contain 50 percent recycled content and were sourced from a local supplier; lower height workstations provide clear daylight views and incorporate occupancy sensors for task lighting; carpet tile contains recycled fibres and eliminates replacement waste; Energy Star rated appliances used in the cafeteria and servery areas; new data centre uses efficient in-row cooling and is backed by a 125-kw natural gas generator; washrooms utilize low flow toilets and motion sensor fixtures, reducing water consumption by 45 percent; extensive metering throughout the distribution system; high efficiency rooftop units replaced aging cooling units; building automation monitors energy use, controls HVAC, lighting and security; and there is designated parking for electric vehicles with on-site charging.

Schneider Electric is currently pursuing LEED certification for this site to demonstrate its commitment to the environment.

But its commitment does not end there, the company said. Along with on-site practices to promote sustainability (i.e., using washable mugs, recycled hand towels and phosphate-free cleaning products), the company said it will continue to make improvements to drive further efficiencies, including daylight-based lighting controls, energy dashboards, facility energy benchmarking and installing solar panels on the roof.

Chris Curtis, president and CEO of Schneider Electric, applauded the Canadian team for their commitment to the environment.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of this team and how much progress they’ve made as an organization across the country, not just here in Toronto, and the kind of work that they’ve done and what they’ve accomplished and the capability that they’ve built. It’s quite frankly a standard and a real benchmark within the rest of Schneider that a lot of other countries would aspire to become. So it’s quite a success story in my mind, all thanks to the leadership and all of the people across this country in this organization.”

Curtis added that the company will continue to strive to play it’s part is solving one of the most significant problems of our time — that the world is going to want twice as much energy as it has today, with half the carbon footprint.

“We’re excited to be part of that equation. The problem is much bigger than our one company. The problem can hopefully be solved by all of us in the room. And we’ll all make our contribution. And that’s really what the message is inside this building. It’s all aimed at that two by two equation — twice as much energy required [with] half as much of the carbon footprint. That’s really what we’re all trying to work towards, and we can hopefully help you and your businesses, or help you with the customers that you work with, as a result of that.”

Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion attended the event to congratulate Schneider for their energy conservation efforts.

“It is so exciting to see how companies have accepted the challenge of the things that are so important to the future of this great country of Canada, and to the world, actually. And Schneider has grabbed that, and you’re putting it into action. And I want to congratulate you.”

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