Energy Conservation

Thermo Fisher Scientific strives to reduce energy consumption and the associated environmental impacts, including greenhouse gas emissions, at our sites worldwide. To institutionalize this effort, the Company in 2007 appointed a corporate Director of Energy Management.

Key conservation initiatives include:

LIGHTING - Facility lighting represents over 50 percent of Thermo Fisher’s electricity usage.  At most major sites, energy consumption for lighting has been cut up to 50 percent over two years through high-efficiency lighting upgrades.  Additional measures, including occupancy switches and timers, low-loss ballasts for fluorescent lighting, and reflectors fitted behind lamps, are also reducing energy consumption and costs.

HVAC - Automated heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) controls, such as time scheduling, load shedding, and demand control have resulted in significant energy savings at our facilities. In addition, recirculation of cooling system water, as well as reclamation of water in wet processes, has saved millions of gallons of water annually.

RETRO-COMMISSIONING - Thermo Fisher has instituted a process called retro-commissioning - essentially reviewing all systems of existing buildings as if a building was newly constructed. Adapted from the standard building commissioning process for new structures, retro-commissioning restores existing buildings to optimal performance. At Thermo Fisher, retro-commissioning has resulted in greater energy efficiency, improved indoor environmental quality, and reduced operation and maintenance costs.

LEED - The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is the recognized standard for measuring building sustainability. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council for new and existing buildings, LEED requires a rigorous third-party commissioning process to achieve certification. In accordance with our conservation and environmental goals, Thermo Fisher Scientific is implementing LEED at several facilities.

RENEWABLE ENERGY - Renewable energy uses natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides and geothermal heat to replace fossil fuel-generated energy. Thermo Fisher is implementing a number of renewable energy measures at its facilities, including:

• DAYLIGHT HARVESTING - Daylighting systems allow companies to use a greater amount of natural light in their work environment, balancing their existing lighting fixtures with varying light levels provided by natural sunlight. Benefits include reduced operating expenses, a higher quality of light, and lower maintenance costs.
• SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC (PV) - Adding Solar PV systems to our facilities reduces energy consumption and costs by substituting renewable electricity production.
• SOLAR THERMAL - Thermo Fisher has found solar thermal systems to be a viable renewable energy source to help meet our need for process heated water.

Conservation measures such as lighting upgrades and renewable energy help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Other initiatives also contribute to minimizing Thermo Fisher’s energy footprint.

• Most of our fleet vehicles in the European Union are powered by diesel fuel instead of gasoline, which cuts their carbon dioxide emissions approximately 40 percent.
• Thermo Fisher’s extensive warehouse network reduces CO² through fuel savings realized from shorter shipments to customers.
• Customer-driven e-commerce through our information technology infrastructure also minimizes carbon emissions by reducing energy consumption and paper usage.