The Department of Energy recognized Volvo Group North America for its leadership in energy efficiency at the New River Valley assembly plant near Roanoke, Va. Volvo Trucks’ New River Valley assembly plant is the company’s largest truck manufacturing plant in the world, covering more than 1.6 million square feet.
At the plant, energy efficiency has become part of the facility’s core business practices, with an energy team member reviewing and approving every purchase made by the plant. Volvo also asked employees to suggest energy efficiency projects and has committed to reinvesting the savings from these projects – about $1.2 million to date – into future efficiency efforts.
In 2012, the New River Valley facility was one of the first facilities in the US to be certified under DOE’s Superior Energy Performance program for facilities. New River Valley achieved a 26 percent improvement in energy efficiency in three years. As a partner in the Better Buildings Industrial Superior Energy Performance Accelerator, the Volvo Group is now implementing the Superior Energy Performance program at facilities nationwide.
As a Better Buildings, Better Plants partner, the Volvo Group has already achieved 16 percent savings across its US plants and continues working toward its goal of becoming 25 percent more energy efficient within ten years.