Legrand Installs Fuel Cell to Provide Cleaner, More Efficient Electricity at West Hartford Headquarters

Fuel Cell to reduce harmful CO2 emissions by 50% and provide 88% of electricity powering large HQ and manufacturing campus

West Hartford, CT
April 18, 2016

Legrand North, America announced today the installation of a 500kW, solid-oxide fuel cell system to provide cleaner and more efficient power to its headquarters in West Hartford, Connecticut. The Fuel Cell will sit adjacent to the company’s corporate offices and Wiremold manufacturing facility, and is expected to produce up to 88 percent of the electricity to every building on its 263,000-square-foot, 100-year-old campus.

Legrand sought to find a solution that would reduce the energy consumption and carbon footprint of its corporate facility, and reduce wasteful spending on energy. The new fuel cell will generate an approximate 21 percent reduction in energy intensity and as much as 50 percent reduction in harmful CO2 emissions for the West Hartford facility. At system capacity, the net savings will be approximately $2.4M over the first ten years.

Five years ago, Legrand made a commitment to reduce the energy intensity by 25 percent in 10 years across 14 of its U.S. facilities and pushed the envelope to reduce its West Hartford facility’s energy intensity by 10% in only two years. These commitments established Legrand as a Better Buildings, Better Plant “Challenge Partner” in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings program. Within two years, Legrand met both goals and subsequently committed to achieving even higher energy reduction levels across all of its facilities throughout North America by 2022.

“Legrand now has its sights set on achieving another 25% total reduction in energy intensity across all of its North American facilities from a 2012 baseline and the fuel cell is going to help us meet that lofty goal here in West Hartford,” said Susan Rochford, Vice President of Energy Efficiency, Sustainability & Public Policy at Legrand, North America.

Solid oxide fuel cells are electromechanical devices that convert the chemical energy of fuel and an oxidant directly into electrical energy without combustion taking place, for an energy source with a much lower environmental impact compared to legacy power systems. The cells require a sand-like powder instead of precious metals, which cost much less and conversion from fuel to electricity happens at twice the rate of conventional technologies.

“Our sustainability initiatives reach beyond our operational footprint. Legrand is also very focused on delivering solutions for our customers that enable high-performance buildings to reach exceptional levels of efficiency, productivity – and equally high sustainability standards,” said John Selldorff, CEO of Legrand, North and Central America.

Legrand is a global leader in building electrical and digital infrastructure solutions for residential, commercial and industrial markets. Through a broad portfolio of solutions from wiring devices, commercial AV, and wire and cable management, to lighting controls, data communication and home automation, Legrand’s North America region delivers a broad, unparalleled range of innovative solutions.

Nearly 600 employees work at Legrand’s West Hartford facility, which serves as its corporate headquarters and a manufacturing facility for its Wiremold product line. To learn more about Legrand, North America, visit Legrand.us.

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About Legrand
Legrand is the global specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures. Its comprehensive offering of solutions for use in commercial, industrial and residential markets makes it a benchmark for customers worldwide. Innovation for a steady flow of new products with high added value is a prime vector for growth, including in particular connectable products enhancing value in use. Legrand reported sales of $5.3 billion in 2015. Legrand has a strong presence in North America, with a portfolio of well-known product lines that include C2G, Cablofil, Electrorack, Middle Atlantic, Nuvo, On-Q, Ortronics, Pass & Seymour, QMotion, Quiktron, Raritan, Vantage, Watt Stopper, and Wiremold. Legrand is listed on Euronext Paris and is a component stock of indexes including the CAC40, FTSE4Good, MSCI World, ASPI, Corporate Oekom Rating and DJSI (ISIN code FR0010307819). www.legrand.com.

Media Contacts:
Sarah Whitney
Public Relations and Social Media Manager
Legrand, North America
sarah.whitney@legrand.us
(860) 263-3201