top of page

Adopt building envelope renovations for warehouses

STORAGE

Segment    Family    Class

78

13

0

SDG Alignment

9. Build Resilient Infrastructure, Promote Inclusive and Sustainable Industrialization and Foster Innovation

SDG Target

9.4

Target Description

By 2030, upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes, with all countries taking action in accordance with their respective capabilities

Level of Effort

Level of Effort Scale

3

1 -Quick Wins: solution involves adding criteria for the good or service being purchased (ex: certifications), minimal internal process changes.

2 -Long Term Adoption: solution requires some changes to internal processes and/or more capital investment (ex: digital transformation to reduce paper use).

3 – Disruptive Opportunities: requires significant investment and changes to internal processes (ex: retrofitting building)

Category Assessment

ETCH Procurement Process .png

Assessment

• Assess the warehouse 'building envelope' to identify which potential areas have the highest impact on energy savings.

• Perform a Lifecycle Assessment (LCA).

• Assess the relationship you have with the warehouse maintenance service provider to recognize the degree of leverage you have.

Opportunity Identification 

Business:
Optimize and increase productivity, reduce future maintenance costs, cost savings from reduced leaks due to focus on the warehouse envelope.

Sustainability:
Reduced energy demand, and hence reduced CO2 emissions into the environment.

Strategy Build & Execution

• Identify based on the assessment which portion of the warehouse needs to be renovated according to best practices. Potential areas are:
a) reducing demand for energy imports,
b) insulate doors to the outside,
c) ensure wall and roof insulations are adequate for the local climate,
d) install ENERGY STAR qualified roofing products or explore other "cool roof" strategies,
e) consider window replacement to allow for passive solar heating (during new constructions).

• Identify alternatives from the LCA conducted to gauge what works best for the warehouse building.

Supplier Negotiation & Contract

• Leverage other warehouse owners/warehouse maintenance service providers to identify and negotiate changes to be made (low leverage point: negotiate on a small, low-cost implementation, high leverage point: negotiate on large scale changes can be worked into the contract).

• Inclusion of the clause regarding the proper disposal of any materials replaced during this process.

Supplier Performance & Management

• Track the progress of energy saved from building operations and integrate the data into your regular reports. The building efficiency improvements should be eligible for LEED building certification consideration; discuss with internal stakeholders to see if it is in your best interest to get audited for LEED certifications.

Resource Links

bottom of page