Resource Conservation
National Instruments conserves resources through its facilities and IT infrastructure by reducing energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and waste, as well as increasing recycling. In 2011, NI initiated an HVAC system audit at headquarters to look for areas of improvement. The company also completed a plan for its new Penang, Malaysia, branch to meet green building criteria from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Additionally, the NI UK branch moved into a new office building in November 2011 that doubles the operational space and includes BREEAM-rated environmental efficiency for best practices in sustainable building design, construction, and operation.
Year in Review
2011 Highlights
The NI UK branch moved into a new office building that includes BREEAM-rated environmental efficiency
9% reduction in the amount of communal waste collected at NI Hungary
2011 Challenges
Limiting PC power management program in manufacturing because PCs cannot be turned off due to production equipment needs
2012 Commitments
Implement employee PC power management program at NI Costa Rica branch
Install new energy efficient HVAC systems at headquarters with an estimated electricity savings of 920,000 kWh per year
Use LEED criteria to investigate effective energy and water saving strategies during construction of the new NI facility in Penang, Malaysia
2011 Data and Results
NI replaced metal halide lights in two parking garages and in one of the buildings at headquarters with compact fluorescent bulbs, saving 427,000 kWh of electricity.
Rene Sanchez
Regional Commodity Manager at National Instruments
Soon after he started working at NI in 2009, Regional Commodity Manager Rene Sanchez saw an opportunity to upgrade the company’s aging fleet of printers at headquarters.
“A focus on reducing environmental impact in the printing industry has led to so many technological enhancements in the past five years. I knew that there was a lot of opportunity for us to reduce our waste, reduce our cost, and reduce the power consumption from our printer fleet,” he said.
Rene saw the opportunity to not only replace old printers but also to reevaluate the entire NI print management strategy. He worked with the facilities group to define budget and requirements for new printers, and in 2011, NI replaced legacy machines at headquarters with new multifunction copiers that also serve as printers. The new copiers default to double-sided printing, which saves paper, and they also offer other features that help reduce unnecessary printing.