Microsoft’s green initiatives span much farther than just our Redmond Campus and can be found across the globe. With facilities spanning across six continents, each location works hard to make its operations more green.
Our office building in Puerto Rico is a perfect example. Led by facilities manager Wilson Toro, Microsoft Operations Puerto Rico has spent the past six months carefully examining how they can improve their operations. Wilson and his team found that replacing the office’s boiler represented the best return on investment. By replacing the basic, oversized boiler with an efficient heat machine, Microsoft Puerto Rico is poised to reduce its emission considerably.
Traditionally, heating boilers are connected to waterlines to provide buildings with hot water and can be used to warm buildings by generating steam or superheat. Electrical heat machines allow for increased efficiency because there is less energy loss inside the machine itself, which requires less energy creation overall. The Puerto Rico team has estimated the transition to a heat machine will lead to a 64 percent reduction of diesel consumption, equaling approximately 121,600 gallons of diesel. CO2 emission reduction is expected to reach 1,145,000 pounds of CO2 per year, which is equivalent to the emissions of approximately 150 cars and projected annual savings will reach nearly $500,000.
Wilson’s passion helped drive the design specifications and helped the project move quickly. His work is a reminder that Microsoft’s commitment to environmental sustainability extends to the more than 110 countries in which we operate offices. By prioritizing upgrades that are both energy and cost efficient, Microsoft facilities worldwide will continue to play a leading role in sustainability as we work to decrease our carbon footprint.