OUR ENERGY COMMITMENT

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AT IKEA

We've been hard at work reducing the amount of energy we use to run our business. One of our aims is to be 25% more energy efficient than we were in 2005.

And as of April 2009, IKEA Canada has done it. We spent seven months integrating more efficient technologies and environmentally minded practices. The end result is a 25% reduction in our in-store energy consumption.

But we want to do more. So we've set a global long-term goal of using 100% renewable energy in all of our stores, distribution centres and IKEA-owned factories.

What we've done so far

In recent years, we've advanced our renewable energy goals by purchasing "bundled" power - a combination of traditional and green electricity such as hydroelectric or wind power. But we're also looking at installing our own technology, such as solar panels or wind power systems, to generate renewable energy. These already exist in some locations, such as our store in Spreitenbach, Switzerland, which has solar panels on the roof. Several IKEA buildings are also connected to district heating schemes that draw from renewable energy sources.

KEEPING WARM IN MILAN WITH GEOTHERMAL HEAT

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At IKEA, finding ways to reduce our reliance on non-renewable energy sources is important. For instance, at a store in Milan, 304 geoprobes penetrate the ground to a depth of 87 to 125 metres (30 kilometres of drilling in total). This geothermal system has no lasting impact on the landscape, since it’s completely underground. Thanks to three heat pumps, the system supplies 1,600 kW thermal power and 1,400 kW of refrigerating power. That’s a savings of 300 tons of petroleum per year, or 800 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

ENERGY REDUCTION IN FRENCH STORES

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IKEA is always looking for ways to reduce energy usage. For instance, through the use of centralized management systems, IKEA France tries to reduce its use of energy – lights are turned off automatically by the system through extensive use of sensors. In addition, 10 IKEA France stores have solar panels supplying between 60 to 80% of warm water needs; six stores have heat pump systems covering all their heat and air conditioning needs. The store at Tourville-la-Riviére (Seine-Maritime) uses half the electricity of the average IKEA store using renewable energy, like a geothermal pump, and energy-saving techniques.

GEOTHERMAL ENERGY IN NORWAY

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Another example of IKEA’s attention to efficient energy use, IKEA Norway’s Slependen store gets 80% of all its heating and cooling energy from its own geothermal installation. Eighty geo wells underneath the store’s parking spaces make this the third biggest geothermal installation in Scandinavia.

WORLDWIDE WATER CONSERVATION

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IKEA is always working towards reducing water use. For example, many stores globally are using waterless urinals and others are being retrofitted with grey water systems so roof water can be used for toilet flushing.