Nov. 4, 2009 (PR Newswire) --

BUFFALO GROVE, Ill., Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- In keeping with its ongoing sustainability initiatives, Siemens Industry, Inc.'s Building Technologies Division is purchasing green power, a sustainability practice recognized and supported through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Green Power Partnership. To reduce its overall carbon footprint, the company has been buying renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Texas utility Reliant Energy since 2008. In the most recent fiscal year, Building Technologies has purchased more than 2.5 million kilowatt-hours (KWh) of green power consumed by its Buffalo Grove, Ill. corporate campus, which includes its manufacturing facility, and its suburban Chicago branch office. In total, these purchases account for nearly 8% of the entire electricity consumption of all Building Technologies Division facilities nation-wide.

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"EPA is pleased to welcome Siemens Building Technologies Division to the Green Power Partnership. We applaud their commitment to using green power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions," said Susan Wickwire, Chief of the Energy Supply and Industry Branch at EPA.

The Green Power Partnership works with a wide variety of organizations--from Fortune 500 companies to local, state and federal governments, as well as a growing number of colleges and universities. According to EPA, the green power purchases by these organizations help reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use and support the development of new renewable generation capacity nationwide.

Green power is derived from electricity generated from an environmentally preferable renewable source, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, biomass and low-impact hydro. These sources generate electricity with a net zero increase in carbon dioxide emissions, while offering a superior environmental profile compared to traditional power generation sources.

"We're thrilled to be part of the EPA's Green Power Partnership," said Building Technologies' Brad Haeberle, vice president and Sustainability Council chair.