Sustainability pays off
PULS’ mission is premised on the importance of sustainability. Sustainability is accomplished not only in the products but also in the process of manufacturing. PULS invests a great deal in developing power supplies with efficiencies far beyond average and in resource-efficient and energy-saving ways of production. Out of this motivation a higher budget was accepted for the new factories in the Czech Republic as well as in China in order to achieve future-oriented environmental standards. Energy savings measures produce lower running costs which make a significant difference especially in low-cost-countries.
LEED = green building leadership
The excellent ecological design and the high sustainable performance of PULS Suzhou power factory has been acknowledged by the LEED®-Gold certificate.
LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is an internationally recognized green building certification system which provides third-party verification that a building project meets the highest green building and performance standards. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), an independent non-profit-organization, LEED provides building owners and operators a concise and scientific framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.
What LEED evaluates
LEED is a voluntary certification program that can be applied to any building type and any building lifecycle phase. It promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in key areas:
- Sustainable Sites
The Sustainable Sites category minimizes a building's impact on ecosystems and waterways, encourages regionally appropriate landscaping, rewards smart transportation choices, controls storm-water runoff, and reduces erosion, light pollution, heat island effect and construction-related pollution. - Water Efficiency
The goal of the Water Efficiency credit category is to encourage smarter use of water, inside and out. Water reduction is typically achieved through more efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings inside and water-wise landscaping outside. - Energy & Atmosphere
The Energy & Atmosphere category encourages a wide variety of energy strategies: commissioning, energy use monitoring, efficient design and construction, efficient appliances, systems and lighting, the use of renewable and clean sources of energy, etc. - Materials & Resources
This credit category encourages the selection of sustainably grown, harvested, produced and transported products and materials. It promotes the reduction of waste as well as reuse and recycling, and it takes into account the reduction of waste at a product’s source. - Indoor Environmental Quality
The Indoor Environmental Quality credit category promotes strategies that can improve indoor air as well as providing access to natural daylight and views and improving acoustics. - Innovation in Design
The Innovation in Design credit category evaluates new and innovative technologies and strategies to improve a building’s performance. This credit category also rewards projects for including a LEED Accredited Professional on the team to ensure a holistic, integrated approach to the design and construction phase.
Green Building design completely rounded
PULS green Power factory fulfills the rigorous criteria in all key issues. The selection of resource-efficient materials for the construction and the interior design, the employee-friendly and distinct working environment and an innovative ecological design and energy-management have consciously been taken into account from the planning stage to the control of the construction measures.
Sustainability means economic advantage
PULS founder and managing director Bernhard Erdl expresses the mission and the company’s philosophy: „Since I started off, it was my expressed goal to make use of the newest technologies in order to provide highly efficient and therefore reliable and long-lasting products. With our factories in the Czech Republic and in China I want to prove that in our manufacturing sustainability and economic gain do not exclude each other but on the contrary strengthen each other.”
Innovations in Suzhou building design
The environmental utilization of geothermal technology with underground heat pumps and soil sensors save lots of energy and create thermal comfort. Core activation uses the concrete of the building as a thermal buffer. A voluminous rainwater and fire water tank is used for air washing and provides comfortable cool temperatures in the summer and warmth in wintertime. Large surfaced displacement diffuser and thermo-active ceilings produce a draft-free air climate.
Air-conditioning requirements reduced
Outside air is pre-heated, active and passive units exchange heat, and a chiller is nighttime activated. Heat is recovered from waste water and air. These measures combined with a precisely controlled heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system (HVAC) result in 30% less air-conditioning under LEED’s rigorous baseline.
50% savings with power consumption
Room temperature measures and an eco-design with reflective heat island roof, exterior jalousies control the sun radiance, double hollow glass windows and sun-collectors spare resources and save energy costs. In spite of highly powered burn-in tests which are needed for achieving the products’ quality the overall power consumption has been lowered to 50% of the spending of a conventional building.
Fresh water usage drastically reduced
Rain water management and a complex water circuit make use of the water resources in many ways. Water is purified after been used for washing incoming air. After that water is applied for sanitary and cooling/ heating purposes. Service water from the rainwater tank is used for irrigating trees and plants which surround the building. This generously grown plantation provides that more rain water can be absorbed and filtered by the soil. A particular pavement with permeable structure controls storm-water runoff so that after the construction the runoff is even lower than before and erosion has been avoided.
Employees’ welfare ranks first
The well-being of the employees depends mainly on productive working-place conditions. Indoor climate is a key element in the ecological design of the factory. Therefore a heat pump driven HVAC system controls humidity and temperature indoors contingent upon time of the day and actual temperature. Outside air is filtered and cleared. Materials used are non-toxic and pollution-free like LEED certified carpets. A careful integration of artificial and natural lighting sources respects the employees’ good health. 100% of all working places have a view to the outside.
PULS defines international benchmark
“PULS’ LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “The urgency of USGBC’s mission has challenged the industry to move faster and reach further than ever before, and PULS serves as a prime example with just how much we can accomplish.
Additional information: www.usgbc.org