Capital Expenditure
The renovation of existing premises and the construction of new buildings create good opportunities to implement energy-efficient technologies, enabling us to save operating costs and protect valuable resources.
The refurbishment of bank premises that have come to the end of their technical lifetime offer the opportunity for even greater savings. Thanks to new technologies and energy standards such as the Swiss Minergie label, we can increase energy efficiency by up to 50% by using materials with high levels of insulation for the building envelope or by fitting heat recovery installations.
Minergie standard increases energy efficiency
The expansion of the Uetlihof administration center in Zurich began in 2008 and will meet the Minergie-P-Eco standard. From the beginning of 2011, 8,000 employees in the Uetlihof will benefit from a workplace of the future concept offering state-of-the-art ergonomic features, innovative light and space concepts, and energy-efficient floor lamps specially designed for Credit Suisse according to the Minergie standard.
Fewer servers required thanks to new software
Energy-efficient IT technologies also play an important role in saving energy. One project in this area is running in New York, where new software was implemented that optimizes server capacity and reduces energy consumption at the same time. The IT division set itself the goal for 2007 of disposing of 2,000 servers. By the end of the year, a total of 2,800 – around 12% of all the Credit Suisse servers installed worldwide – had been switched off.
Small investments – massive savings
There are many examples of how even small investments can generate massive savings. For example, the pump system used to cool water in our premises in Tokyo was upgraded to improve energy efficiency, while the new air filters in the ventilation system in our New York offices reduced the annual energy consumption so drastically that the investment was paid for after only four months thanks to the reduced energy costs. From the end of 2007, 3 million KWh of electricity and 60,000 m³ of water will be saved annually thanks to new lighting management and improved water management at our London campus.
