WASHINGTON — Dave Szczupak, executive vice president of global product organization for the Whirlpool Corporation, was awarded the Visionary Award for his innovative work, leadership and commitment to energy productivity earlier this month at the 2015 Energy Efficiency Global Forum.

In an exclusive interview with MultiBriefs, Szczupak explained the obstacles and ultimate benefits Whirlpool has experienced by following his common sense and passionate approach to energy efficiency.

Efficiency's momentum

Szczupak joined Whirlpool in July 2008. Throughout his career, he has been able to maintain a focus on energy and sustainability. His passion for efficiency is visible, and it continues to affect positive change within the industry.

"America's becoming more and more aware" of efficiency's benefits, he began. "Certainly at Whirlpool, we've been committed [to energy efficiency] since 1967, I think. So Whirlpool has been involved in the movement for a long, long time. But interestingly, if we look at our European teams, the awareness, consciousness and the drive on energy efficiency has always been much stronger in Europe than it's been in the U.S."

Not that the U.S. is lacking in advocates for energy efficiency, he clarified, noting that one major proponent has been the Alliance to Save Energy. The movement has had its starts and stops however.

"There have been times when there's been a strong push for energy efficiency, and at other times the issue hasn't been on the agenda," Szczupak said. "But I think the need for energy independence is critical, whether you believe in global warming or not."

Dave Szczupak, executive vice president of global product organization for the Whirlpool Corporation.

Corporate commitment

Approximately 85 percent of what Whirlpool sells in the U.S. is made in the U.S. — particularly in Ohio where some five factories have been built.

"We're the largest appliance maker in the U.S.," Szczupak said. "We're [almost] in every kitchen: We make refrigerators, cooking ranges, cook tops, microwaves and dishwashers. Then, in the laundry room, we make washers and dryers."

And Whirlpool is committed to energy efficiency, both globally and in the U.S., Szczupak explained.

"When I joined Whirlpool, there had already been a strong agenda connected to Energy Star," which is the rating and method used to measure produce energy efficiency in the U.S. "We've been committed to that program since its inception."

Recently, he explained, Whirlpool launched the first Energy Star dryer — optimizing the dryer and improving its performance. For whatever reason, the focus on dryer efficiency was never as intense as with other products.

Whirlpool started by examining ways to add a heat pump to a small dryer from Europe, but they encountered some difficulties. For example, the dryers are smaller in Europe than they are in the U.S., so Whirlpool was unable to simply add a heat pump. They had to use a hybrid — half heat pump and half electrical. This combination helps the product save 70 percent energy compared to a standard dryer.

"We were the first to launch and the only company to be at market with a hybrid heat pump dryer," Szczupak noted. "It's been a three-year project to bring it to fruition. But it's new and different. It's a unique technology."

Efficiency's corporate benefits

Whirlpool's commitment to energy efficiency isn't confined to their products, but also to the company as a whole. Whirlpool has applied its outlook to its own offices and factories, making them efficient as well.

The company recently built a $100 million factory in Cleveland, Tennessee. The building has been LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified, which is the gold standard for energy efficiency. Whirlpool also just installed a small wind farm at a new dishwasher factory in Findlay, Ohio. Approximately, 20 percent of the factory will be powered by wind energy, which is totally renewable.

At the same time, Whirlpool has also completely remodeled its world headquarters building — a building that had been originally erected back in 1955. This building has been awarded a LEED certification as well.

So energy efficiency is not just for new construction, but also for remodeling old buildings to make them more efficient, he reminded. Although the idea of refitting an old or pre-existing building with modern, energy-efficient components can bring about the images of hefty bills for executives and business managers, the end result is much more preferable.

"We do it because it makes good business sense," Szczupak said, noting that the energy-efficient updates slice into the building's electrical and energy requirements. And at the end of the day, reducing expenses is really all that should concern any business or corporation executive thinking of adopting energy-efficiency policies.

Companies won't "invest in anything that doesn’t have an economic return. That's part of the capitalistic world we live in," Szczupak said.

There is also a growing awareness that Whirlpool is a consumer-driven company, and companies need to do what's right for their consumers. They have to accommodate the customers, providing them with what they are looking for. Millennials are more conscious of their environmental or energy footprint. Therefore, as generations change, we'll see more impact on things such as fuel economy for vehicles, home energy use and home product efficiency.

Seeing how there's much more awareness of energy waste and environmental impact in today's world, corporations who choose to focus on providing energy-efficient products, as well as adopting the lifestyle themselves, stand to gain financially. Energy efficiency is becoming an important issue when it comes to purchasing new products.

"It's important that we react to that changing marketplace," Szczupak said.

Crossing industries

Although he was seven or eight years removed from his time in the auto industry, Szczupak was still able to see how the importance of energy efficiency reaches into all industries. The world is waking up to the need for energy awareness.

"Who would've thought that we would have hybrid supercars? People talk of comparing a Ferrari, to a McLaren Automotive and a Porsche," Szczupak said. "They're all million-dollar vehicles, but they're hybrids. Who would’ve thought BMW would be selling the i8 — a $150,000 vehicle that has a three-cylinder engine?"

"Technology is driving changes across multiple industries," from transportation to manufacturing and to the selling of home appliances. "Everywhere we go, we're seeing that change," Szczupak said.

One example of this change is the concept of the Internet of Things, which is defined as a network of connected products and appliances that work together efficiently in concert toward their owners' convenience. To appeal to a public whose interest in IoT has been steadily growing, Whirlpool has decided to dive into appliance connectivity, launching a partnership with Nest, which is owned by Google.

"We're launching our second generation of connected appliances. We're working on how best to do that. People want something that's common in the home where there's some type of common connectivity," Szczupak said.

"We want our television to connect to our cellphones, which can [then] connect to our appliances. And they're not going to be from one manufacturer, so the changes have to be across the board and according to an industry standard."

For example, the next generation of connected Whirlpool washers will work in concert with the Nest thermostat. Once Nest sees that the home owner has left, it will go into away mode. If the drier is still on, it will slow down and work on low energy so as not to wrinkle the clothes. Once the owner returns home, the dryer will return to regular mode, providing the owner with dry clothes that are wrinkle-free. The intelligence is in the system to drive efficiency, Szczupak said.

In the end, it's in the best interest of businesses to embrace both energy efficiency in their products as well as their own infrastructure to cut costs on their bottom line and boost their revenue.