Sekisui House declares use of 100% renewable energy

Sekisui House, Ltd. will join the RE100*1 initiative with the goal of sourcing 100% of the electric power used in its business activities from renewable energy.

In 2008, in order to build a sustainable society, we declared our intent to eliminate the use of carbon-based energy by the year 2050, and we have been promoting the wider adoption of net-zero-energy house (ZEH)^*2 design. However, we will now speed up the shift to renewable energy for the electricity consumed in the course of our business activities. It should be noted that our participation in the RE100 initiative is a first for the Japanese construction industry^*3 .



Sekisui House has been an industry leader in supplying housing that balances a low carbon footprint and comfortable living, for example, the launch of our Green First series of ecofriendly homes in 2008. As a result, we have supplied an enormous amount of photovoltaic power generation capacity in excess of 650 MW to date. At the same time, we consumed 120,533 MWh of electricity during fiscal 2016 in our business activities.

Until now, surplus electricity from photovoltaic power generation has been able to be sold to electric utilities under Japan’s FIT system^*4. However, the FIT system will be phased out in stages beginning in fiscal 2019. Consequently, Sekisui House will create benefits for owners living in homes equipped with photovoltaic power systems by purchasing surplus electricity from them. As an Eco-First Company that has made a commitment to the Ministry of the Environment of Japan to serve as a model company in advanced environmental initiatives, we will actively push forward to shift to renewable energy sources for the electric power used in our business activities.

*1 RE100 is a collaborative initiative uniting the world’s most influential businesses committed to 100% renewable power. Renewables are a smart business decision, providing greater control over energy costs and driving innovation, while helping companies to deliver on emission reduction goals. RE100 members, including Global Fortune 500 companies, have a total revenue of more than US$2.5 trillion and operate in a diverse range of sectors—from information technology to automobile manufacturing. They send a powerful signal to policymakers and investors to accelerate the transition to a low carbon economy. RE100 is brought to you by The Climate Group in partnership with CDP, as part of the We Mean Business coalition www.RE100.org
*2 In fiscal 2016, sales of ZEH based on our Green First Zero initiative accounted for 74% of the new detached houses constructed by Sekisui House.
*3 More than 100 influential environmentally advanced companies are participating in this initiative, and Sekisui House is the second Japanese company to join. there100.org/companies
*4 The FIT system is a fixed-price purchase system for renewable energy that was launched on July 1, 2012. It obligates electric utilities to procure electricity generated using renewable energy sources for a fixed period of time at a fixed price determined by the Japanese government.