Reducing NBCUniversal's Emissions & Energy Use

Clean Energy

At our facilities and on our productions around the world, we are reducing our environmental footprint by sourcing more clean and renewable energy. NBCUniversal has over 7 MW of on-site solar installations completed or under construction, including arrays at Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Studios Japan, the Universal Studios Lot in California, and the local NBC and Telemundo station in Washington D.C..

NBCUniversal also works with local utility providers to enroll facilities such as Central St. Giles in London, 30 Rock in NYC, and the Universal Studios Lot in Los Angeles in clean energy programs where available. And we plan to install more on-site solar and subscribe to more green tariffs in the future.

Comcast NBCUniversal’s clean energy strategy also includes long-term direct and virtual power purchase agreements from new renewable energy projects. In 2023, Comcast NBCU used approximately 1.1 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of clean and renewable energy – approximately 25% of our total enterprise electricity load.

Finally, NBCUniversal has supported community solar through two projects to be constructed outside Chicago. Once online, the projects are anticipated to supply the NBC Chicago and Telemundo Chicago stations with more than 6,000 MWh of renewable energy each year. In addition to supplying power to NBCUniversal and other anchor tenants, the developer has committed to devote 20% of each solar farm for low- and moderate-income residential customers to subscribe to renewable energy at a guaranteed discounted rate, expanding clean energy access in the local community.

Green Buildings & Operations

NBCUniversal has a goal for all new offices, studios, and parks to be LEED Gold certified or better. In support of this goal, we set new sustainable design and construction standards aligned with the LEED Framework, with additional measures to reduce our carbon footprint more directly. These standards will be integrated into construction requirements and apply to major renovations where feasible. To set our operators up for success, we have a goal for all new construction to be all electric or electrification ready.

From Los Angeles to Beijing, our world-class parks and production studios are greener than ever. Universal City Studios – which includes the Universal Studios Lot and 10 Universal City Plaza, a 35-story LEED Gold office building – was designated as a LEED Campus in June 2022, featuring 1.8 MW of onsite solar, electric vehicle charging stations, and water conservation and reuse, among many other sustainability measures. Universal Beijing Resort became the world’s first theme park to achieve LEED Gold certification under the Cities and Communities rating system, with highlights including green space, reclaimed water systems, energy efficiency, onsite solar, and access to public transit with walkways and bike lanes.

We are continuously monitoring our facilities and park operations for energy efficiency opportunities through smart technology like the NBCUniversal Connected Buildings program and partnerships with local utilities. For example, at Volcano Bay, we’ve implemented dynamic temperature set points for the water park pools to automatically adjust heating based on ambient air temperature. This way, we can take advantage of Florida’s warmer climate in the summer, and use less energy to heat our pools, reducing emissions and energy costs associated with heating.

Sustainable Production in Action

Since 2009, NBCUniversal has been working with production teams to integrate sustainable best practices into on-set protocols. Today, over 70 productions across TV, Film, and Sports participate in our NBCU Sustainable Production Program each year. Our global productions are recognized annually for implementing sustainable production practices with the Environmental Media Association (EMA) Green Seal, BAFTA albert certification, and other industry programs.

We have recently implemented Sustainable Production Standards to move the needle on fuel emissions & materials conservation on set by requiring minimum metrics are achieved. Currently, these Standards are required on all directly produced feature films and are being piloted on select television series.

We continue to pilot new and innovative clean technologies on our productions across the globe. Our investment in clean production power reduces emissions associated with fuel use and brings exciting new technologies like solar-powered trailers, large and small batteries, and electric vehicles to our sets. A few recent examples include: the third and final season of La Brea building upon the prior season’s successes and Universal’s Twisters.

Fleet Electrification

Across our fleet, we’re continuing to utilize fuel efficiency technology and deploy hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) in select locations. Recent electric vehicle purchases include electric golf carts for Universal Orlando and the Universal Studios Lot in Los Angeles, as well as an electric forklift for the Telemundo Center in Miami and an electric heavy-duty box truck to make deliveries for Universal Studios Hollywood.