In order to explore opportunities for members to achieve greater energy savings in the industrial sector, CEE has created the Industrial Program Planning Committee.
The committee was created as a forum for members to conduct a broad-based exploration of industrial energy consumption patterns, national efficiency resources and innovative program models.
“We’re looking at a more holistic approach,” explained CEE Senior Program Manager Ted Jones, who is managing this project. “There are substantial opportunities available within specific industrial sub-sectors and across common industrial processes.
“We’re trying to find the best ways of identifying the best opportunities and the most effective program methods.”
The committee was officially launched with an April 26 Webinar that included 20 CEE members and EPA’s Elizabeth Dutrow, who heads up ENERGY STAR’s industrial team. Dutrow outlined ENERGY STAR’s current and projected work with manufacturers.
CEE management had laid a foundation for this approach to industrial programming through research conducted last year. The research included:
a) identifying energy consumption by sector team and mapping CEE committee work against major areas of energy consumption
b) reviewing existing studies for new opportunities and establishing a set of general criteria for consideration
c) developing a spreadsheet assessment tool and applying criteria to evaluate opportunities.
The Committee also plans to review DOE’s approach to the industrial sector and assess the value of DOE resources to member programs. DOE’s Office of Industrial Technologies is a good source of information for industrial R&D, cross-cutting technologies, emerging technologies and best practices.
EPA’s ENERGY STAR for Industry, is building an infrastructure to promote energy efficiency from within the industrial sector. Dutrow explained that energy management is often overlooked by corporate management and thus important energy savings are missed.
Benchmarking the facility through EPA’s National Performance Rating System is an important first step in industrial energy management. EPA also provides tools, such as plant Energy Performance Indicators (EPIs), to assess energy usage.
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