DOE Offers CD-ROM To Help Manufacturers Save Energy
On July 26, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it distributed Save Energy Now CD-ROMs containing energy-saving information and software to 3,500 large industrial plant managers across the nation as part of a DOE initiative to help cut excessive energy use at industrial facilities across the nation. The CDs bring together -- in a single product -- a compendium of tip sheets, case studies, technical manuals and software tools to help plants assess energy-saving opportunities.
"These Energy Department CD-Roms, packed with energy-saving information, offer valuable information and energy-saving tools to enable plant managers to reduce their energy costs, and alleviate price pressure nationally," DOE Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Alexander Karsner said.
DOE also is helping manufacturers by performing no-cost energy assessments of 200 large industrial facilities' energy systems. As an example of completed assessments' initial savings, eight plants have reported a total of $1 million in immediate savings in the first 30 days of implementing DOE recommendations. The first 61 energy-saving assessments of industrial facilities have identified, in aggregate, nearly $200 million per year in potential energy cost savings and could reduce natural gas consumption by over 22 trillion Btu per year, equivalent to the natural gas consumed by more than 300,000 homes annually.
Approximately 3,500 plants were contacted based on publicly available data that DOE used to identify the most energy-intensive plants in the United States.
This fall, DOE will be offering another round of Energy Saving Assessments for industrial facilities. Energy saving teams will again visit selected large industrial facilities to assess their steam or process heating systems. For more information on the Save Energy Now CD ROM, and to order one, visit http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow/cd_rom.html.
This article originally appeared in the 08/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.