DOE program invites companies to Save Energy Now

Several years ago, Congress called upon the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to help lead the nation toward a clean-energy future by promoting greater strides toward industrial energy efficiency. The trick, however, was to design an approach that would emphasize both the need for and the value of better energy management while still encouraging increased productivity. The solution put forward under section 106 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub. L. No. 109-58, 42 U.S.C. §15811) was to give the Secretary of Energy the directive to reduce industrial energy intensity (energy consumed per unit of production) by 2.5 percent between 2007 and 2016 through voluntary agreements. DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) embraced this charge and ran with it, setting a goal to reduce industrial energy intensity 25 percent over the next 10 years (25 in 10).

Recognizing that the most effective way to achieve that goal would be through the establishment and enhancement of strategic partnerships, the Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) is now partnering with industry, utilities, states, universities and other stakeholders in the newly launched Save Energy Now LEADER initiative – a new component of the existing and successful Save Energy Now program. Through the basic Save Energy Now program, companies nationwide have partnered with DOE to participate in no-cost energy assessments and use ITP tools and training to reduce their energy use and lower their operating costs. More than 2,000 plants received energy assessments under the Save Energy Now program from 2006 to 2009. Those assessments yielded $1.3 billion in identified cost savings, 119 trillion Btu (natural gas) in identified energy savings and 11.2 million metric tons of identified CO2 savings.

Moving ahead, the Save Energy Now LEADER initiative provides an opportunity for forward-thinking companies to make a voluntary commitment to achieve an aggressive 25-percent reduction in energy intensity over 10 years in exchange for priority access to a range of DOE services, including technical assistance, identification of financial incentives, and the provision of high-level public recognition. Participating companies are asked to sign a Save Energy Now LEADER Pledge to mark the voluntary commitment.

The Save Energy Now LEADER program is now up and running with 11 companies having already committed by signing the Pledge at the Midwest Industrial Energy Efficiency Exchange in Detroit, with more companies continuing to sign on as the program moves forward. Demonstrating the positive potential impact of the program, a 25-percent reduction in energy for the 11 businesses that signed up at the Midwest Exchange alone could lead to approximately $3.58 billion in cost savings and the retention of over 46,000 jobs.

 

The commitments made by Save Energy Now LEADER Companies will also help to advance progress toward goals established in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 by stimulating manufacturing facilities to undertake energy-management projects that reduce energy expenses and free up capital for reinvestment to help create jobs. These same commitments also establish a corporate culture of energy efficiency, yielding cost savings through energy-use reductions, as well as corresponding reductions in carbon emissions. The cost savings translate into job retention, job creation, and increased financial stability for the industrial manufacturing sector—a sector of the economy that has been a mainstay employer for many middle-income Americans.

 

Interested companies can find more information at the Save Energy Now LEADER Web site, http://www.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow/leader.html, or can e-mail the program at SaveEnergyNow@ee.doe.gov.