Participants Will Realize Continual Improvement in Industrial Energy Efficiency & Cost Savings
Portland, OR : Today marked the commencement of a demonstration project in the Northwest that will help provide U.S. industrial facilities with a roadmap for achieving continual improvement in energy efficiency while maintaining their economic competitiveness. Companies and utilities participating in the Northwest demonstration project, backed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), will provide critical input for an emerging set of energy management standards and a certification scheme which, once completed, promises to help create a clear path for all of industry toward greater energy efficiency improvements and improved cost savings. This project grew out of the larger Save Energy Now LEADER program – a national initiative sponsored by DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) to drive a 25 percent reduction in industrial energy intensity in ten years (25 in 10). The energy management standards and certification scheme that are the focus of the current demonstration project will serve as powerful new tools in the arsenal of the broader Save Energy Now LEADER program, and the synergies between the two are expected to move the goal of continual improvement in industrial energy efficiency to the next level.
“The Northwest demonstration project marks a landmark step in the national push toward responsible management of industrial energy,” said Douglas Kaempf, Program Manager of DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program. Participating industrial companies will contribute to a forward-looking national goal of reducing industrial energy intensity while cutting their energy costs, increasing productivity and curbing carbon emissions in the process. “When you stack up all the benefits, it is clear that industrial efficiency is truly one of this nation’s greatest energy resources,” Kaempf added.
Companies participating in the project will be among the first in the country that may become certified under the pending industry-designed American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited plant certification that includes conforming to ANSI’s Management System for Energy standard, or ANSI/MSE 2008 which, in turn, is serving as US input for an even more far-reaching international energy management standard known as ISO 50001. It is estimated that the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) will release its ISO 50001 global standard in 2011. Once released, ISO 50001 is expected to replace ANSI MSE 2008 in the US. By being in on the pilot project phase of implementing the ANSI standard and certification scheme, the companies taking part in the Northwest Demonstration project will truly be helping to set the pace for all of industry on the crucial issue of energy management.
Participating companies represent a diverse scope of key industries throughout the region: Grays Harbor Paper, Paccar Inc./Kenworth Trucks, EARTH20 Natural Spring Water and J. R. Simplot Company Aberdeen Food Plant. Supporting regional utilities include: Grays Harbor Public Utility District, Puget Sound Energy, Pacific Power and Idaho Power.
Upon successful completion, project participants will have strengthened their sustainable energy management strategies and systems that lead to continuous energy savings, reduced operational costs and significant reduction of carbon emissions. These results will showcase the tangible advantages of energy efficiency as a sustainable and profitable business model and help bolster the competitiveness of participating companies within the global marketplace.
“NEEA’s Industrial Initiative is focused on permanently embedding energy efficiency as a core business practice in the Northwest. Energy efficiency can serve as a fundamental plank in any industrial company’s sustainability strategy,” said John Wallner, senior manager of the NEEA Industrial Sector.
In addition to its sponsorship by DOE’s Save Energy Now LEADER program and NEEA, the Northwest Demonstration project also relies upon the valuable support of the U.S. Council for Energy-Efficient Manufacturing (U.S. CEEM), Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory each of which are contributing energy expertise and materials. The project will span approximately 24 months culminating in 2011.
For more information about the project, please visit: www.NWEMDemo.org.
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is a private non-profit organization funded by Northwest utilities, the Energy Trust of Oregon and the Bonneville Power Administration. NEEA works in collaboration with its stakeholders and strategic market partners to accelerate the sustained market adoption of energy-efficient products, technologies and practices. NEEA’s market transformation efforts address energy efficiency in homes, businesses and industry.