The first-ever energy efficiency ratings for corn refineries and cement plants will enable those industries to cut energy usage, save money and prevent greenhouse gases. The plant Energy Performance Indicators (EPIs) made available today by EPA as part of a national energy performance rating system, are the first of their kind for these manufacturing facilities. They provide critical information for driving energy savings by enabling the comparison of energy efficiency for a specific facility in the United States to that of the entire industry.

"By making smart energy choices, millions of Americans are saving billions each year," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "President Bush and EPA are improving our nations environmental and energy outlook, in part, by offering leading U.S. industries efficiency solutions that make sense for our environment and their bottom lines."

U.S. cement manufacturers and corn refiners spend more than $2 billion annually for 626 trillion british thermal units of energy. If energy use for both of these industries was reduced by 3 percent, the energy saved could produce electricity for 187,000 households - preventing the emissions of more than 3 billion pounds of greenhouse gases.

Based on the input of simple plant-level information, the energy efficiency of cement plants and corn refineries is scored from 1 to 100 and compared to the average and "efficient" plants in the industry. In order to receive an efficient rating, a plant must achieve a score of 75 or better. Now, corporate energy directors can establish meaningful goals for reducing energy use in these plants and better manage their companies’ energy costs.

The EPIs were developed as part of an Energy Star Industrial Focus with the cement and corn refining industries. EPA worked with the cement and corn refining industries to develop Energy Star plant energy performance indicators. The performance indicators measure an entire plant’s energy use, a critical step in strategic energy management. The indicators enable companies to determine how efficiently each plant is using energy as compared to the industry as a whole, and whether better energy performance could be expected.

EPA works closely with manufacturing industries to promote effective energy management and provides tools and assistance necessary to reduce energy use. Many participating companies have reported substantial environmental, cost and energy savings while receiving recognition for their leadership.

EPA conducts focuses for the motor vehicle, food processing, glass, petroleum refining, cement, corn refining, and pharmaceutical manufacturing industries along with a separate focus for the water and wastewater treatment facilities operated by local governments and sanitary service companies. An EPI for automobile assembly plants was released in 2005. All EPIs can be downloaded from the Energy Star web site.

Energy Star is a voluntary, market- based partnership designed to offer business and consumers effective energy efficiency solutions for saving energy, money and the environment. In 2005, Americans with the help of Energy Star saved about $12 billion on their energy bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 23 million cars.
(GreenBiz, 14/08/2006)
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