EPA’s Combined Heat and Power Partnership
 

Benefits of CHP 

CHP systems achieve fuel use efficiencies of 60 to 80 percent, compared to average fossil-fueled power 

plant efficiencies of 33 percent in the 

United States. This improvement in 

efficiency translates to: 

• Reduced total fossil fuel use 

• Lower operating costs 

• Reduced emissions of regulated air 

pollutants 

• Reduced emissions of greenhouse 

gases 

• Increased reliability and power 

quality 

• Reduced grid congestion and 

avoided distribution losses 

For these reasons, businesses and 

others have installed more than 

80,000 megawatts (MW) of CHP 

capacity in the United States, making CHP a proven pollution reduction 

technology option. 

Combined heat and power (CHP), or cogeneration, is an efficient 

and clean approach to generating power and useful thermal 

energy from a single fuel source. CHP is used to replace or 

supplement conventional separate heat and power (SHP) (i.e., 

central station electricity available via the grid and an onsite boiler 

or heater). Every CHP application involves the recovery of 

otherwise wasted thermal energy to produce additional power or 

useful thermal energy; as such, CHP provides greater energy 

efficiency and environmental benefits than SHP. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the 

EPA CHP Partnership as a voluntary program that promotes highefficiency CHP technologies across the United States. The 

Partnership works closely with energy users, the CHP industry, 

state and local governments, and other clean energy stakeholders 

to facilitate the development of new projects and to promote their 

environmental and economic benefits. 

Benefits of Joining the EPA CHP Partnership 

The Partnership offers a variety of tools and services designed to facilitate and 

promote Partners' development of CHP projects. In addition to the offerings listed, check out the complete list of tools, services, and benefits on our website: 

www.epa.gov/chp. 

Education & Outreach 

•	 Information for regulators, policymakers, and utilities to encourage energy 

efficiency and CHP. 

•	 Peer-to-peer marketing and networking at workshops and conferences. 

•	 Examples of model state policies for promoting CHP, such as 

output-based emissions regulations, CHP-friendly utility rates, and renewable 

portfolio standards that include CHP. 

•	 The CHP Partnership newsletter, which provides information about Partner 

activities and accomplishments, funding opportunities, and upcoming events. 

•	 The biannual Partnership Update, which showcases the efforts and accomplishments of our Partners and highlights opportunities for increased use of 

CHP. 

Public Recognition 

•	 ENERGY STAR® CHP Awards and publicity. 

•	 A profile on the Partnership website with information about each Partner. 
What You Can Do to 

Encourage CHP 

Energy Users. Evaluate your 

needs for clean, reliable power, as 

well as heating and/or cooling, 

and consider CHP. Potential CHP 

users include industrial plants, 

data centers, universities, commercial or institutional buildings, 

district energy systems, 

hotels/casinos, ethanol production 

facilities, wastewater treatment 

facilities, and light industrial 

power parks. Energy users can 

achieve emissions reductions, cost 

savings, and increased reliability 

with CHP. 

CHP Project Developers and 

Equipment Suppliers. Take 

advantage of the CHP 

Partnership’s market development 

activities, tools, permitting guidance, networking, and project 

recognition to increase your profile, effectively target energy 

users, and expand your business. 

Utilities. Establish policies and 

rates that facilitate CHP development in your service territory. In 

areas of electric grid congestion or 

high demand, CHP can reduce 

load pockets and offer grid support at times of peak demand. 

Through teaming with customers 

that have large thermal demands, 

CHP can allow a generation utility 

to generate electricity with less 

fuel while receiving a steady revenue stream from a thermal host. 

State and Local Governments. 

Review energy policies in your 

state to ensure that they are not 

creating unintended barriers to 

CHP deployment by energy users. 

Using CHP to improve the efficiency of the energy sector helps 

state and local governments meet 

energy and air quality goals. 

•	 An Annual Greenhouse Gas Reduction Report—a certificate that shows the 

carbon reductions associated with the Partner's projects, as well as equivalent benefits in terms of acres of trees planted and car emissions prevented. 

Direct Project Assistance 

•	 CHP project qualification to determine whether CHP is worth considering at a 

particular facility. 

•	 Technical assistance for candidate sites, including spark spread analyses, 

level 1 feasibility studies, and third-party review of feasibility/design studies. 

•	 Up-to-date lists of state and federal incentives for CHP, biomass- and biogasfueled applications, and information on state policies and utility rates favorable to clean distributed generation projects. 

•	 The CHP Emissions Calculator, which compares the anticipated CO2, SO2, and 

NOX emissions from a CHP system to the emissions from a system that uses 

separate heat and power. 

Resources 

•	 Current information on funding resources, including lists of state and federal 

incentives for CHP and biomass/biogas projects, as well as favorable regulatory/rates opportunities. 

•	 Analyses of CHP potential in targeted strategic markets, such as ethanol, 

hotels/casinos, wastewater treatment, and data centers. 

•	 Technical white papers and clean energy policy resource documents. 

Your Role as a Partner 

Partners work with EPA to promote CHP benefits and support the development 

of new CHP capacity. EPA provides tools and services to support Partners as 

they investigate and develop new CHP capacity. 

Industry and Energy User Partners agree to work with EPA to: 

•	 Assess the potential for additional CHP development at their facilities. 

•	 Publicize the energy, environmental, and economic benefits of their projects. 

•	 Provide EPA with minimal operational data, allowing EPA to evaluate the 

partnership’s success at reducing emissions through CHP. 

Government Partners agree to: 

•	 Support the development of new projects within their state and promote the 

benefits of CHP within their agency and their state. 

For more information about the EPA’s CHP Partnership, including 

how to join, contact: 

Neeharika Naik-Dhungel, Program Manager 

Tel.: 202-343-9553 

e-mail: naik-dhungel.neeharika@epa.gov 

Gary McNeil, Program Manager 

Tel.: 202-343-9173 

e-mail: mcneil.gary@epa.gov 

Fax: 202-343-2208 

Website: www.epa.gov/chp