Plant-wide energy assessments identify overall energy use in manufacturing processes

—which can account for 10 percent or more of an industry’s total operating costs—and

highlight opportunities for best energy management practices for industry, including the

adoption of new, efficient technologies. The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of

Industrial Technologies (OIT) works with companies to characterize findings and 

document savings that can be replicated in other facilities and other industries for 

multiplied savings. On average, the findings from a single assessment can be replicated

in at least seven other facilities with equivalent systems and energy use. For a 

relatively low initial investment, companies that participate in assessments can expect

to realize a minimum of $1 million in savings annually from energy costs, waste 

reduction, and increased productivity—usually with a payback of less than 18 months.

Solicitations Encourage Companies to Participate

Interested companies are invited to submit proposals in response to a solicitation

offered once a year. Specifically, proposals are sought where industry-defined teams

will be considering the adoption of best available and emerging technology using 

state-of-the-art tools, information, process engineering techniques, and best practices

for operating and planned plant support and process systems. Only industrial sites that

fall within the OIT Industries of the Future (IOF) initiative are considered for an award.

This includes the forest products, chemicals, petroleum, steel, aluminum, metal casting,

glass, mining, and agriculture industries. Funding of up to $100,000 is available for each

project selected, with a required industrial cost share of at least 50 percent.

Companies are strongly encouraged to develop and work closely with teams which

could be composed of their resource and equipment suppliers, engineering firms, and

other third party entities. Solicitation information is posted to the OIT and BestPractices

Web sites (www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices), and is sometimes advertised in industry

trade magazines.

Plant assessments address a variety of generic and industry-specific technology areas,

and a variety of plant/process optimization methods. Proposal writers should also 

consider demand-side energy management best practices and technology implementation

in: plant steam delivery and process heating systems, electric-motor systems (including

motors, drives, pumps, fans, blowers), compressed air systems, and heat exchange

optimization (e.g., pinch technology); as well as, supply-side options using cogeneration

and combined heat and power system technologies.

PLANT-WIDE ASSESSMENTS HELP INDUSTRY IDENTIFY

ENERGY AND COST SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES

August 2001

OFFICE OF INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTURE

BestPractices

BENEFITS

• Identify areas for cost and energy

savings, and emissions and waste

reduction

• Receive expert technical assistance

in improvements to industrial 

systems 

• Access software tools to assist in

decision making

• Share costs of assessment and

leverage resources

Visit www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices

to read case studies of actual plant

assessments.

Plant-Wide

Assessments

Plant-Wide

Assessments
BestPractices is part of the Office of

Industrial Technologies’ Industries 

of the Future strategy, which helps the

country’s most energy-intensive 

industries improve their competitiveness.

BestPractices brings together the bestavailable and emerging technologies

and practices to help companies begin

improving energy efficiency, environmental

performance, and productivity right now.

BestPractices focuses on plant systems,

where significant efficiency improvements

and savings can be achieved. Industry

gains easy access to near-term and

long-term solutions for improving the

performance of motor, steam, compressed

air, and process heating systems. In

addition, the Industrial Assessment Centers

provide comprehensive industrial energy

evaluations to small and medium-size

manufacturers.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION,

PLEASE CONTACT:

Theo Johnson

Office of Industrial Technologies

Phone: (202) 586-6937

Fax: (202) 586-9234

Theodore.Johnson@ee.doe.gov

www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices

OIT Clearinghouse

Phone: (800) 862-2086

Fax: (360) 586-8303

Clearinghouse@ee.doe.gov

Please send any comments, 

questions, or suggestions to 

webmaster.oit@ee.doe.gov

Visit our home page at

www.oit.doe.gov

Office of Industrial Technologies

Energy Efficiency and Renewable

Energy, EE-20

U.S. Department of Energy

Washington, DC 20585-0121

DOE/GO-102001-1356

August 2001

The results, successes, and experiences from these assessments are published 

in case studies (which are also posted to the BestPractices Web site) and the

Energy Matters newsletter. Confidentiality is protected and no proprietary company

information is released. By publicizing assessment findings and results, OIT

encourages other U.S. manufacturers to adopt and implement similar approaches

to increasing energy efficiency and reducing environmental emissions. Participating

plants will be made aware of, and provided access to, all OIT emerging 

technologies and best practices, and tools and information resources that could

assist the plants in implementing the most cost-effective, state-of-the-art technology.

Additional Assessment Options

Small- to medium-sized manufacturers may be eligible to receive assessments by

university-based Industrial Assessment Centers. Teams of engineering faculty

and students from the centers—located at 26 universities around the country—

conduct energy, waste reduction, and productivity-improvement audits and then

provide recommendations to manufacturers. Recommendations from industrial

assessments have averaged about $55,000 in potential annual savings for each

manufacturer.

DOE experts in industrial energy management are available to provide targeted,

in-plant technical assistance to identify specific systems areas for improvement.

Companies interested in hosting a Showcase Demonstration event can request a

walk-through assessment (1 to 3 days) to identify opportunities for increased 

savings and productivity in industrial systems such as motors, steam, compressed

air, and process heating.

BestPractices cost-shared funding for plant-wide assessments

helps industry identify many opportunities for savings and 

productivity improvements. For example, water pinch analysis of

Boise Cascade’s pulp and paper mill in International Falls,

Minnesota, identified opportunities to recycle hot effluent streams

to reduce the need for process steam, fresh water, and energy to

cool the effluent. The four projects and two process modifications

selected will remove 45.6 million Btu per hour from the effluent,

save $707,000 annually (with a payback of 3 years), and reduce

steam use by 28,100 pounds per hour.

A plant-wide assessment at Alcoa’s Lafayette aluminum extrusion

plant in Indiana identified eight areas for more analysis. Energy

saving opportunities include improved heat recovery, furnace

operations, and metering, as well as development of processenergy use targets. Collectively these projects could save the

plant more than $1.9 million annually; the $2.3 million capital

investment has a payback period of only 1.2 years.

An assessment at AMCAST Industrial Corporation’s Wapakoneta,

Ohio, facility resulted in recommendations for 12 separate 

projects, including improvements to their process heating and

compressed air systems. The projects have an aggregate, 

annual energy savings potential of $3.7 million, which results in a

3-month payback period. In addition, the implementation of these

projects has the potential to reduce the plant’s carbon dioxide

emissions by over 11 million pounds per year.

RECENT PLANT-WIDE ASSESSMENTS