Energy Audit Finds $800 Million Savings

A three-year-old industrial energy audit program run by the Department of Energy has completed its 500th assessment, finding some $800 million in total potential energy savings. The program sends DOE teams to energy-intensive companies to conduct three-day audits of energy use. In particular, the audits look at the efficiency of pumps, fans, compressed air systems, and heating and steam systems. The focus has often been on natural gas use, and audits have uncovered over 80 trillion Btu of natural gas savings. DOE provides software tools and trains plant personnel to conduct their own audits after government teams leave. The assessments typically identify savings opportunities amounting to 5 to 15% of a plant's total energy use. The 500th assessment was at Dow Chemical's Freeport, Texas, plant. In all, DOE has done energy audits at 16 Dow facilities, and the company has committed to implementing process changes worth some $14 million in annual energy savings. For more information on the audit program, see www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow.