Home > Buildings & Plants > Industry > NAM and EPA Challenge U.S. Manufacturers to Save Energy

National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and EPA Challenge U.S. Manufacturers to Save Energy

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) signed a landmark agreement to encourage U.S. manufacturers to take the ENERGY STAR Challenge and improve energy efficiency in U.S. manufacturing plants, buildings and operations by 10 % or more. Specifically, NAM and EPA will educate and enable U.S. manufacturers to strategically manage energy in their operations.

The U.S. industrial sector uses more energy than any other part of the U.S. economy. Nearly a third (27%) of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are produced as a result of industrial activity. Energy efficiency is a cost-effective strategy for U.S. manufacturers to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. Boosting energy efficiency plays a critical role in meeting U.S. energy demand. Studies show that expected growth in electricity and natural gas demand in the U.S. can be cost-effectively offset through energy efficiency.

If U.S. manufacturers improved their energy efficiency by 10 %, the energy savings would be equivalent to:

  • 1.6 quadrillion Btus
  • $10.4 billion saved
  • 177,590 factory jobs
  • 280,620,690 barrels of oil
  • 128 500-megawatt power plants in the U.S.
  • Powering 9,864,242 standard U.S. homes for one year

Under the agreement, NAM and EPA will make all ENERGY STAR resources available to U.S. manufacturers to help them improve energy efficiency in plants and corporations.

EPA-NAM Memorandum of Understanding PDF (44KB)