Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs)
The Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs), sponsored by EERE's Industrial Technologies Program, provide eligible small- and medium-sized manufacturers with no-cost energy assessments. Additionally, the IACs serve as a training ground for the next-generation of energy savvy engineers.
Industrial Assessment Center Links
- About the Program
- Eligibility
- Industrial Assessment Center Locations
- Solicitations
- Tools and Publications
- Industrial Assessment Center Contacts
- Industrial Assessment Center Fact Sheet (PDF 410 KB) Download Adobe Reader
If you run a small- to medium-sized manufacturing facility with gross annual sales below $100 million and fewer than 500 employees at the plant site, you may be especially interested in an Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) energy and waste assessment. IACs provide eligible small-and medium-sized manufacturers with no-cost energy assessments. Additionally, the IACs serve as a training ground for the next-generation of energy savvy engineers. IAC assessments provide a no-cost, on-site visit to your plant to identify potential savings opportunities. A team of engineering faculty and students from a participating university in your area assesses your plant and recommends ways you can improve efficiency.
Teams composed mainly of engineering faculty and students from the centers, located at 26 universities around the country, conduct energy audits or industrial assessments and provide recommendations to manufacturers to help them identify opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste, and save energy. Centers are selected through a competitive solicitation process.
Recommendations from industrial assessments have averaged about $55,000 in potential annual savings for each manufacturer. As a result of performing these assessments, upper class and graduate engineering students receive unique hands-on assessment training and gain knowledge of industrial process systems, plant systems, and energy systems, making them highly attractive to employers.
There are numerous ways to go about the process of conducting an industrial assessment. This web site provides an overview of the sources of services, self-help tools and expertise currently available to manufacturers throughout the United States, and introduces manufacturers to the IAC students.