Energy Use

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Facilities can reduce their energy use by increasing energy efficiency in production processes, incorporating energy conservation into facility operations and design, and using more renewable or sustainable energy sources. Improved energy management can save money, abate pollution, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and ease demand on natural resources. The Performance Track program encourages applicants and member to report on improvements in the aspect of energy use listed below. Examples of appropriate measures are also provided.

Indicators	Units
Total (non-transportation) Energy Use by fuel type	British Thermal Units (Btu) Million Metric British Thermal Units (MMBtu) Kilowatt hours (kWh) Megawatt hours (MWh)
Transportation Energy Use	Kilowatt hours (kWh) Megawatt hours (MWh) Gallons Cubic feet

In order to improve energy use, Performance Track members are:

developing Energy Management Plans to increase operational efficiency
replacing older process equipment with higher efficiency models
upgrading lighting and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems
increasing insulation to reduce fuel requirements
shutting down equipment when not in use
adjusting industrial furnaces to operate at a lower temperature in standby mode
implementing process improvements to increase efficiency (e.g., shifting from batch production to continuous operation to reduce electricity and steam generation requirements)
monitoring and controlling energy use throughout the facility
conducting energy audits to identify further areas for improvement

View a table of common strategies used by Performance Track members to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (PDF) (2 pp, 430K)

Other examples of energy management strategies include:

designing energy efficient buildings and equipment
installing cogeneration systems
using environmentally preferable energy sources (e.g., wind and solar energy)

Facilities can reduce costs through more efficient use of energy. Cost savings result from:

reduced energy input requirements
reduced waste treatment and disposal costs through increased process efficiency
increased productivity and process efficiency through optimized production cycles
reduced capital and space requirements

In many cases, facilities are able to recoup initial investments in energy efficiency in just over a year, with future energy cost savings adding directly to the bottom line.

EPA and many non-governmental organizations, trade groups, and companies collect and share information on techniques and tools for improving a facility's energy management practices. The links provided below highlight some sources of information on the following topics:

Conversion and Contextual Factors for Energy Management
General Resources
Building Design
Industrial Energy Use
Alternative and Efficient Energy Sources

Disclaimer: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides this information as a free and open service to the public. EPA does not endorse any company or product identified on this or any subsequent pages listed herein, and makes no claims regarding the accuracy, validity, or effectiveness of this or any other product or service represented by these data.

If you would like to suggest additional resources to feature on this website, please email a description of the site (including what topics the site addresses) and the URL to hamilton.luctrician@epa.gov.

Conversion and Contextual Factors for Energy Use

Methods to convert non-standard measurement units into standard units, and methods to convert environmental improvements into commonly understood contexts, can be found through the links below:

Conversion factors (e.g. Btu equivalent for a kilowatt-hour of electricity)

The State of Wisconsin Department of Administration's website provides Energy Definitions and Conversion Factors .

The Eastern Region Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers provides a table listing the relative Btu content of primary and secondary fuel along with the Btu content of common fuels such as coal, oil, and gas.
Contextual factors (e.g. the average annual household use of Btus)
The Energy Information Administration offers various energy-efficiency related reports. Within these reports, the following information is available:
- A table listing energy use the United States by year and by housing type.
- A chapter describing energy use and intensity in the industrial sector, including manufacturing and other non-manufacturing sectors not included in transportation or services.
- A website with tables containing information on energy use in the manufacturing industry.
Buildings represent 38.9% of U.S. primary energy use, and 70 percent of office building energy consumption is electricity used for lighting, heating, cooling, and office equipment (www.GreenBizLetter.com, April 2003).

General Resources

EPA's Energy Star Buildings & Plants offers a variety of technical resources for energy efficiency, such as operations and maintenance guides, tools for benchmarking, financial benefits of improved energy efficiency, and case studies.

EPA's Energy Star Labeled Office Equipment presents information on energy-efficient office products that save money while reducing pollution. The site also offers online brochures on energy-conserving equipment and details the savings associated with these products.

EPA's Green Power Partnership is a voluntary program that encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with purchased electricity use. Partner organizations can receive technical support leading to the purchase of green power. By meeting or exceeding EPA's purchase requirements, Partner organizations receive valuable recognition for their actions.

Climate Leaders is an EPA industry-government partnership that works with companies to develop comprehensive climate change strategies. Partner companies commit to reducing their impact on the global environment by completing a corporate-wide inventory of their greenhouse gas emissions.

The Global Reporting Initiative Energy Protocol contains instructions for using the Energy Balance Sheet in order to calculate primary, intermediate, direct and indirect energy.

Energy Information Administration provides access to individual state energy pages. Each page offers energy market statistics such as energy prices, energy consumption, and emissions.

The Renewable Energy Policy Project and the Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology provide links to various organizations, trade associations, and companies that supply information on building design approaches and equipment for increasing energy efficiency.

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy compiles information and resources on energy efficiency and pollution-prevention technologies, including a number of case studies of successful projects undertaken by businesses.

GreenBiz.com's Energy Efficiency Page outlines issues and problems associated with energy use, presents case studies, lists benefits of energy efficiency, and provides suggestions for conservation measures.

Greenbiz.com offers several resources on developing a green office, including an article on Office Design and the Green Office Guide

Energy and Environmental Technologies Information Centres provides links to international programs and information centers related to energy management.

Natural Gas Glossary provides definitions of various natural gas terms.

Building Design

EPA’s Green Building website provides an index of resources on how to incorporate healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance and demolition.

The US Department of Energy provides information on building design through the following sites:

Office of Building Technology suggests innovative building equipment and building design methods for increasing energy efficiency at commercial buildings.
This DOE Report highlights design lessons learned from six case studies of high-performance buildings, demonstrating how buildings can be constructed to use significantly less energy than code.

Industrial Energy Use

Consortium for Energy Efficiency , is a national, non-profit organization that promotes the use of energy efficient products and services in the residential, commercial, industrial, and government sectors.

DOE's Office of Industrial Technologies offers software, technical training classes, and a library of resources that includes case studies and technical publications designed to promote energy efficiency at industrial plants. Specific websites of interest within the Office of Industrial Technologies include the following:

DOE's Industries of the Future program facilitates partnerships between industry, government, and supporting laboratories and institutions to accelerate technology research, development, and deployment. The program focuses on nine energy-intensive and high waste generating industries: agriculture, aluminum production, chemical production, forest-products production, glass production, metal casting, mining, petroleum production, and steel production.

DOE's BestPractices works with U.S. industry to implement energy management practices in industrial plants.

DOE sponsored Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) assist eligible small and medium-sized manufacturers by conducting energy audits and industrial assessments at no cost to the manufacturer and providing recommendations to manufacturers to help them identify opportunities for improving productivity, reducing waste, and saving energy. In addition, the IAC provides case studies of plant-wide assessments.

DOE sponsored Compressed Air Challenge provides training seminars and on-line resources, such as a sourcebook and fact sheets, to assist companies in improving the efficiency of their compressed air generation systems.

DOE's Steam Challenge assists companies in improving the efficiency of their steam-production systems through resources such as on-line software, technical guidelines, and case studies.

Alternative and Efficient Energy Sources

DOE's Green Power Network provides up-to-date information and resources on renewable energy sources and markets.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory's Clean Energy Basics website offers resources on efficient and renewable energy sources.

Business for Social Responsibility reports on leveraging the benefits of renewable energy in Understanding the Renewable Power Options for Your U.S. Operations.

The Greenhouse Gas Technology Information Exchange (GREENTIE) maintains Technology Directories with articles, technology summaries, and literature abstracts for topics such as biomass-fired power generation and industrial cogeneration.

Energy Use

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