Case Studies
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Plant-Wide Assessment Case Studies and Summaries
Plant-wide assessments (PWA) investigate overall energy use in industrial facilities and identify energy- and cost-saving opportunities for best practices in energy management for industry, including the adoption of new, energy-efficient technologies and process and equipment improvements. The U.S. Department of Energy cost-shares such assessments, usually through an annual competitive process. Read more about that process on the BestPractices Solicitations page.
A case study is published for each completed PWA. Read the case studies below and find out how the companies have conducted plant-wide assessments and identified measures for energy and cost savings, often also finding ways to improve productivity and reduce environmental impacts. And now, for some companies, we provide short summaries that emphasize the PWA's bottom-line benefits. These documents are designed for corporate decision-makers whose time is limited. (Look for the hollow bullets and italic type.)
You can replicate PWA savings by learning about and implementing the cost- and energy-saving projects identified in these case studies. Frequently, projects can be replicated across many industries. Find out which projects could benefit your company!
Learn more about plant-wide assessments. (Download Adobe Reader to view the following PDF files.)
Aluminum
- Alcoa Lafayette Operations Energy Efficiency Assessment (PDF 235 KB)
- Alcoa: Plant-Wide Energy Assessment Finds Potential Savings at Aluminum Extrusion Facility (PDF 464 KB)
- Alcoa World Alumina: Plant-Wide Assessment at Arkansas Operations Reveals More than $900,000 in Potential Annual Savings (PDF 464 KB)
- Commonwealth Aluminum: Manufacturer Conducts Plant-Wide Energy Assessments at Two Aluminum Sheet Production Operations (PDF 810 KB)
- Pechiney Rolled Products: Plant-Wide Energy Assessment Identifies Opportunities to Optimize Aluminum Casting and Rolling Operations (PDF 417 KB)
Chemicals
- 3M: Hutchinson Plant Focuses on Heat Recovery and Cogeneration during Plant-Wide Energy-Efficiency Assessment (PDF 710 KB)
- Akzo Nobel Morris Plant Implements a Site-Wide Energy Efficiency Plan (PDF 341 KB)
- PWA Summary: $1.2 Million in Savings Identified in Akzo Nobel Assessment (PDF 174 KB)
- Bayer Polymers: Plant Identifies Numerous Projects Following Plant-Wide Energy-Efficiency Assessment (PDF 863 KB)
- Dow Chemical Company: By-Product Synergy Process Provides Opportunities to Improve Resource Utilization, Conserve Energy, and Save Money (PDF 218 KB)
- Formosa Plastics Corporation: Plant-Wide Assessment of Texas Plant Identifies Opportunities for Improving Process Efficiency and Reducing Energy Costs (PDF 1.0 MB)
- Neville Chemical Company: Management Pursues Five Projects Following Plant-Wide Energy-Efficiency Assessment (PDF 1.0 MB)
- Rohm and Haas: Chemical Plant Uses Pinch Analysis to Quantify Energy and Cost Savings Opportunities at Deer Park, Texas (PDF 607 KB)
- Rohm and Haas: Company Uses Knoxville Plant Assessment Results to Develop Best Practices Guidelines and Benchmark for Its Other Sites (Revised July 2003) (PDF 765 KB)
- Solutia: Massachusetts Chemical Manufacturer Uses SECURE Methodology to Identify Potential Reductions in Utility and Process Energy Consumption (PDF 979 KB)
- W. R. Grace: Plant Uses Six Sigma Methodology and Traditional Heat Balance Analysis to Identify Energy Conservation Opportunities at Curtis Bay Works (PDF 906 KB)
Forest Products
- Appleton Papers Plant-Wide Energy Assessment Saves Energy and Reduces Waste (PDF 220 KB)
- PWA Summary: $3.5 Million in Savings Identified in Appleton Assessment (PDF 176 KB)
- Augusta Newsprint: Paper Mill Pursues Five Projects Following Plant-Wide Energy Efficiency Assessment (Revised July 2003) (PDF 699 KB)
- PWA Summary: $1.6 Million in Savings Identified in Augusta Newsprint Assessment (PDF 176 KB)
- Blue Heron Paper Company: Oregon Mill Uses Model-Based Energy Assessment to Identify Energy and Cost Savings Opportunities (PDF 394 KB)
- Boise Cascade Mill Energy Assessment (PDF 297 KB)
- PWA Summary: $707,000 in Savings Identified in Boise Cascade Assessment (PDF 176 KB)
- Caraustar Industries Energy Assessment (PDF 188 KB)
- PWA Summary: $1.2 Million in Savings Identified in Caraustar Assessment (PDF 176 KB)
- Georgia-Pacific Palatka Plant Uses Thermal Pinch Analysis and Evaluates Water Reduction in Plant-Wide Energy Assessment (PDF 352 KB)
- PWA Summary: $2.9 Million in Savings Identified in Georgia-Pacific Assessment (PDF 176 KB)
- Georgia-Pacific: Crossett Mill Identifies Heat Recovery Projects and Operational Improvements that May Save $6 Million Annually (PDF 797 KB)
- Inland Paperboard and Packaging, Rome Linerboard Mill Energy Assessment (PDF 280 KB)
- PWA Summary: $9.5 Million in Savings Identified through Inland Assessment (PDF 176 KB)
- Weyerhaeuser Company: Longview Mill Conducts Energy and Water Assessment that Finds Potential for $3.1 Million in Annual Savings (PDF 400 KB)
Glass
- Corning Inc.: Proposed Changes at Glass Plant Indicate $26 Million in Potential Savings (PDF 177 KB)
- Anchor Glass Container Corporation Plant-Wide Energy Assessment Saves Electricity and Expenditures (PDF 200 KB)
- PWA Summary: $1.6 Million in Savings Identified in Anchor Assessment (PDF 181 KB)
Metal Casting
- AMCAST Industrial Corporation Energy Assessment (PDF 295 KB)
- PWA Summary: $3.6 Million in Savings Identified in AMCAST Assessment (PDF 176 KB)
- Ford Cleveland: Inside-Out Analysis Identifies Energy and Cost Savings Opportunities at Metal Casting Plant (PDF 266 KB)
Mining
- Alcoa World Alumina: Plant-Wide Assessment at Arkansas Operations Reveals More than $900,000 in Potential Annual Savings (PDF 464 KB)
- Coeur Rochester, Inc.: Plant-Wide Assessment of Nevada Silver Mine Finds Opportunities to Improve Process Control and Reduce Energy Consumption (PDF 300 KB)
- Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation Facility Utilizes Energy Assessments to Identify $930,000 in Potential Annual Savings (PDF 307 KB)
Petroleum
- Chevron: Refinery Identifies $4.4 Million in Annual Savings by Using Process Simulation Models to Perform Energy-Efficiency Assessment (PDF 293 KB)
- Martinez Refinery Completes Plant-Wide Energy Assessment (PDF 241 KB) (Equilon)
- PWA Summary: $52 Million in Savings Identified in Equilon Assessment (PDF 172 KB)
- Paramount Petroleum: Plant-Wide Energy-Efficiency Assessment Identifies Three Projects (PDF 816 KB)
- PWA Summary: $4.1 Million in Savings Identified in Paramount Petroleum Assessment (PDF 173 KB)
- Valero: Houston Refinery Uses Plant-Wide Assessment to Develop an Energy Optimization and Management System (PDF 308 KB)
Steel
- Jernberg Industries, Inc.: Forging Facility Uses Plant-Wide Energy Assessment to Aid Conversion to Lean Manufacturing (PDF 987 KB)
- Full PWA Report: An Assessment of Energy, Waste, and Productivity Improvements for North Star Steel Iowa (PDF 2.32 MB)
- North Star Steel Company: Iowa Mini-Mill Conducts Plant-Wide Energy Assessment Using a Total Assessment Audit (PDF 608 KB)
- Weirton Steel: Mill Identifies $1.4 Million in Annual Savings Following Plant-Wide Energy-Efficiency Assessment (PDF 555 KB)
Supporting Industries
- Metaldyne: Plant-Wide Assessment in Royal Oak Finds Opportunities to Improve Manufacturing Efficiency, Reduce Energy Use, and Achieve Significant Cost Savings (PDF 676 KB)
Other
- IAC Energy Assessment of Spanish Fork Plant (PDF 174 KB) (Alcoa)
- Metlab Plant-Wide Assessment (PDF 640 KB)
- Utica Corporation Plant-Wide Energy Assessment Report Final Summary (PDF 225 KB)
Management Case Studies
Before an energy-efficiency project can be implemented, it must be funded. Corporate-level managers are more apt to approve money for such projects if they know of similar projects that have been successful. These case studies are aimed at such decision-makers and help them examine the bottom-line benefits that result from successful applications of energy-efficient practices and technologies.
BestPractices Corporate Energy Management Case Studies
- Corporate Energy Conservation Program for Alcoa North American Extrusions
(PDF 197 KB) - Alcoa Teams with DOE to Reduce Energy Consumption
(PDF 542 KB)
Alliance to Save Energy Corporate Energy Management Case Studies (sponsored by DOE)
- A Culture of Excellence: Corporate Energy Management at 3M
(PDF 36 KB) - Back to Basics: Corporate Energy Management at Unilever
(PDF 34 KB) - Benchmarks that Measure Success: Corporate Energy Management at Kimberly Clark Corporation (PDF 34 KB)
- Big Goals Mean Big Success Success: Corporate Energy Management at Frito-Lay (PDF 34 KB)
- Energy Productivity is the Best Medicine Medicine: Corporate Energy Management at Merck & Co., Inc.
(PDF 39 KB) - Margins for Profit, Not Error: Corporate Energy Management at DuPont
(PDF 37 KB) - We Did it...So Can You: Corporate Energy Management at C&A Floorcoverings (PDF 37 KB)
Performance Spotlights
The following spotlights highlight industry projects that are saving energy and money today with the assistance of industry partners and Qualified Specialists who use software tools developed by BestPractices to make bottom line contributions and operating improvements to industrial companies.
- Austin Energy: Pumping System Improvement Project Saves Energy and Improves Performance at a Power Plant (PDF 198 KB)
- Boise Paper: Process Pumping System Optimization Saves Energy and Improves Production PDF 354 KB)
- Canandaigua Wines: Compressed Air System Upgrade Saves Energy and Improves Performance at a Winery (PDF 206 KB)
- CEMEX: Cement Manufacturer Saves 2.1 Million kWh Annually with a Motor Retrofit Project (PDF 220)
- Dal-Tile: Optimized Compressed Air System Improves Performance and Saves Energy at a Tile Manufacturing Plant (PDF 214 KB)
- Ford Van Dyke: Compressed Air Management Program Leads to Improvements that Reduce Energy Consumption at an Automotive Transmission Plant
(PDF 234 KB) - Kodak: MotorMaster+ Is the Foundation for Energy Efficiency at a Chemical and Imaging Technologies Plant (PDF 350 KB)
- Kodak: Optimizing the Pumping System Saves Energy and Reduces Demand Charges at a Chemical Plant (PDF 215 KB)
- Onondaga County Department of Water Environment Protection: Process Optimization Saves Energy at Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant (PDF 236 KB)
- Rohm and Haas: Furnace Replacement Project Saves Energy and Improves Production at a Chemical Plant (PDF 346 KB)
- San Jose Mercury News: Compressed Air System Upgrade Increases Efficiency and Saves Energy at a Newspaper Plant (PDF 252 KB)
- Sara Lee: Improved Compressed Air System Increases Efficiency and Saves Energy at an Industrial Bakery (PDF 280 KB)