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Texas Industrial Energy Efficiency

The energy-intensive industries in Texas are faced with several challenges to their survival.  Most of the large energy-intensive industrial sites, specifically chemical manufacturing and refining, are located east of Interstate Highway-35 and there is significant environmental pressure to reduce air emissions of Nitrate Oxide (NOx).  NOx emissions can result from the combustion of fuel for power and heat.  In addition, natural gas prices in Texas are among the highest in the world.  Because the chemical sector relies extensively on natural gas as both feedstock and fuel, energy costs account for a large percentage of manufacturing costs, putting this sector at a disadvantage in a global market.  Finally, these two sectors have been identified as one of six target industry clusters by the Texas Workforce Commission.  Target clusters compete across regions and tend to be the core drivers of regional economic competitiveness.  Many other businesses in Texas depend upon the health of these core industry clusters. 

Events
Texas Industries of the Future
Best Practices
Industrial Assessment Centers
Software

Events

2006 Texas Technology Showcase
Galveston Island Convention Center
Galveston, Texas
December 6-7, 2006
A SECO-sponsored event. How can energy management contribute toward your plant or business achieving its lowest long-term manufacturing cost? This will be one key to success in chemical manufacturing and refining in the coming decade. This conference will examine the tools in the Engineer’s Toolbox, from the best practices in programs and new technologies that are proving themselves today, to the management strategies that sustain results. Session topics will address issues of interest to managers and engineers in the chemical manufacturing and petroleum refining industries that are facing high energy prices, while continuing to meet stricter NOx emission standards on their combustion units. In addition to the Exhibit Hall and technical sessions on energy management topics and Showcase companies, a special series of sessions will highlight NOx reduction technology implementation case studies.

Industrial Energy Technology Conference
Abstracts Due October 2, 2006
New Orleans, Louisiana
May 8-11, 2007
A SECO-sponsored event. The Industrial Energy Technology Conference was created in 1979 to meet the needs of the industrial energy community. Unique in its industrial energy and waste reduction focus, this annual two-day conference is designed to serve the professionals who are involved in the production, use, or transportation of energy, or in designing and evaluating energy-related equipment and waste reduction practices. The IETC attracts an audience from North America and internationally, and is major importance in educating the industrial energy community regarding industrial innovations, energy use and waste reduction programs, and the latest in various state and federal programs affecting industry.

Many energy managers, plant engineers, project and process engineers, or industrial energy engineers were given the added task of managing a company's energy consumption without necessarily having a deep background in energy management. The Energy Managers' Workshop was designed to meet the needs of these individuals by providing them with energy management training and resource materials. The instructors, all professionals with years of experience in energy management at some of the largest corporations, put together a workbook containing background materials, case studies, and resource lists.

Texas Industries of the Future

Texas Industries of the Future is is a partnership strategy of the U. S. Department of Energy 's (DOE) Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) and the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO). Texas Industries of the Future provides outreach, technical assistance and training for Texas industrial energy consumers.  From 2001-2005 Texas Industries of the Future has conducted 32 conferences, workshops and forums, providing training and outreach to engineers and consultants in process industries on a variety of industrial energy-efficiency topics.  All manufacturers, however, are faced with the rising costs of energy, ranging from semi-conductor manufacturers to food processors.  The ability to manage and control this cost is critical to their global competitiveness.

Goals
From 2002-2010, Texas Industries of the Future will work with the chemical and refining sector to achieve an overall reduction in energy intensity of 15%. 

Strategies
The following strategies will increase energy intensity in any manufacturing sector:

  1. Increase the adoption of technologies and best practices that improve energy efficiency and environmental performance and reduce cost in the chemical and refining industries.

  2. Increase industry and government awareness of the benefits and the need for integration of industry energy efficiency and environmental technology and practice improvements.

  3. Strengthen partnerships among Texas industries, universities, associations, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in order to focus research and projects on high priority areas.

Background Statistics
The following are summary statistics on process industries employment, value of shipments and energy usage.  The energy-intensive industries play a leading role in the Texas economy. 

  • Fifty-three percent of the energy used in Texas is consumed by the industrial sector.  Nationally, only 34% of the energy used is consumed by industry.1

  • Texas has the highest percentage of large energy intensive sites at 312 sites or 8% of the US total of 3,755 sites.  California is next at 5% percent of the U. S. total.2

  • Texas consumes 20% of the energy used by industry in the U. S.  The next largest industrial energy consumer is Louisiana at 7 % of the U. S.total.3

  • Industrial energy usage in our region is dominated by three sectors: chemicals, refining and forestry/pulp & paper.  They constitute 86% of industrial energy usage in this region.4

  • The chemical and refining sectors make up a significant portion of the Texas economy based on the number of facilities (6 %), employment (11%) and total wages (16%) of the manufacturing sector.5

  • In 2001 the chemical manufacturing and refining sectors each produced goods accounting for 19% of the Value of Shipments in Texas.6

BestPractices

BestPractices is a program area within the Industrial Technologies Program that supports ITP's mission to improve the energy intensity of the U.S. industrial sector through a coordinated program of research and development, validation, and dissemination of energy-efficient technologies and practices. BestPractices helps you identify opportunities to save substantial amounts of energy in industrial manufacturing plants. The resources provided by BestPractices offers resources, training, software tools, and the technical expertise to achieve your energy saving goals.

Developing aggressive energy management strategies, incorporating energy management into business systems and adopting new technologies and BestPractices will play a critical role in the continued viability of all manufacturers in Texas.  Texas Industries of the Future addresses this need through offering specialized training, energy management forums, conferences and Technology Showcases, and developing targeted software tools to assist all Texas manufacturers to evaluate energy-saving opportunities and their impacts on air emissions.

Industrial Assessment Centers

Save Energy Now
Under the Save Energy Now initiative, DOE has also been conducting no-cost energy assessments at 200 large industrial facilities, with a focus on steam or process heating systems. The first 61 assessments have identified a total of almost $200 million per year in potential energy cost savings, which could reduce natural gas consumption by over 22 trillion Btu per year. Within the first 30 days of implementing energy saving measures recommended during the assessments, eight plants reported a total of $1 million in immediate savings. The new CD-ROMs allow DOE to provide assistance to a greater number of plants across the country.

Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs)
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. 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. Participating schools in Texas are:

University of Texas at Arlington Industrial Assessment Center
Assessments are performed by a team consisting of a University of Texas Arlington faculty member and upper level undergraduate and graduate engineering students. During a site visit, students take measurements to audit how the facility uses energy and resources. With the guidance of their professors, students then generate a confidential report identifying opportunities to save energy, reduce waste, and improve productivity On average, IAC assessment recommendations that are implemented wind up saving a facility over $55,000 annually.

Texas A&M University Industrial Assessment Center
The Texas A&M University Industrial Assessment Center provides no-cost studies of manufacturing plants within about 150 miles of its campus at College Station. Engineering students under the direction of Mechanical Engineering faculty and Energy Systems Laboratory staff perform studies analyzing a plant’s energy, waste, and productivity issues.

Resources & Software

New! Save Energy Now CD March 2006
DOE's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) has developed a CD to help industry plant managers and engineers conserve energy and save costs. The CD's products and information are tailored for industrial energy savings, with an emphasis on reducing natural gas consumption. The CD brings together the best of ITP and BestPractices' resources, tools, and services. With more than 180 pdfs and 35 Web site links to assessment software, case studies, tip sheets, and more than 10 free software tools, the CD provides tools to help you assess cost and energy saving opportunities at your plant. DOE press release

New! EnergyPlus Building Simulation Program Version 1.3 April 2006
DOE's Building Technologies Program has released a major upgrade to its building energy simulation program. The new version allows architects and engineers to simulate a building’s systems, together with variables such as weather, moisture and energy flows--before construction--to achieve maximum energy efficiency.  New features include an underfloor air distribution (UFAD) model, a reworked natural and mechanical air distribution network, an earth tube model for preconditioning (heating/cooling) outside air, an ice storage model, user-definable energy end-use categories, zone operative temperatures, and extended documentation for the entire program (now comprising nearly 2,700 pages). 

New! COMcheck
COMcheck, a software tool developed by DOE, can now be used to assist commercial building owners demonstrate compliance with building energy codes.  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has agreed that the software can be used to help determine eligibility for lighting tax credits by calculating the percentage reduction in a project's lighting power density (LPD) compared to a code building as defined by Standard 90.1-2001.  This helps owners plan improvements and claim credit as these interim rules permit.  Owners can qualify for a tax credit between 30 and 60 cents per square foot off the cost of purchasing an energy efficient lighting system.  The full range of credits will be available when the IRS finishes its final rules. A web-based version is also available.

BestPractices Software Tools
This DOE BestPractices web page offers a varied and expanding software collection. With the right know-how, you can use these powerful tools to help identify and analyze energy system savings opportunities in your plant. While the tools are accessible here for download, you are also encouraged to attend a training workshop to enhance your knowledge and take full advantage of opportunities identified in the software programs. For some tools, advanced training is also available to help you further increase your expertise. You can also get help on software installation and operation from the EERE Information Center.

Building Energy Software Tools Directory
Another DOE site with a comprehensive listing of 317 building software tools for evaluation energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability in buildings. The energy tools listed in this directory include databases, spreadsheets, component and systems analyses, and whole-building energy performance simulation programs.



1Energy Information Administration, State Energy Data 2001
2DOE zip code plant list, SEP solicitation, 2005
3EIA, State Energy Data 2001.
4EIA, State Data Report, 1995.
5Texas Workforce Commission, 202 Datafile, Tax Reports to Texas Workforce Commission.
6US Census Bureau, 2001 Statistics, Annual Survey of Manufacturers

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