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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Manufacturing Energy and Carbon Footprints

Learn More About Energy and Carbon Footprints

Thumbnail image of manufacturing energy and carbon footprints for all sectors

Understanding Energy and Carbon FootprintsPDF
Learn how to read the footprints and understand energy use and carbon emissions in your industry sector.

Scope of FootprintsPDF
Details of the industry sectors included by NAICS code.

Assumptions and DefinitionsPDF
The assumptions used to create the footprints, such as the efficiencies of equipment and energy systems found inside a typical manufacturing facility, and a glossary of terms.

ReferencesPDF
The publications used as data sources for the footprints.

Manufacturing energy and carbon footprints map fuel energy consumption and losses, as well as greenhouse gas emissions from fuel consumption, for fifteen individual U.S. manufacturing sectors (representing 94% of all manufacturing energy use) and for the entire manufacturing sector. By providing energy consumption and emissions figures broken down by end use, the footprints allow for comparisons of energy use and emissions sources both within and across sectors.

The footprints portray a large amount of information for each sector, including:

  • Comparison of the energy generated offsite and transferred to facilities versus that generated onsite
  • Nature and amount of energy consumed by end use within facilities
  • Magnitude of the energy lost both outside and inside facility boundaries
  • Magnitude of the greenhouse gas emissions released due to the combustion of fuel.

Energy losses indicate opportunities to improve efficiency by implementing energy management best practices, upgrading energy systems, and developing new technologies.

Footprints are available below for each sector. Data is presented in two levels of detail. The first page provides a high-level snapshot of the offsite and onsite energy flow, and the second page shows the detail for onsite generation and end use of energy. The energy data is primarily provided by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Information Administration's (EIA's) Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS), and therefore reflects consumption in the year 2006, when the survey was last completed.

A forthcoming revision to the footprints will include an estimate of process heating energy loss. For further information please contact Sabine Brueske at Energetics Incorporated sbrueske@energetics.com.

Analysis of Footprints

Analysis of the footprints will be published for some sectors as part of the Manufacturing Energy Use and Loss report, anticipated to be published in 2012.