by Jbs121109 g3 — December 14, 2009—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has joined forces with 32 industrial companies to launch the Save Energy Now LEADER Program, which will provide technical assistance and resources to companies that pledge significant improvements in industrial energy efficiency, according to news from DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE).
The 32 charter member companies from a broad spectrum of the U.S. industrial sector signed a voluntary pledge on December 2 to reduce their industrial energy intensity by 25 percent over the next decade. The industrial sector accounts for more than 18 million jobs in the United States, but it also consumes nearly 30 percent of the energy used nationwide and produces 27 percent of the country’s carbon emissions, notes DOE.
The charter member companies agreed to establish energy use and energy intensity baselines and develop an energy management plan over the next 12 months. As indicated by the “LEADER” designation, these companies are serving as role models in energy efficiency on an ongoing basis for others in the industrial sector.
In return, the companies will receive access to select DOE resources, as well as national recognition for their energy management achievements. The companies signing the pledge include such industry heavyweights as 3M, AT&T, Bridgestone, Dow Chemical Company, Honeywell, Intel, Mohawk Industries, and Sherwin-Williams.
The LEADER program is a new component of the existing and successful Save Energy Now initiative, through which companies partner with DOE to conduct energy audits and assessments that identify the opportunities for energy and cost savings in the companies’ operations, and gain access to the tools and training they need to implement those recommendations.
