 
Glass Companies Sign on to DOE's Save Energy Now LEADER Program
December 9, 2009
Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the launch of the Save Energy
Now® LEADER Program last week, which he says will provide technical
assistance and resources to companies that pledge significant improvements
in industrial energy efficiency. Thirty-two companies representing
a broad spectrum of the U.S. industrial sector, including glass
manufacturing, signed a voluntary pledge to reduce their industrial
energy intensity by 25 percent over the next decade.
These companies commitments to energy efficiency not
only generate significant energy and carbon savings, but also show
the entire business community the profitable steps that can be taken
to move us all toward a clean energy future, said Secretary
Chu. Working together with American manufacturers, we will
leverage the potential of energy efficiency to create new jobs,
make our economy more competitive, and reduce carbon pollution.
The LEADER program is a new component of the existing Save Energy
Now initiative through which companies partner with DOE to conduct
energy audits and assessments designed to identify the opportunities
for energy and cost savings in the companies operations. Participating
businesses also have access to tools and training to implement recommendations
designed to help reduce their energy use and lower operating costs.
More than 2,000 plants received energy assessments through Save
Energy Now from 2006 to 2009, according to the DOE.
The 32 LEADER companies marked their commitment to the 25 percent
energy intensity reduction goal by signing a voluntary pledge. These
charter member companies agreed to establish energy use and energy
intensity baselines, and develop an energy management plan over
the next 12 months. Companies that signed on include 3M, The Dow
Chemical Company, Ingersoll Rand/Trane, Owens Corning, PPG Industries,
Serious Materials and Sherwin-Williams.
As an Energy Star partner, PPG has been involved in a number of
initiatives to improve its facilities energy-efficiency and
create an energy management plan.
Energy Star puts out a list of criteria, the main thrust
of which is to have an energy management program, explains
Jeff Yigdall, director of engineering and international business
of PPG - Glass Business & Discovery Center in Cheswick, Pa.
The outline of the components of that energy management program
includes, obviously, the measurement of energy and putting together
plans for meeting energy goals. Its the typical sequence of
having goals, setting milestones, getting measurements, creating
action plans, reviewing the action plans and renew
PPG did
indeed, not only in glass but corporate-wide, set an energy intensity
goal.
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