Energy Efficiency

Commercial & Industrial

Just as in the residential sector, there are plenty of ways in which the commercial and industrial sectors can improve their energy efficiency.  Determining where businesses can save money often depends on the type of work and thus type of building they need.  As noted on the Customers’ Affordable Reliable Energy website:

In the commercial sector, there is a wide variety of building types, including schools, retail shops, office buildings, religious institutions, grocery stores, health care facilities, warehouses and restaurants.
 
Different commercial activities have unique energy needs but, as a whole, more than half of the energy used in commercial buildings is used by the lighting and HVAC systems. Commercial business owners can use today’s technologies and best management practices to reduce energy use in these and other systems without sacrificing comfort or performance.

Industrial buildings encompass a wide variety of building types, including the following building categories—chemical, metal, paper products, rubber and plastics, and food processing.
 
Unlike other sectors, industrial energy use is frequently determined by the specific industrial process. However, some important energy uses are common across industry types, such as motor drives, steam systems and compressed air. As a result, industrial energy efficiency opportunities exist in both process-specific systems and other energy using systems.  
 
Industrial energy systems such as motors, steam and compressed air generation, pumps, fans, process heating, combustion and combined heat and power account for about 80 percent of industrial energy use. Improving the efficiency of these systems can yield large energy and cost savings.

The US Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website has several tools and resources for the commercial and industry sector, including Energy Calculators and Software and 20 Ways to Save Now for Industry Plant Managers and Engineers.

In the industry sector, more efficient use of energy can save businesses upwards of tens of millions of dollars. Some examples of industry sector savings include (from US Department of Energy website):

In the industry sector, more efficient use of energy can save businesses upwards of tens of millions of dollars. Some examples of industry sector savings include (from US Department of Energy website):

  • ALCOA
    Following a plant-wide energy-efficiency assessment, Alcoa's Lafayette aluminum extrusions plant saved more than $1,500,000 by reducing its use of natural gas (260 million cubic feet) and electricity (2,500 MWh). Since the assessment, Alcoa's corporate Energy Efficiency Network has identified opportunities to save at least an additional $50,000,000. To date, the company has completed energy efficiency projects to realize more than $10 million of those additional savings. See case study (PDF 235 KB)
  • ExxonMobil
    By upgrading the control system of a recovery unit in its Baton Rouge, Louisiana, chemical plant, ExxonMobil reduced the recovery units annual energy consumption by 11%. The project reduced annual steam consumption by approximately 50 million pounds, or 43 billion Btu. It also improved product yield, reduced maintenance, and lowered monitoring (staffing) requirements. The project cost several million dollars with a 4-year payback. See case study (PDF 286 KB)
  • Ford Motor Company
    Ford's Cleveland Casting Plant has saved about $475,000 per year with just three of the projects recommended by its assessment completed and nine in progress. In all, the assessment identified 16 energy- and cost-saving projects in the plant's combustion, compressed air, water, steam, motor drive, and lighting systems. When implemented, the projects should save $3.28 million per year for the plant. Two other long-term projects promise an additional $9.5 million in cost savings. See case study (PDF 266 KB)
  • Rohm and Haas
    Since instituting a formal Energy Management Program in 1997, Rohm and Haas Texas has reduced its energy intensity by more than 23%, saving at least $18.5 million annually. The team approach to energy project selection and implementation has also reduced annual NOx emissions by 440 tons and greenhouse gas emissions by 67,000 tons. Senior management is actively involved in the Energy Management Program, which supports the company's sustainable development initiative. See case study (PDF 765 KB)

Other resources include:
 
Industrial Extension Service help your companies stay abreast of the latest technologies and best practices in both engineering and business management. They aim to help you increase productivity, efficiency, quality, and, as a result, profits. http://www.ies.ncsu.edu/

N.C. Division of Pollution Prevention & Environmental Assistance [DPPEA] is a non-regulatory division within the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Staff provide environmental compliance and pollution prevention technical assistance at no cost to commercial businesses, local governments and industries. Services include identifying solutions to ensure organizations attain compliance, decrease liabilities and improve environmental performance. http://www.p2pays.org/ias/