Possible Savings Achievable by Recipients of Training and Software Provided by the U.S Department of Energy’s Industrial Technologies Program

Abstract

Through its Save Energy Now (SEN) Initiative, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) disseminates information on energy efficient technologies and practices to U.S. industrial firms to improve the energy efficiency of their operations. Among other things, Save Energy Now conducts training sessions on a variety of energy systems that are important to industry (i.e., compressed air, steam, process heat, pumps, motors, and fans) and distributes software tools on those same topics. A recent Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) study collected information from recipients of SEN training and software regarding how much their total annual plant energy costs could be reduced by implementing the measures that they identified since receiving SEN services. Those same individuals were also queried regarding the portion of potential savings that were actually achieved. The responses revealed both similarities and differences between training and software recipients as well as substantial variation in the savings associated with the diverse energy systems addressed.