The Department of Energy's (DOE's) Better Buildings, Better Plants Program is a national partnership initiative, building off the success of the Save Energy Now LEADER initiative, to drive significant improvements in energy efficiency across U.S. industry. Through this program, leading manufacturers partner with the Department to improve their energy intensity by 25% over ten years, develop energy management plans, and track and report their annual progress. The Energy Department helps these companies meet their goals by working with them to establish key energy performance metrics, evaluate energy-saving opportunities, and organize plant-level training events. This webinar, presented by Andre de Fontaine, will provide an overview of the Program, share benefits of joining, highlight successes to date, and preview upcoming activities in 2013.
Andre de Fontaine is a Project Manager in the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Advanced Manufacturing Office. At DOE, he manages the Better Buildings, Better Plants initiative, which is a voluntary energy savings partnership program for manufacturers. Prior to joining DOE, Andre was a Markets and Business Strategy Fellow at the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Before that, he was a journalist in California, covering environmental policy in the state's capital. Andre holds an MA in public policy from Georgetown University and a BA in Political Science from UC San Diego.
This webinar is part of the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (MEEA) Industrial Webinar Series. Find out more at http://www.midwestindustrial.org.
2. 2
Advancing Energy Efficiency in Manufacturing
―Of course, the easiest way to save
money is to waste less energy. So
here’s a proposal: Help
manufacturers eliminate energy
waste in their factories and give
businesses incentives to upgrade
their buildings. Their energy bills will
be $100 billion lower over the next
decade, and America will have less
pollution, more manufacturing, more
jobs for construction workers who
need them.‖
—President Obama, 2012 State
of the Union Address
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
3. 3
Better Buildings, Better Plants Program & Challenge Overview
The Better Buildings, Better Plants Program & Challenge are the industrial
components of the Better Buildings Challenge. DOE offers manufacturers two
opportunities to engage in Better Plants based on their level of commitment.
U.S. Industrial Companies
DOE’s Better Buildings,
Better Plants Program
Better Buildings, Better
Plants Challenge
Challenge partners pursue innovative
approaches to overcoming barriers to
energy efficiency, showcase solutions,
and provide transparency on results
Program Partners pledge energy
saving goals consistent with national
targets and agree to report progress
annually to DOE
Challenge and
Program are
complementary
initiatives that
support the
President’s goal
of helping
manufacturers
save $100 billion
in energy bills
over the next
decade
4. 4
Better Buildings, Better Plants Program Overview
• The Better Buildings, Better Plants Program builds on the
success of previous DOE partnership programs
• Partners:
– Set a 10-year, 25% energy intensity improvement target for all U.S.-
based manufacturing operations
– Develop energy management plans
– Track and report energy data annually to DOE
– Receive national recognition for their achievements
– Receive support from technical account managers on energy intensity
baselining, energy management planning, and project identification
– Participate in In-Plant Trainings
5. 5
Energy Savings from Better Plants Program Partners
2010 2011 Cumulative
Energy intensity
improvement (%)
2.84% 3.15% NA
Energy savings 14.9 TBTUs/yr 15.7 TBTUs/yr 45.6 TBTUs
Cost savings (million
dollar)
$80.7/yr $81.6/yr $240.5
Better Plants Program consists of 118 companies, representing over 1,400
plants and more than 6% of the total U.S. manufacturing energy footprint
7. 7
Better Plants Presence in Midwest
Midwestern Presence
• 53 Better Plants Partners
headquartered in the
Midwestern region.
• 398 Better Plants facilities
located throughout the
Midwest representing 67
companies.
• Complete list of Partners
available at:
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/
manufacturing/tech_deploym
ent/betterplants/partners.html
Midwestern INPLTs
• 3M, St. Paul, MN
• Alcoa, Cleveland, OH
• Cummins, Columbus, IN
• GM, Fairfax, KS
• GM, Wentzville, MO (planned)
• Navistar, Springfield, OH
• Neenah Foundry, Appleton, WI
• Owens Corning, Newark, OH
• Textron, Muskegon, MI
• Toyota, Troy, MO
8. 8
Partner Benefits
Better Plants Program Partners receive:
• National recognition through web profiles, annual recognition
letters from DOE leadership, invitations to special events, and other
opportunities
• Access to a technical account manager (TAM) who can help the
company establish an energy intensity baseline, refine metrics,
identify energy saving opportunities, and introduce the company to
tools and resources from DOE and other organizations
• In Plant Trainings, which are 3-4 day sessions that train multiple
participants on identifying and implementing energy efficiency
projects in major energy-use systems
• Access to the full suite of DOE tools and resources that help
manufacturers maximize their energy productivity
10. 10
In-Plant Trainings
• In-Plant Trainings (INPLTs) help develop energy
efficiency expertise within companies
• Events range 3-4 days and are led by energy
experts who train participants on how to conduct
assessments, use DOE tools, develop energy
management systems, and implement projects
• Participants can come from plants from the same
company, from peer or regionally-based
companies, suppliers, and others
• Energy assessments are a component of the
INPLTs, but the events put greater emphasis on
training, replication, implementation, and
sustainable energy management systems
• In 2012, DOE conducted 12 INPLTs covering:
steam, compressed air, process heating, pumps,
and fans. Through these events, DOE:
– Trained over 250 participants
– Helped identify over 750 billion BTUs in energy
savings and over $4.6 million in cost savings
DOE energy expert Greg Harrell and an
Alcoa employee at a recent INPLT event
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Monthly Newsletter
• Better Plants monthly newsletter
keeps partners up to date on new
program developments
• Topics include:
– New tools and documents
– Upcoming events, including in-
plant trainings, webinars, regional
meetings
– New partners
– Partner success stories
– Completed showcase projects,
implementation models
– Applicable R&D funding
12. 12
Enhanced Energy Intensity Baselining Tool
• Third iteration of DOE’s Energy Performance Indicator tool
released in November 2012
• The tool allows plant and corporate energy managers to
create normalized energy consumption baselines and track
progress over time
• Regression analysis is employed to allow for ―apples-to-
apples‖ comparisons, normalizing energy use for variations in
critical variables over time, such as:
– Weather, e.g. HDDs, CDDs, humidity, etc.
– Production, e.g. product output, moisture content, raw materials, etc.
– Space utilization, e.g. changes in conditioned floor space in a building
• Web-based demos and training from TAMs is available for
Better Plants Partners
13. 13
How do I Sign Up?
• Simple 2-page partnership
agreement form
• Should be signed by CEO or
a senior executive
• Outlines Partner and DOE
roles
• Contact myself or
BetterPlants@ee.doe.gov for
a copy of the form or for
more information on the
program
14. 14
Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge Overview
A select number of manufacturing partners have stepped up to the Better Plants
Challenge, which calls for a higher level of leadership, innovation and transparency
Challenge Partners Agree to:
Commit
• Establish energy efficiency goal
• Announce innovations/market
solutions
Take Action
• Showcase project within 9 months
• Set organization-wide plan,
schedule and milestones within 9
months
Report Results
• Share information and
implementation models
• Share portfolio wide energy
performance annually
• Provide quarterly updates on
progress on showcase projects,
other milestones
President Obama and former President Clinton take a
tour of the upgrades of the Transwestern Building in
Washington, Dec. 2, 2011
(Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)
15. 15
Who are the Current Challenge Partners and Allies?
• 23 Commercial Partners
• 11 Better Buildings, Better
Plants Partners
• 36 Community Partners
• 17 Education Partners
• 13 Financial Allies
• 2 Utility Allies
• ~2 billion square feet of
commercial and
industrial space
committed
• 300 manufacturing
plants
• ~$2 billion in private
sector financing
100+ public, private and
non-profit organizations:
Together, they represent:
18. 18
Nissan Showcase Project Site Visit
• DOE visit to highlight Nissan’s showcase project in Smyrna, TN
• New $200-million paint plant; 30% more energy efficient than
previous plant
• EERE Assistant Secretary toured the plant and made remarks to
press
EERE Assistant Secretary Dave Danielson tours
the paint plant with Nissan’s Mike Clemmer
A vehicle moves through the process at the
Nissan paint plant in Smyrna, TN
19. 19
August 30th, 2012: President Obama signed an Executive Order to accelerate
investments in industrial energy efficiency (EE), including combined heat and
power (CHP). The order:
• Sets a national goal of 40 GW of new combined heat and power installation over
the next decade;
• Directs DOE and EPA to convene ongoing regional workshops to foster a national
dialogue to encourage adoption of best practice policies and investment models
in CHP;
• Directs EPA to provide assistance to States on accounting for the potential emission
reduction benefits of CHP and other EE policies when developing air quality policies;
• Directs EPA to employ output based approaches as compliance options in power
and industrial sector regulations, as appropriate, to recognize the emissions benefits
of highly efficient energy generation technologies like CHP;
• Directs DOE to expand participation in and create additional tools to support the
Better Buildings, Better Plants program
• Directs all Federal agencies to provide general guidance, technical and financial
analysis on the value of investment in EE and CHP
• Assist States in developing and implementing State specific best practice
policies that can accelerate investment in EE and CHP
Executive Order
INTRO Better Buildings Challenge, a high-level partnership program between the DOE and commercial, industrial and public building owners to dramatically reduce the energy used by the US building stockLaunched in December 2011 – almost a year ago.
We must continue to do more after a decade in which the manufacturing sector stagnated and millions of jobs were lost.
INTRO Better Buildings Challenge, a high-level partnership program between the DOE and commercial, industrial and public building owners to dramatically reduce the energy used by the US building stockLaunched in December 2011 – almost a year ago.