Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet

The document details how the US industrial sector, which consumes over one-third of national energy, can reduce usage through technologies like combined heat and power, adjustable speed drives, and improved steam and compressed air systems. It highlights energy savings in five key industries—aluminum, chemicals, forest products, glass, and steel—and provides case studies from the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Sara Lee Corporation to demonstrate the financial and environmental benefits of efficiency upgrades.

• The US industrial sector consumes more than one-third of the country's total energy, with oil and natural gas accounting for nearly 80% of that consumption. Between 1990 and 2003, industrial energy use grew by only 2% despite a 25% increase in industrial output.
• Several cross-cutting technologies can significantly reduce industrial energy waste: combined heat and power (cogeneration) can convert up to 90% of fuel into usable energy; adjustable speed drives for motors can save between 3% and 60% of energy; and optimizing steam and compressed air systems can reduce energy usage by 20% to 50%.
• Specific energy-intensive industries have achieved or are targeting significant efficiency gains: aluminum smelting projects can save 20-30% of energy; impulse drying in the forest products industry can reduce paper drying energy by up to 50%; and steel production in 2005 required 25-50% less energy per ton than in 1970.
• The DOE's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) produced over 160 new technologies that saved industry more than 121 trillion Btus, valued at approximately $740 million in 2003.
• Case studies demonstrate high returns on investment: Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport reduced central plant energy use by 28% (saving $150 million) and NOx emissions by 86% between 2001 and 2005; Sara Lee's Sacramento bakery achieved a 6.5-month payback period after installing a variable-speed drive air compressor.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2006). Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet. https://www.eesi.org/files/industry_efficiency_0506.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet. 2006. https://www.eesi.org/files/industry_efficiency_0506.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet |date=May 2006 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/industry_efficiency_0506.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2006energy, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2006}, month = may, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/industry_efficiency_0506.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }