Boosting Industrial Energy Management

European industrial manufacturers are ahead of the US based on the number of implemented energy efficiency schemes, primarily through the use of the ISO 50001 standard. The potential for U.S. cost savings and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction is large—$750 billion and a GHG reduction equivalent of taking all motorized transport off the road for a year. In the absence of a regulatory imperative, only a few forward thinking US companies have engaged with high-energy efficiency performance standards. In addition, many companies have not taken full or partial advantage of utility incentive programs targeted specifically at the manufacturing or generally at the commercial sector in the U.S.

The Capstone team conducted interviews with a number of policymakers, NGO experts, and energy management executives. Each interview explored the issues of efficiency, metrics, standards, certification, and the business case that demonstrates the return on investment of time and capital (human and financial) on energy efficiency improvements. The team developed a series of key findings based on individual interviews with the types of professionals listed above in addition to a small number of executives and plant manager decision-makers. Finally, policy/program recommendations are provided to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) that identifies levers to accelerate energy efficiency improvement in the U.S. manufacturing sector.

Press Releases:

Journal of Sustainable Finance & Banking, "Global Sector Research: Reframing the Conversation on Industrial Energy Efficiency" (http://cornerstonecapinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/CornerstoneJSFB_Summer2014_Wolf2.pdf)

Switchboard (Natural Resource Defense Council's Blog), "What If Proven Benefits Alone Are Not Enough to Drive Industrial Energy Efficiency" (http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/vgowrishankar/what_if_proven_benefits_alone.html)