Ford earns fifth Energy Star award for energy efficiency efforts

RP news wires
Tags: green manufacturing, energy management, manufacturing

Ford Motor Company's actions to reduce the amount of energy used to manufacture vehicles and support its U.S. operations have earned it the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's coveted 2010 Energy Star Award for the fifth consecutive year.

The 2010 Energy Star Award for Sustained Excellence recognizes Ford's continued leadership and commitment to protecting the environment through energy efficiency.

In 2009, Ford improved energy efficiency in the U.S. by 4.6 percent resulting in savings of approximately $15 million. Actual savings due to plant shutdowns were higher, but Ford measures energy efficiency as energy consumed per vehicle. Since 2000, Ford's U.S. facilities have improved energy efficiency by more than 30 percent. That's equivalent to the annual energy consumed by more than 110,000 homes.

"More than ever, we at Ford Motor Company are committed to the responsible use of resources," said George Andraos, director, Energy and Manufacturing Site Management. "Partnering with Energy Star is an essential component of Ford's plan to become economically, environmentally and socially sustainable."

Energy efficiency enablers include innovative technology solutions, replication of best practices and non-production shutdowns. A number of actions taken by Ford since 2000 have contributed to its overall energy efficiency improvement, including:

Ford has shared these and other energy efficiency practices with its global industrial partners and coached its regional operations to use ENERGY STAR guidelines as a foundation for sustainable energy management processes.

About Energy Star
Energy Star was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, Energy Star offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 12,000 organizations are Energy Star partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses.