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 2009 Energy Star Award for the fourth consecutive year.
The 2009 Energy Star Award for Sustained Excellence recognizes Ford's continued leadership and commitment to protecting the environment through energy efficiency.
"Ford Motor Company is committed to the responsible use of resources," said George Andraos, director, Energy and Manufacturing Site Management. "Energy efficiency is critical to running a strong and successful business delivering both financial and environmental benefits."
In 2008, Ford improved energy efficiency in the U.S. by 5 percent resulting in savings of approximately $16 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 nearly 35 percent. That's equivalent to the annual energy consumed by more than 150,000 homes.
A number of actions taken by Ford since 2000 have contributed to its overall energy efficiency improvement, including:
· Updated heating systems at many manufacturing facilities by replacing outmoded steam powerhouses with digitally controlled direct-fired natural gas air handlers;
· Updated facility lighting systems by replacing inefficient high-intensity discharge fixtures with up-to-date fluorescent lights and control systems;
· Upgraded paint process systems including booth air handling and improved emission controls;
· Continued development of Ford's "Paint Shop of the Future" processes, including Fumes-to-Fuel that turns paint fumes into electricity, the 3-Wet painting process that significantly reduces the footprint and energy use of paint booths, and zirconium oxide pretreatment that uses less energy to inhibit surface corrosion;
· Installed advanced computer controls on all North American plant air compressors for paint shop applications and pneumatic tools;
· Aggressively curtailing energy use during extended production shutdown periods;
· Using flexible tooling to assemble multiple vehicles on the same production line, which requires less manufacturing floor space and optimizes plant utilization;
· Leveraging the Energy Star program through employee energy awareness communications and events, development of energy modeling and analysis tools, and replication of industry best practices.
"EPA is delighted to recognize Ford Motor Company with the 2009 Energy Star Sustained Excellence award," said Kathleen Hogan, director, Climate Protection Partnerships Division at the U.S. EPA. "Ford's leadership on energy efficiency has yielded impressive results for their bottom line and our global environment, showing us all what can be accomplished through sustained commitment and action."