Johnson Controls Power Solutions has earned the Department of Energy (DOE) "Save Energy Now" award, which recognizes manufacturing facilities that have implemented significant savings through an energy assessment. Johnson Controls' Red Oak, Iowa, facility achieved the award by saving more than 10,100 million British thermal units (MMBTU) adding up to 9.9 percent of total energy savings.
Awards were handed out to 151 plants at the Energy Efficiency Global Forum in Washington, D.C. Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Cathy Zoi applauded the manner in which the award-winning companies were able to conserve energy, reducing their energy bills and carbon emissions while increasing their competitiveness.
"This demonstrates how energy efficiency can help to strengthen this nation's energy security, environmental quality and economic vitality all with technologies and practices that are available today," Zoi said.
"Save Energy Now" is a national initiative of DOE's Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) to drive a 25 percent reduction in industrial energy intensity over 10 years. Through "Save Energy Now," ITP conducts no-cost energy assessments at U.S. manufacturing facilities to identify ways to reduce energy use in key industrial operations.
"Johnson Controls is committed to sustainability and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, which is especially important in Power Solutions where we have high energy usage," said Allen Martin, vice president and general manager of the Americas for Johnson Controls Power Solutions. "Red Oak will serve as a best practice as we look to implement similar efficiencies across our manufacturing footprint."
The award represents cross business collaboration at Johnson Controls in which the company's Building Efficiency business worked with Power Solutions business, targeting its Red Oak battery manufacturing facility to identify opportunities to save energy. The company conducted a 3-day audit in June 2009, using the results to implement a long-term energy-saving initiative. As a result of the audit, Johnson Controls implemented three processes by April 2010 that saved almost 10 percent of the company's natural gas use at the plant.