The US Department of Energy and US Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star programs are available for commercial and industrial facilities to assist with energy-saving projects.
US Department of Energy
The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Advanced Manufacturing Office provides energy efficiency and renewable energy information and assistance for industrial facilities. Some of these initiatives include:
Better Plants – Better Plants is partnering with leading manufacturers and water utilities to improve energy efficiency and competitiveness in the industrial sector, while saving money in the process. Through Better Plants, partners voluntarily set a specific goal, typically to reduce energy intensity by 25 percent over a 10-year period across all their United States operations.
Superior Energy Performance – Facilities or organizations that achieve sustained excellence using their energy management systems (EnMS) may get certified to the Superior Energy Performance 50001™ (SEP 50001™) program and achieve elevated levels of recognition.
Combined Heat and Power – Combined heat and power (CHP)—sometimes referred to as cogeneration—provides a cost-effective, near-term opportunity to improve our nation's energy, environmental, and economic future. CHP is an efficient and clean approach to generating on-site electric power and useful thermal energy from a single fuel source. There is a regional CHP Technical Assistance Partnership at NC State University. The program provides CHP technical assistance.
There is additional assistance for commercial facilities through the Better Buildings program. Better Buildings is an initiative designed to improve the lives of the American people by driving leadership in energy innovation. Through Better Buildings, the US Department of Energy partners with leaders in the public and private sectors to make the nation’s homes, commercial buildings, and industrial plants more energy efficient by accelerating investment and sharing of successful best practices.
ENERGY STAR®
Many businesses are familiar with ENERGY STAR® products, but ENERGY STAR® also provides programs and assistance.
Portfolio Manager – An online tool businesses can use to measure and track energy and water consumption, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Use it to benchmark the performance of one building or a whole portfolio of buildings, all in a secure online environment.
Buildings & Plants – Tools and resources to help reduce commercial and industrial facility energy consumption.
Sector-specific resources are also available.