According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), manufacturing accounts for almost a quarter (23%) of direct carbon emissions in the U.S. To help reverse this trend, manufacturers must commit to implementing changes that will help reduce their carbon footprint. While some companies are already taking steps towards reducing the amount of carbon emissions their plants produce, many are still searching for solutions to help address this issue.

Barriers that may cause manufacturers to delay their journey towards adopting more carbon-efficient practices include: rushing to meet customer and market demands for faster production and shipping times, dealing with tight budgets, a lack of expertise in sustainable manufacturing practices, or balancing sustainability projects with other competing priorities. While your company may not be able to overcome these challenges overnight, the good news is there are several practical and cost-effective actions you can take to reap the benefits of improved efficiency in the long term.

If your team is looking for ways to reduce your company’s carbon footprint, here are four steps to get you started in the right direction:

1. Understand what your carbon footprint is. Simply defined, your carbon footprint is the total measure of greenhouse gases (GHG) released in the atmosphere. Different manufacturing processes and equipment, heating and cooling systems, transportation, and worker behaviors can all affect your carbon footprint. Even actions such as employees leaving personal fans or heaters on, changing the thermostat (which can be centrally controlled to prevent this), or leaving certain doors open can all make an impact, which is why it is important to identify and take inventory of where your GHG emissions come from.

Once you have a clear view of all the players involved, it will be easier to prioritize your next steps. If you are not sure how to collect this type of data, see below for a list of tools and resources you can use to calculate your GHG emissions:

• GHG Tools and Resources
• Office of Carbon Management
• New Easy-to-Use-Energy Calculator Helps Visualize Energy Production and Consumption

2. Identify improvements you can make today. Rather than trying to solve your most daunting or complicated issues in the beginning, look for changes you can make to create immediate results. This “low hanging fruit”, so to speak, could be actions as simple as turning off equipment when it’s not in use, switching to LED lighting, looking at how you schedule your processes and work shifts, or finding opportunities to complete something when a process is not running to reduce wasted time, energy, and materials.

You could also choose to hold meetings virtually versus in-person if lots of travel is involved. If there is one thing the pandemic helped us lean into, it’s the use of virtual platforms to help us stay connected. These actions may not generate the biggest impact possible, but they are far less intimidating to carry out and can add up over time to create significant improvements and value for your company.

3. Evaluate the next level of opportunities for improving efficiency. After you have identified the immediate changes you can make, you can start to analyze the next level of opportunities for reducing your GHG emissions. Start by assessing your processes and equipment to determine what updates you can make to become more efficient over time. Look for opportunities to replace older equipment, repair energy-wasting leaks, or take care of other maintenance needs. Calculating your First Pass Yield (FPY) will be a crucial step during this process as well. If a product needs rework or is scrapped and a new one must be made, that requires a lot of unnecessary energy. Digitizing business processes by investing in software and online platforms to eliminate the need for printed materials is another way you can save energy.

Since purchasing new equipment and technologies may come with more upfront costs, it is important to understand that you don’t have to make all of these changes at once. Prioritize what improvements are going to lead to the most cost and energy-savings at your plant and develop a strategic plan for moving forward or consider implementing an energy management plan to address all critical aspects of your energy performance needs.

4. Consider renewable energy sources. Investing in renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, and biomass, can significantly reduce your GHG emissions and help you achieve energy independence. Businesses adopting more sustainable practices to mitigate GHG emissions could also receive tax incentives for their efforts. In the U.S., manufacturers are eligible for two federal tax credits that support clean energy manufacturing in the United States: the Advanced Manufacturing Production Tax Credit (45X MPTC) and the Advanced Energy Project Investment Tax Credit (48C ITC). These credits were expanded with the passing of the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, so if this has not been looked at in a few years it should be examined again.

While this step may not be an option for all manufacturers right away, due to the cost of installation or geographical limitations, it never hurts to explore your options and consider whether your company could take this path in the future, if the opportunity arises.

For more information on how the GaMEP can help your company reduce your carbon footprint and meet your sustainability needs, visit our energy or environmental services page or contact your region manager.

When we talk about energy, the focus is usually on technology and technical solutions. However, energy behavior is gaining more attention as a “hot topic” in energy innovation. Until recently, in my experience as an ISO 50001 auditor of energy management systems, I found that in many organizations consideration of the role of energy behavior in energy savings efforts has been confined to “Turn off the lights when you leave” stickers on light switches or “Close the door” signage, and the like.

What has been lacking is a focused and structured approach to achieving and sustaining energy behavior change. But it appears this is beginning to change as organizations look for new low-cost energy opportunities in the face of increasingly constrained capital budgets; as more case studies are published on the application of social marketing and psychology to achieving sustainable behavior; and as organizations adopt and benefit from implementation of the ISO 50001 standard for energy management systems.

There are a number of resources that can help organizations build and implement behavior change programs. Some of the organizations that have published useful case studies on this topic include the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) and The Carbon Trust, among others.

Published by The Carbon Trust and modified based on my own experiences, the “Five Top Tips for Building an Effective Behavior Change Campaign” that can help organization get started on developing a behavior change program are:

1. Understand where energy is being consumed: Evaluate energy consumption across your organization and identify where behavior is a factor. Where the highest potential exists for energy savings may surprise you.
2. Prioritize the behaviors you want to change: Determine where you can realistically have the greatest impact. Potential energy savings should be balanced against the probability of achieving change.
3. Define the outcomes that you want to achieve: Decide specifically what goals or targets you are trying to achieve, so you can plan for how to monitor performance and feedback on the results.
4. Research what motivates or hampers good energy behavior in your organization: Use your understanding of your own organizational culture to help build your program. Find out what is important to your employees and how they think, behave and interact with the facilities, technology and others around them.
5. Secure top management support: Top management commitment and support is critical. They hold the resources. They can facilitate or block what it is you are trying to do. And, there is no substitute for leadership by example!

There appears to be enormous potential for energy savings from behavioral change. ACEEE recently estimated that the U.S. could cut energy consumption by 25% without hurting its economy. We know that technological advances will always provide important new solutions to reduce consumption within our highly energy-dependent society. But human behavior also matters in managing energy and achieving continual improvement in energy performance.

By: Holly Grell-Lawe, Project Manager (retired) Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

As temperatures increase in the summer months, so do the risks that are associated with a lack of proper cooling solutions at your manufacturing plant. Keeping the factory floor cool during the hottest part of the year is vital to providing your employees with a safe and comfortable work environment, and can also prevent equipment and machinery failure. However, reducing heat to the necessary level within a manufacturing workspace can prove to be a challenge, especially when you are working towards becoming more energy efficient or do not have the budget for updating or purchasing new cooling systems. For optimum efficiency in cooling the factory floor and the rest of your building without incurring high energy costs, consider implementing some of following best practices at your plant:

1. Install High Volume Low Speed (HVLS) Fans. Proper air flow is key to reducing stratification. While standard fans may be able to provide some relief to employees, larger HVLS fans will be more effective when it comes to breaking up blocks of hot air and cooling the factory floor. Many HVLS fans are also programmable and can work together with other cooling equipment to lower temperatures. To ensure optimal results at your facility, you’ll need to consider a variety of factors, including blade size, the speed at which it rotates, and even the tilt of the blade. If you’re not sure which direction to go in, you can contact your local GaMEP region manager to help you find a reputable brand that can offer a variety of options and a free estimate.

2. Change the Color of Your Roof. Generally, darker colors absorb heat, while lighter colors reflect the sun’s rays. If your current roof is a darker color and traps in a lot of heat, consider replacing it with a light colored roof that will deflect more heat and keep the interior cooler, ultimately helping your plant become more energy efficient in the long run. If replacing your roof with new light colored materials is too daunting of a task or not within your budget, you may try applying a reflective roof coating to your existing roof. This type of coating is different from regular paint, but is applied in a similar fashion.

3. Insulate Your Building, Piping, and Equipment. Proper thermal insulation of your building, piping, and mechanical equipment is critical to managing the heat within your plant and can lead to lower cooling bills during the summer months. Without adequate insulation, the extra heat making its way out into your facility will make the air conditioning system work that much harder to cool things down. Simple devices such as thermal imaging cameras that connect to your phone can help detect energy loss caused by missing or damaged insulation, inefficient HVAC systems, electrical faults, and more.

4. Practice Preventative Maintenance. Performing regular HVAC maintenance will help your HVAC system run close to peak efficiency, resulting in reduced energy costs and preventing costly breakdowns. While HVAC maintenance may seem like an obvious necessity, small steps in the process can be easily overlooked, or you may assume that a certain noise is normal, or that a particular room may run warmer than others. Even something as simple as changing out the air filters can make a big impact. Ensure your facility is taking preventative steps when it comes to maintaining your HVAC by either recruiting an outside professional or looking to one of your qualified employees to routinely complete this work.

5. Shift Your Operational Hours. If your plant does not operate 24 hours a day and has some flexibility within its scheduling, you may consider shifting some of the operational hours to avoid using equipment during the hottest part of the day. By transitioning some shifts to overnight or earlier in the morning, your facility will experience less infiltration of heat and your employees will benefit from a cooler work environment.

6. Invest in Zip Doors. As your employees continuously move throughout the facility every day, the amount of times they open doors and let cold air out or allow warm air in can affect the air flow and contribute to increased temperatures. While you cannot control how every employee opens and closes a door, you can consider replacing your current doors with zip doors. After being opened, zip doors will automatically close – quickly and securely. Some versions may even offer verbal warnings that are triggered if a door is left open for too long. Zip doors also tend to be constructed out of softer materials, allowing them to better absorb any distress that comes their way and resist damage more easily.

If you would like to discuss energy cost savings opportunities or look at ways to improve your preventative maintenance capabilities, contact your local region manager at the GaMEP.

By: Megan Johnson, with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Why You Should Consider an Energy Management System

Did you know that the GaMEP Energy and Sustainability Group contributed significantly to the content of the original ISO 50001 standard? Or that ISO 50001 may be able to help your company save a lot of money?

Randy Green, GaMEP project manager, has helped many companies throughout the United States (and the world!) implement energy management systems, such as ISO 50001. Read his responses to our most frequently asked questions about energy management below and then contact your region manager to find out if our energy management services could help your company.

What exactly is ISO 50001?

It is the International Standard for Energy Management, a set of guidelines and procedures designed to take a systematic approach to reducing energy waste throughout a facility.

Why is it important to be certified?

You can model some of the recommended behaviors and use the tools of ISO 50001 without becoming certified, which is a great first step. However, in my experience, companies that commit to the whole system and take a structured approach to energy management, see the most value and experience the continued and sustained benefits of the program. Many of the companies I have worked with have even chosen to take the next step and become Superior Energy Performance (SEP) certified as well, which is a designation given by the U.S. Department of Energy to companies that have demonstrated their energy performance through their metrics.

Does this only work for large companies?

No- we have helped companies of all sizes and in many different industries save money using these systems.

Is it expensive?

The initial cost to get the certification is usually around $10-15K. You will also need to allocate some staff time (and salary dollars) to implement and maintain the program. However, the bulk of the efficiency improvements usually come from behavioral change, not from investing in new or upgraded equipment. Both ISO 50001 and SEP are really about culture change and making energy management a part of everyone’s job, which means you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get real results.

Do you have any case studies?

The U.S. Department of Energy has released a series of case studies (many of which are about companies that GaMEP project managers have assisted.) I will link a few below, however, we don’t have a lot of case studies in the state of Georgia- something we would like to change- so contact us to be one of the first companies in the state to benefit from these systems and certifications and from having this unique expertise right in your back yard!

Case Studies:

• Nissan Improves Energy Performance 24% over Six Years
• HARBEC—a Specialty Plastics Manufacturer—Improves Energy Performance 16.5%
• 3M Saves $3.6 Million through Implementing SEP Enterprise-wide

Completing an energy audit can help your company identify opportunities to save energy, reduce costs, and improve sustainability. On average, each assessment identifies opportunities to save more than 10% in annual energy expenditures.

Still wondering what type of a commitment it requires from you, what to expect, and what benefits you will receive if you participate? Read on to understand the process from start to finish. Then contact your Region Manager to find out more or schedule an audit.

Step 1- Understand energy trends and make an energy balance.

After the company fills out a short application and provides some basic information, the audit team takes the energy consumption information provided on past bills and equates that amount with major energy uses within the facility. Energy uses are the application of energy in the facility, typically through equipment and machines.

This process, called an energy balance, helps the team focus their efforts to create impactful recommendations, estimate cost savings, and develop accurate payback periods for new investments. It also allows the team to gain a general understanding of the facility before the site visit.

Step 2- Discussion with plant manager or other designated company representative.

The site visit starts off with a brief meeting discussing the audit procedure and what to expect. We then ask various questions about the facility, such as:

• How many people are employed here?
• Is this a seasonal operation or do you operate year round?
• What products do you make and how many production lines are there?
• What is the significant energy consuming equipment in the facility?
• When was your facility built?
• Do you have specific energy goals or initiatives already planned or being considered?

Step 3- Walk through of the entire facility.

In this step our team inspects the facility to get a basic understanding of the manufacturing process and how the operation works. The team records information about:

• The manufacturing process and how equipment is utilized throughout the plant.
• Nameplate ratings for major equipment.
• Compressed air, lighting, HVAC, and other major equipment that consumes electrical energy.
• Boilers, ovens, heaters, and other major fuel-consuming equipment.
• Structural design in regard to energy use.

Step 4- Speak with facilities/maintenance personnel.

Next we interview a representative from facilities and/or maintenance to help us gather more in-depth information about the machines and facility that could not be easily obtained during the walkthrough. We also ask about current maintenance schedules to understand what opportunities for improvement might be available through adjustments to your maintenance routine.

Step 5 – Meet as a team to discuss ideas and create an action plan for the rest of the day.

We regroup, discuss ideas, and research information that might be helpful as we complete the assessment. Then we create a plan for the rest of the assessment that will include more data collection and information gathering to help us develop cost-saving recommendations.

Step 6 – Data gathering.

The team uses data monitoring and measurement equipment to record information about potential opportunities. This could include any of the following:

• Logging electrical consumption of major equipment over the course of a week.
• Logging temperature and humidity levels to determine effectiveness of HVAC equipment.
• Measuring temperatures of uninsulated equipment and pipes.
• Sampling and analyzing exhaust gases to determine combustion efficiency.
• Recording lighting levels throughout the facility.

Step 7- Closing meeting and follow up.

Finally, the team discusses observations with the plant manager and other staff members that were involved in the process and makes some initial recommendations based on what was observed in the plant. Then over the course of the next two months, the team will analyze the data to provide a comprehensive report to the company.

The report includes an analysis of energy trends over the past year, a complete energy balance of the facility, and five to ten recommendations for reducing waste through energy and water consumption, as well as productivity improvements. Each recommendation includes a simple payback analysis tailored to the client’s requirements.

Six to nine months after the report is delivered, the team will follow up to find out if the recommendations were implemented and if the results were as expected.

The initial audit takes about eight hours and within two months you receive an in-depth report with all of your energy information in one place, recommendations from our team of energy experts, and even estimated cost and payback period for potential investments.

Contact us for more information or to schedule an energy audit.