U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Industrial Technologies Program – BestPractices
About the Industrial Assessment Program
What is meant by the term industrial assessment? An industrial assessment is, quite simply, an in-depth assessment of a plant site; its facilities, services and manufacturing operations. This term is used to refer to a process which involves a thorough examination of potential savings from:
- energy efficiency improvements,
- waste minimization and pollution prevention, and
- productivity improvement.
Assessments are performed by local teams of engineering faculty and students from 26 participating universities across the country. The assessment begins with a university-based IAC team conducting a survey of the eligible plant, followed by a one or two-day site visit, taking engineering measurements as a basis for assessment recommendations. The team then performs a detailed analysis for specific recommendations with related estimates of costs, performance and payback times.
Within 60 days, a confidential report, detailing the analysis, findings and recommendations of the team is sent to the plant. In two to six months, follow-up phone calls are placed to the plant manager to verify recommendations that will be implemented.
For more background information about the IAC program, read the program history and download the IAC fact sheet for a summary of the many benefits of the Industrial Assessment Center program. (PDF 410 KB) Download Adobe Reader
Industrial Assessment Links
Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) offer many benefits to the small- and mid-sized manufacturers who take advantage of free, no-obligation assessments. For example, IACs have achieved the following results since 1976:
- Saved facilities participating in the program $55,000 a year on average. Payback on implementation averages only 12 months, and the savings keep adding up, year after year.
- Saved U.S. companies more than $700 million through efficiency and productivity improvements.
- Saved enough energy to power a city the size of Boston for a year.
- Helped create and maintain more than 1.5 million industry jobs in the United States.
In addition to the direct energy- and resource-saving benefits, the program offers industry a longer-term benefit: a trained workforce of energy engineers who will contribute to improving industrial efficiency throughout their careers. The training these engineering students receive in energy and resource efficiency through real-world projects is an incredible benefit to future industrial employers. (Read more About the Students.)
To learn more about the benefits to specific companies, read the IAC project case studies.
Tap into a Valuable Resource—IAC Students and Alumni
Your company can benefit from the IAC program in two ways:
- Contact your nearest IAC Center to request an assessment.
- Hire an IAC alumnus and benefit from real-world problem-solving skills. Check out IAC Careers for resumes and more.
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The next generation of energy-savvy engineers is being prepared in today's Industrial Assessment Centers (IAC) program. Each year, about 250 engineering students participate in IACs located at 26 universities across the United States , gaining valuable hands-on experience in evaluating the efficiency of key industrial operations, systems, and processes - experiences that can help them contribute directly to your bottom line.
Thousands of undergraduate and graduate engineering students have participated over the years, learning and applying the fundamentals of industrial energy and resource efficiency inside the walls of more than 10,000 small- and mid-sized U.S. manufacturing plants. A recent survey of former IAC students found that:
- More than 78% reported that IAC participation improved their ability to communicate in writing and work in teams.
- More than 70% noted an increased ability to solve problems within time, money, and human resources constraints.
- More than 50% of IAC alumni are registered Professional Engineers (PE) or Engineers-in-Training (EIT).
Developing Tomorrow's Energy Engineers
IAC students learn skills progressively throughout their participation in the program. New students participate in training on IAC procedures, products, and safety. They support more experienced students with data collection and report preparation. Students then move into identifying and addressing technical solutions. Lead students, with more than a year of experience, work with the center director to develop reports, coordinate teams, and administer the center. Lead students train new students and share findings at national IAC student meetings. To recognize their achievements, DOE issues IAC Certificates of Participation to students who meet participation and performance criteria.
IAC students graduate with the skills and abilities to conduct energy, waste, and productivity assessments, use instrumentation and diagnostic equipment, work safely in an industrial environment, and communicate successfully through written reports and presentations to clients. Some students even develop management skills by taking on leadership roles in the program. All of this valuable experience helps the students land jobs even in a competitive job market.
Alumni Success Stories
One former student, Eric Ruffel, participated in an assessment in which plant modifications costing $393,000 were estimated to save $843,000 per year—a payback period of merely six months. Working on more than 40 industrial site assessments during his three years with the Colorado State IAC gave Eric practical experience to offer his new employer, experience few other entry-level employees could match. Eric credits the IAC program with helping him receive four competing job offers on graduation and land the exact job he wanted.
Read more about IAC alumnus Eric Ruffel and other IAC alumni who are contributing to their employers' success based on their participation in the IACs. Case studies are available on the IAC Student and Alumni web site:
- Eric Ruffel, Colorado State University (PDF 2.53 MB)
- Judy Dorsey and Julie Sieving, Colorado State University (PDF 1.2 MB)
- Michael Brasovan, Texas A&M University (PDF 225 KB)
- Jason Vass, University of Tennessee (PDF 114 KB)
- Nasr Alkadi, West Virginia University (PDF 1.91 MB)
- Larry Luskay, Oregon State University (PDF 1.55 MB)
Check out the IAC Student and Alumni web site and newsletter to learn more about exciting IAC student and alumnus achievements.
The Federal Government has been funding industrial assessments for small and medium sized manufacturing firms under the auspices of the IAC program [formerly called the Energy Analysis and Diagnostic Center (EADC) program] since 1976. The program is funded through the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program.
As a component of the National Energy Strategy, the IAC program is a major energy conservation initiative of the U.S. Department of Energy. It also addresses the issues of waste reduction and productivity improvements. Assessments are performed at no cost to the manufacturer by teams of faculty and students from engineering schools at participating universities. The program has been highly successful since its inception. Beginning in 1976 with four schools, there are now 26 universities operating IACs.
Manufacturers are not the only benefactors of the IAC program. Students involved in the program have a unique opportunity to see a range of manufacturing operations first hand. This results in both more motivated and highly trained students who more often than not enter energy management as a career field. Faculty have developed ideas for research from their studies of manufacturing processes and have taught courses using experiences gained through their auditing work.
One additional benefit from the program is that the data generated by the assessments provides a unique opportunity to quantify the state of energy, waste and productivity management in small and medium sized industry and the potential of the assessment process to improve efficiency. Since 1980, the data has been compiled from the assessment performed under this program. The results through the present are currently available in the IAC Database at Rutgers University. This database is maintained by Rutgers for the Department of Energy.
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