Industrial Assessment Center Recognized by City of Danville, VA

January 8, 2008

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Assessment Center (IAC) at North Carolina State University (NCSU) received a Proclamation of Appreciation by the City of Danville, VA on December 18, 2007, for its work with industrial facilities in the Danville area.

The NCSU IAC offers assistance to facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. Nearly four years ago, industrial customers of Danville Utilities, a municipal-owned electric utility serving Danville, Virginia, were facing a 40% increase in the cost of electrical energy. In an effort to provide energy-related technical assistance to its customers, Danville Utilities contacted the IAC for help.

The IAC conducted energy assessments at 10 plants in the Danville area, identifying an average of eight energy-saving recommendations at each plant. One plant in particular implemented one of the recommendations from their assessment, reducing natural gas consumption by 30% for a savings of more than $200,000 per year.

“The IAC assessments have enabled Danville industries to survive their local energy crisis and, for the most part, maintain operations. This success has been particularly important for southern Virginia, a region that has been particularly hard-hit by plant closings,” said Dr. Herbert M. Eckerlin, Director of the NCSU IAC.

DOE’s university-based IACs provide energy conservation and cost reduction assessments to small- and medium-sized manufacturers. In addition, IACs are helping meet industry demand for engineers by educating the next generation of energy managers and providing hands-on energy experience to students. Learn more about IACs.

For more information, contact the EERE Information Center at 1-877-EERE-INF (1-877-337-3463).