Save the Date for the 2019 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit! 

The 2019 Better Buildings Summit will be July 10-11 in Arlington, VA (DC Metro Area)-- mark your calendars!

More information will be available soon, including a draft agenda. In the meantime, please reach out to us at BetterPlants@ee.doe.gov if you have session topic recommendations or are interested in being a speaker.

We look forward to seeing you in July!

In-Plant Trainings Awarded for Spring 2019

Eight In-Plant Trainings (INPLTs) have been awarded to partners for Spring 2019. INPLTs are workshops led by Better Plants experts that train participants on how to identify, implement, and replicate energy-saving projects and conduct assessments on industrial systems. Congratulations to the winning partners!

A select number of the above trainings will be open to outside participation from other Better Plants partners and prospects. If you are interested in attending an INPLT, please contact your Technical Account Manager. If you are interested in hosting an INPLT in the future, the next application period will open later next year.

Partners Connect at the World Energy Engineering Congress

Dozens of partners attended the 2018 World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC) in Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 17-19 to network, learn about the latest trends in energy efficiency, and recognize recent goal achievers and award winners. WEEC is the largest energy conference and technology expo in the U.S. for industrial energy users.

Highlights included:

• A booth on the expo floor with demonstrations of the new MEASUR software tool suite
• A partner breakfast featuring a fireside chat between Advanced Manufacturing Office Director Rob Ivester and several goal achievers - General Motors, Lockheed Martin, and Owens Corning
  
• Workshops on the MEASUR tool suite and the 50001 Ready Navigator
• Better Plants panel sessions on the following topics:
  • Managing Resources - Energy, Water, Waste, People
  • Renewable Energy for Manufacturers
  • Sweet! Leveraging DOE's Integrated Tool Suite and Resources
  • The Power of Partnerships

Remember to Apply for the ITEAM Prize

The application period for the Individuals Taking Energy Action in Manufacturing (ITEAM) prize is open until May 15, 2019. Through the ITEAM prize, DOE is seeking to recognize and bring attention to employees all around the country who not only understand the importance of saving energy but are making it happen, strengthening their company’s competitiveness and driving cost savings in the process.

Each winner will be awarded a cash prize of $5,000. DOE will select up to 5 winners in each category of small, medium, and large manufacturers, for a total of up to 15 winners. In addition to the cash prize, the winners will be recognized at the Better Buildings Summit and will have their winning ideas and practices highlighted on the Solutions Center.

Visit Challenge.gov for the official rules of the ITEAM prize competition and application details; the official prize rules are also attached. Applications are due by May 15, 2019, at 11:59 PM ET. Please contact iteamprize@doe.gov with any questions. 

Check Out the 2018 Better Plants Progress Update Online

The 2018 Better Plants Progress Update has been posted online. The update looks back at program highlights over the past year, such as:

• New technology focus area pages on the Solution Center;
• The Sustainability in Manufacturing partnership with the National Association of Manufacturers;
• The release of the fourth season of the Better Buildings Challenge SWAP, featuring Better Plants Challenge partners L'Oréal USA and General Motors; and
• 2018 Technology Days at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

More importantly, it highlights this year's goal achievers and Better Practice and Better Project award winners, respectively, as well as the collective accomplishments of all partners. To date, Better Plants partners have reported estimated cumulative energy savings of 1.06 quadrillion Btu, the equivalent of energy cost savings of roughly $5.3 billion - as can be seen in the above graph.

Better Plants Welcomes Seven New Partners

Seven energy efficiency leaders joined the Better Plants family since the last newsletter with ambitious goals to reduce energy intensity in their U.S. manufacturing operations:

• Deschutes Brewery, an Oregon-based craft brewer;
  
• Krage Manufacturing, a specialist in precision sheet metal fabrication, powder coating, and electrical assembly;
• Leggett & Platt, a diversified manufacturer of components and products for homes, offices, and vehicles;
  
• Ozinga Brothers, family-owned provider of concrete products and bulk materials;
  
• PPC Broadband, a manufacturer and developer of connectivity solutions for the broadband service provider market;
  
• Sheboygan Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility, wastewater treatment agency for over 68,000 residents in seven local communities in Wisconsin; and
  
• Tyson Foods, a protein-focused food company and producer of 1 in 5 pounds of all chicken, beef, and pork in the U.S.
  

New Showcase Project Explores Real-time, Plant-wide Process Control

The City of Grand Rapids Water Resource Recovery Facility recently published a showcase project describing how it incorporated sensors and software into its existing Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.

The facility is now able to increase the volume fed during more of the “valley” times, such as overnight, so that there is as consistent of a loading as possible with no extreme ups and downs. This improves energy efficiency by preventing large demand spikes and enabling the aeration and other treatment equipment to operate closer to design points for optimum efficiency. The improvements are yielding approximately $40,000 in annual electricity cost savings.

New MEASUR Software Tool Suite is a Great Resource

• The Pumping System Assessment Tool (PSAT), which helps manufacturers assess the efficiency of pumping systems;
• The Process Heating Assessment and Survey Tool (PHAST), which enables people to assess energy consumption in industrial furnaces; and
• The Fan System Assessment Tool (FSAT), which helps manufacturers quantify energy use and savings opportunities in industrial fan systems.

The MEASUR tool suite also ensures that these tools are interoperable. Three additional "legacy" tools – the Steam System Assessment Tool (SSAT), MotorMaster+, and AIRMaster+ – are in the process of being updated and incorporated into the MEASUR suite.

MEASUR’s platform works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The tool suite is open-source, allowing users to customize or use the calculation library for other applications. To explore and interface with this developmental process, visit the DOE AMO GitHub page.

MEASUR contains capabilities to assess most major support systems found within manufacturing facilities, including pumping, fans, process heating, steam, motors, and compressed air. By entering facility-specific energy and operating data, users can discover how much energy each piece of equipment uses annually, plus estimated annual energy costs, and evaluate opportunities for improvement. The tool suite also offers more than 40 useful equipment calculators, with capabilities such as pump and system curve analysis, motor performance characteristics, and steam properties.

Learn more about MEASUR by watching an overview webinar, or try it out for yourself by visiting its online home here and downloading Windows, Mac, or Linux compatible versions!

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