Measuring and Understanding Energy Efficiency Changes in Manufacturing

Over much of the past twenty years the manufacturing industries have led the United States economy in seeking and implementing energy efficiency improvements within the overall goal of improved cost efficiency. Since the mid-1980’s, however, energy efficiency improvement in certain sectors of the economy, and in manufacturing in particular, has slowed for a variety of reasons. Any slowdown commands the attention of the Department which is looking to future technological advances and continuing diligence among energy users as one method of constraining future energy demands. This paper discusses energy efficiency trends in manufacturing in the context of the overall economy. The paper also addresses the potential for future efficiency improvement and the barriers to such improvement, using information from a series of industrial roundtable discussions conducted by Energy Information Administration (EIA). In addition, anticipated future data related to efficiency, technology penetration, and implementation of demand-side management activities are discussed