The ENERGY STAR® Plant Label: A Valuable Component of Strategic Corporate Energy Management

ENERGY STAR is the national symbol for energy efficiency and environmental performance recognized by roughly 70% of the American people. In September 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extend the brand to industrial plants by awarding the first ENERGY STAR labels to plants that had demonstrated energy performance in the top quartile of energy efficiency using a sector-specific energy benchmarking and rating tool. Currently, four plant types are eligible to earn the ENERGY STAR: motor vehicle manufacturing, cement, petroleum refining, and wet corn milling. The US EPA has observed that energy performance rating and recognition systems can help to drive the improvement of both facility and sector energy efficiency. This paper describes the rationale for developing a rating and recognition program for industrial facilities, how the EPIs are developed, and process and requirements that have been established for awarding the ENERGY STAR label