CT Manufacturers Can Access Free Energy Efficiency Assessments at New Industry Center at UConn, Univ. New Haven

The University of Connecticut (UConn), in partnership with the University of New Haven, has launched a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Industrial Assessment Center (IAC).  The new initiative aims to assist small- and medium-sized manufacturers in reducing their carbon emissions and lowering energy costs, while at the same time training the next generation of energy-efficiency workers.

The project, funded by a DOE grant of $1.75 million, is called the DOE Southern New England IAC, and is among 32 universities across 28 States to conduct industrial assessments to help local manufacturers reduce carbon footprint, lower costs, and train energy workforce of tomorrow, funded by DOE grants.

The grant will fund full energy efficiency assessments to be provided free of charge to 20 small- to medium-sized manufacturers in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and/or New York, each year for five years. Manufacturing sites within a 150-mile radius of UConn or the University of New Haven are eligible to sign up. (Facilities in Massachusetts will be served by an IAC at the University of Massachusetts.)  In Connecticut, the effort will be led by Dr. Liang Zhang and Dr. Amy Thompson at UConn and Dr. Ravi Gorthala at the University of New Haven.

"By running this IAC at UConn with a satellite center at the University of New Haven, we'll be training the next generation of energy and manufacturing engineers on how to assess manufacturing facilities and processes for energy efficiency improvements," said Dr. Thompson. "This is a great way to provide our engineering students hands-on, practical experience in energy and manufacturing engineering by training them to conduct the audits and assessments themselves, with oversight from our faculty and industry advisors."
According to the Department of Energy, IAC assessments typically identify more than $130,000 in potential annual savings opportunities.

“DOE’s university-based Industrial Assessment Centers are assisting small- and medium-sized businesses, particularly those in disadvantaged and underrepresented communities, in the transition to a clean energy economy, building the next-generation energy workforce, and propelling America toward a carbon-free future by 2050,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, adding that “America’s best and brightest university students are successfully helping local manufacturers reduce pollution, save energy, and cut their electricity bills.”

The mission of the DOE Southern New England IAC is to offer free and comprehensive audit and consulting services to small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) for saving energy, reducing water usage, minimizing industrial waste, strengthening cyber security, reducing carbon footprint, adopting renewable energy, and improving productivity.

The Center also focuses on training students in improving industrial energy efficiency through hands-on, real-world experience by conducting student team assessments of SMEs, along with outreach and education opportunities to nonparticipating SMEs.

The Connecticut Manufacturers Resource Group (CTmrg) was created to help small- and medium-sized manufacturers find and take advantage of the programs and resources that they might not otherwise be aware of. CTmrg worked alongside representatives from other manufacturing industry groups including the Naval & Maritime Consortium and ManufactureCT to assist UConn in securing the grant.

CTmrg founder Beth Devine now serves with representatives of these and other organizations on an advisory panel to assist the IAC in implementing the assessment program.

"The key to getting the grant was bringing everyone together to work on this common goal," Devine said. "Now we are coming together to offer a complete solution for manufacturers who want to improve their energy efficiency. Whatever the issue, whether it's energy or workforce, we have to bring it all together and use all our resources. The more we do that, the more productive we'll be."
Manufacturing businesses seeking an assessment should visit www.iac.uconn.edu. Companies will be evaluated on criteria including type of manufacturing, size, and geographic diversity, and then will be selected on a first come, first served basis.