DOE Awards First Industrial Energy Certifications

Three Texas plants have become the first in the nation to win a new Department of Energy (DOE) certification for energy management in the industrial and manufacturing sectors.

Plants run by Cook Composites and Polymers in Houston, Freescale Semiconductor in Austin and building materials firm Owens Corning in Waxahachie won the Superior Energy Performance stamp.

The awards were presented at the World Energy Engineering Congress in Washington, D.C.

Certified companies must comply with ISO 50001, the international energy management standard, expected to take effect next year.

They also must measure and show improvements in their energy performance.

Silver, gold and platinum awards will be available to those meeting DOE criteria for energy savings.

This week’s winners participated in a pilot, started in May 2008 as a partnership between the department and the DOE-funded Texas Industries of the Future program at the University of Texas in Austin.

More pilots are underway in other regions, and the department says it will roll the program out nationwide in 2011.

The industrial and manufacturing sectors account for about one third of energy use in the U.S., the department said.

“This program is helping to lay the groundwork for broad improvements in industrial efficiency in the U.S. and internationally,” said Secretary Chu.

The certification program is accredited by the American National Standards Institute.