WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that, beginning today, a three-day industrial Energy Saving Assessment is taking place at the SCA Tissue North America facility in Menasha, Wisconsin, as part of the comprehensive national energy efficiency effort undertaken by the Bush administration.  Through no-cost assessments, DOE is working with major manufacturing facilities to identify energy- and money-saving opportunities, primarily by focusing on steam and process heating systems.

 

“President Bush has called on all Americans to be more energy efficient.  Private industry is joining the federal government in taking a lead role in this effort,” Secretary of Energy Samuel W. Bodman said.  “DOE’s Energy Saving Teams will play a key role in assessing and recommending energy efficiency strategies for some of the largest industrial facilities across the nation.”

 

SCA is an international paper company that produces and sells absorbent hygiene products, packaging solutions and publication papers.  The Menasha Paper Mill is a deinking and recycling tissue mill, which processes approximately 400,000 tons of wastepaper each year.  The mill produces roughly 240,000 tons of tissue, toweling and napkin paper in the form of large "parent rolls" of tissue, which are then transported to other SCA tissue converting sites.  These large rolls of tissue paper are then processed and converted into smaller packages of napkin, towel and bath tissue products for the away from home market.  

 

DOE’s Energy Saving Teams have completed visits to 28 large federal facilities and are in the process of visiting 200 of the most energy-intensive manufacturing facilities in the United States as part of the national “Easy Ways to Save Energy” campaign launched by Secretary Bodman on October 3, 2005.

 

The first nine Energy Saving Assessments have identified, in aggregate, $28 million per year in energy cost savings and will reduce natural gas consumption by more than 3 trillion Btu per year, equivalent to the natural gas consumed by more than 40,000 typical U.S. homes.

           

Companies interested in accessing DOE energy saving resources can get more details at http://www1.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow/ and request brochures detailing “15 Tips to Help Your Plant Save Energy.” 

 

For tips on easy, inexpensive steps consumers can take to lower their energy bills this winter, please visit  http://www.energysavers.gov/ or call DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Hotline at 1-877-337-3463.