The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognizes Whirlpool Amana Operations, a 43-acre refrigerator manufacturing facility with nearly 4,000 employees, for achieving 50001 Ready recognition. By developing an energy-management system based on the steps of the 50001 Ready program, Whirlpool’s Amana plant was able to save $450,000 and reduce its energy consumption by 15% over the course of one year. 

Whirlpool Corporation, a manufacturer of major home appliances, includes 59 manufacturing and technology research centers and employs 77,000 people. The company markets Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Amana, JennAir, and other major brands worldwide.

Whirlpool’s Amana facility achieved its savings with minimal capital costs through no-cost and low-cost measures, such as:

• Improving the efficiency of the plastics processing line, including adding insulation to ovens
• Addressing compressed air leaks
• Installing occupancy sensors and LED lighting
• Implementing time delay relays in air handling equipment to alternate run times for lower peak demands
• Adding devices to measure energy consumed by key pieces of equipment, and using these metrics to inform operations and support greater efficiency throughout the process line

Based on the Amana plant’s experience, Whirlpool plans to implement 50001 Ready at all nine of its facilities in North America.

DOE’s 50001 Ready program, managed by the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office, provides a self-paced, no-cost way for organizations to build a culture of structured energy improvement that leads to deeper and more sustained energy savings.

Learn more about how 50001 Ready helped Whirlpool Amana Operations increase its energy performance and achieve significant savings at minimal costs, while setting the example for its nine other Whirlpool North America facilities.