New: IACs Centers of Excellence

The Industrial Assessment Center Program advances a clean energy and manufacturing workforce that represents the diversity of America, and a reinvigorated manufacturing base prepared to lead the global clean energy transition.

Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the IAC Program is growing: 

• Announcing five new Regional Centers of Excellence connect and amplify the enormous impact of centers across the IAC network.
• Creating new IACs at community colleges, trade schools, and union training programs to expand access to energy- and manufacturing-related career pathways while providing hands-on support to SMMs - Opportunity now open!
• Providing grants to manufacturers to hasten implementation of IACs’ expert recommendations – stay tuned for more soon!

These new IACs will build on the success of applied learning environments and hands-on training approaches of existing IACs. They also will draw on the unique strengths, geographic reach, and faculty/student composition of trade schools, community colleges, and union training programs. The new IACs will focus on high-quality skilled trades job pathways in fields such as industrial electrician, energy management, renewable energy, and advanced manufacturing while providing hands-on support to small and medium manufactures.

Both existing and new IACs will be crucial contributors to the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative by providing services in historically underserved communities and will continue to support engineers-in-training and Small- and Medium-Sized Manufacturers (SMMs) nationwide, including through the program’s growing emphasis on decarbonization and resiliency planning alongside efficiency and performance. 

Opportunities for Small- and Medium-Sized Manufacturers and Energy Professionals

Small- and medium-sized manufacturers may be eligible to receive a no-cost assessment provided by DOE Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs). Teams located at 37 universities around the country conduct the energy assessments to identify opportunities to improve productivity and competitiveness, reduce waste, and save energy. IACs typically identify more than $130,000 in potential annual savings opportunities for every manufacturer assessed, nearly $50,000 of which is implemented during the first year following the assessment. Over 20,000 IAC assessments have been conducted.

Manufacturers can contact the closest IAC location about receiving an IAC assessment if they meet these criteria:

• Within Standard Industrial Codes (SIC) 20-39
• Gross annual sales below $250 million
• Fewer than 500 employees at the plant site
• Annual energy bills more than $100,000 and less than $3.5 million
• No professional in-house staff to perform the assessment
• Because they are one-day assessments, IACs typically limit their site visits to locations that can be reached via a two-hour drive (~150 miles) of a participating university (see locations); however, exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis. 

IACs train the next-generation of energy savvy engineers, more than 60 percent of which pursue energy-related careers upon graduation. IAC assessments are in-depth evaluations of a facility conducted by engineering faculty with upper class and graduate students from a participating university. After a remote survey of the plant, the team conducts a one or two-day site visit to take engineering measurements. The team performs a detailed process analysis to generate specific recommendations with estimates of costs, performance, and payback times. Within 60 days, the plant receives a confidential report detailing the analysis, findings, and recommendations. In six to nine months, the IAC team calls the plant manager to verify what recommendations have been implemented. 

IAC DATABASE

Find energy-saving ideas for your company by searching recommendations from completed plant assessments. The IAC Database is a collection of data from over 19,000 publicly available IAC assessments along with recommended energy-saving projects. Search by type of facility assessed (size, industry, energy usage, products, location), resulting recommendations (description, energy savings, implementation costs, and payback), and performing IAC.  The database can be downloaded.

FACULTY, STUDENTS, AND ALUMNI

Each year, about 500 engineering students at IACs receive hands-on assessment training at operating industrial facilities and gain substantiative experience performing evaluations of industrial processes and energy systems - and this figure will grow substantially as the new skilled trades IACs begin operation. Alumni report the training sets them apart in the job market.

Employers seek out IAC graduates. IAC students graduate with the skills and abilities to conduct energy, waste, and productivity assessments; use instrumentation and diagnostic equipment; work safely in an industrial environment; and communicate successfully through written reports and presentations to clients. These skills--that can only be gained through real-world experience--make graduates highly attractive to employers.