James Eggebrecht, assistant research engineer and assistant director of the Industrial Assessment Center for the Texas Engineering Experiment Station (TEES), has been awarded a certificate of appreciation from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for his participation in their Save Energy Now program. Eggebrecht is certified and recognized by the DOE as a "Steam Expert." As part of his work with the program, Eggebrecht performs energy assessments of manufacturing plants throughout the United States. This is the second time he has been recognized for his work with the program. Save Energy Now is a national initiative of the DOE’s Industrial Technologies Program (ITP) whose mission is to drive a 25 percent reduction in industrial energy intensity in 10 years. Industries nationwide can apply to participate in these no-cost assessments. Experts such as Eggebrecht perform assessments to help plants improve the performance of their steam systems as well as other industrial systems including process heating, fan, pump or compressed air systems. During an assessment, Eggebrecht spends three days visiting a plant to perform an evaluation of their steam system and boilers, and to train staff to utilize ITP resources designed to reduce energy use while increasing profits. Training on three DOE energy saving software programs is offered: Steam System Assessment Tool, a modeling program that allows plants to perform "what if " analysis; Steam System Scoping Tool, a benchmarking tool for comparing energy usage to peers and identifying shortfalls; and 3E Plus, an insulation and heat savings software. Started in 2006, Save Energy Now energy assessments have helped U.S. manufacturing facilities save an average of $2 million, or 8 percent of their total energy costs.
