WASHINGTON, April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — At the Responsible Care Conference and Expo last evening, the American Chemistry Council (ACC) honored 16 of its member companies for implementing energy-efficiency improvements in 2010. Together, these improvements saved enough BTUs to power all the homes in a city the size of Akron, Ohio, for one year. ACC presented a total of 41 awards to these companies, five of which were deemed programs of “Exceptional Merit.”
The Responsible Care Energy Efficiency Awards program is among ACC’s many ongoing initiatives to improve energy efficiency. In 2010, the total annual energy savings achieved by the winning projects was 14.8 trillion BTUs, with the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
“Chemistry empowers advances in energy efficiency and renewable energy,” said American Chemistry Council President and CEO Cal Dooley. “Through these innovations, Americans save energy every day. Meanwhile, our industry is committed to supporting technologies that improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our own operations. Thanks to projects like these, we’ve enhanced energy efficiency by 36 percent and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 23 percent since 1990.”
The 2011 Energy Efficiency Award winners were selected from four categories:
The “Energy Efficiency Program” award is given to companies with broad programs to achieve energy-efficiency improvements, with components such as establishing energy teams, goal setting, communications, management support, and recognition.
The “Significant Improvement in Manufacturing” award is given to companies that improve energy efficiency in their manufacturing operations through technical innovations, creative projects, or novel procedures or actions.
The “Environmental Impact“ award is given for initiatives with substantial environmental benefits, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, in addition to improvements in energy efficiency.
The “Non-Manufacturing Improvement” award is given for improvements resulting from energy-efficient lighting, insulation, and other building improvements, and other non-manufacturing energy improvements.
Individual ACC member companies nominate specific projects for recognition under the award program. The judging committee that determined the winners is comprised of selected members of ACC’s Energy Team, including representatives from ACC, the National Association of Chemical Distributors and others. The judging committee was joined by James Eggebrecht, professor of engineering and director of the Energy Systems Laboratory and Texas A&M University, and additional experts in the field of energy efficiency.
The companies receiving awards for 2011 are:
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