EPA Announces 70 Top Performing Energy Star-Certified Manufacturing Plants

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced 70 manufacturing plants in 29 states/territories have achieved Energy Star certification for their superior energy performance in 2014. Together, these manufacturing plants saved a record amount of energy, cut their energy bills by $725 million, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions by more than 8 million metric tons—equivalent to the annual total energy use of more than 650,000 households, the EPA says.

“Energy Star certified manufacturing plants are leading their industries by advancing energy efficiency and making cost-saving improvements while combating climate change,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy said in the announcement. “Through their work with EPA, the 2014 Energy Star manufacturing plants are demonstrating that making sustainability and energy efficiency improvements is a smart business decision.”

Energy Star certified plants are independently verified on an annual basis to have reached the top 25 percent of energy performance for their industries nationwide. Among these are plants from the auto assembly, cement manufacturing, corn refining, food processing, glass manufacturing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and petroleum refining industries.

Seven are certified for the first time:

ConAgra Foods’ American Falls, Idaho frozen fried potato processing plant;

ConAgra Foods’ Ogden, Utah cookie and cracker baking plant;

Essroc Cement Corp.’s Martinsburg, West Virginia cement manufacturing plant;

Essroc Cement Corp.’s Nazareth, Pennsylvania cement manufacturing plant;

Lehigh Cement’s Glen Falls, New York cement manufacturing plant;

Lehigh Cement’s Leeds, Alabama cement manufacturing plant; and

Marathon Petroleum Corporation’s Illinois Refining Division petroleum refinery.

Since the inception of EPA’s Energy Star certification, a total of 139 manufacturing plants have achieved this distinction. These plants have saved over 530 trillion British thermal units (TBtu) in energy, equal to preventing more than 36 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions and saving enough energy to provide the total yearly energy needs of approximately 3 million American households, EPA says.

EPA provides industry-specific Energy Star plant benchmarking tools to help industry measure energy performance. These are available or under development for more than 20 manufacturing sectors. Energy Star benchmarks enable companies to compare a plant’s energy performance against those of its industry and empower manufacturers to set informed improvement goals.

2014 Energy Star Manufacturing Plants by State:

Alabama: Lehigh Cement Leeds (Cement)*

Arizona: CalPortland Rillito (Cement); Salt River Materials Group Clarkdale (Cement)

California: Ardagh Group Madera (Container Glass); CEMEX Victorville (Cement); Lehigh Cement Redding (Cement)

Florida: CEMEX Brooksville South (Cement); CEMEX Miami (Cement); Titan Pennsuco Cement Co. (Cement)

Georgia: CEMEX Clinchfield (Cement); Kellogg Company Augusta (Cookie & Cracker); Kellogg Company Columbus (Cookie & Cracker)

Idaho: ConAgra Foods American Falls (FF Potato)*

Illinois:ConAgra Foods South Beloit (Cookie & Cracker); Marathon Illinois Refining Division (Refinery)*; Oak State Products Wenona (Cookie & Cracker)

Indiana: Ardagh Group Dunkirk (Container Glass); Honda Manufacturing of Indiana (Auto); Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana – West (Auto)

Kentucky: CEMEX Kosmos Louisville (Cement); Kellogg Company Florence (Cookie & Cracker); Kellogg Company Louisville (Cookie & Cracker); Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky – Plant 1 (Auto); Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky – Plant 2 (Auto)

Louisiana: Marathon Louisiana Refining Division (Refinery)

Massachusetts: Ardagh Group Milford (Container Glass)

Maryland: Lehigh Cement Union Bridge (Cement)

Minnesota: ConAgra Foods Park Rapids (FF Potato); Faribault Foods Beverage Division (Juice)

Mississippi: Nissan NA Canton (Auto); Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi (Auto)

Missouri: Continental Cement Hannibal (Cement)*; Holcim St. Genevieve (Cement); Buzzi Unicem River Cement (Festus) (Cement)

Nebraska: Merck Intervet Inc. Elkhorn (Pharma)

New York: ConAgra Foods Tonawanda (Cookie & Cracker)?Lehigh Cement Glen Falls (Cement)*

North Carolina: Kellogg Company Cary (Cookie & Cracker)

Ohio: CEMEX Fairborn (Cement) Honda of America Manufacturing East Liberty (Auto); Honda of America Manufacturing Marysville (Auto); Kellogg Company Cincinnati (Cookie & Cracker); Marathon Ohio Refining Division (Refinery)

Oklahoma: Ardagh Group Sapulpa (Container Glass)

Pennsylvania: Essroc Cement Corp. Nazareth (Cement)

Puerto Rico: Merck Las Piedras (Pharma); Merck MMD Arecibo (Pharma)

South Carolina: Holcim Holly Hill (Cement)

Tenessee: Buzzi Unicem Signal Mountain (Chattanooga) (Cement)?Merck Cleveland (Pharma); Nissan NA Smyrna (Auto)

Texas: Allergan Pharmaceuticals Waco (Pharma); Buzzi Unicem Alamo Cement (Cement)Buzzi Unicem Maryneal (Cement)Buzzi Unicem Pryor (Cement); Holcim (Texas) Midlothian (Cement); Martin Marietta TXI Operations Midlothian (Cement); Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas (Auto)

Utah: ConAgra Foods Ogden (Cookie & Cracker)*; Holcim Devil's Slide (Cement)

Virginia: Titan Roanoke Cement Company (Cement)

Washington: ConAgra Foods Quincy (FF Potato); ConAgra Foods Richland (FF Potato); ConAgra Foods Warden (FF Potato)JR Simplot Othello (FF Potato); JR Simplot Moses Lake (FF Potato); Phillips 66 Company Ferndale (Refinery)

West Virginia: Essroc Cement Corp. Martinsburg (Cement)*

Wisconsin: Ardagh Group Burlington (Container Glass); ConAgra Foods Ripon (Cookie & Cracker)

*Represents first time certification

For more information about Energy Star certified plants, see: www.energystar.gov/plants

For specific plant profiles, see: www.energystar.gov/buildinglist

To learn more about how Energy Star and industry work together, see: www.energystar.gov/industry