In the wake of the energy price/supply volatility caused by this fall’s devastating Gulf of Mexico hurricanes, the California Energy Commission (CEC) announced last Friday that it has teamed with the federal Department of Energy (DOE) to offer free energy assessments to some of the state’s and nation’s largest energy users. The assessments are designed to help large industrial customers control their rising energy costs and conserve on natural gas supplies that are expected to be tight this winter.

“This year’s hurricanes in the Gulf seriously disrupted production of natural gas and petroleum, leading to skyrocketing energy prices and concerns about adequate energy supplies across the United States,” a CEC spokesperson said.

Nationally, the CEC announced the federal DOE will provide the energy-saving assessments to 200 of the nation’s largest companies, especially steam and process heating systems that consume nearly 80% of the energy used by U. S. industry. In addition, DOE will conduct another 500 energy audits of medium-sized companies.

In California, CEC said it is working with DOE and local utilities to provide qualified efficiency experts to energy-intensive manufacturing facilities. “Assessments will be awarded to large companies that qualify on a first-come, first-served basis,” the CEC spokesperson said. Applications are available online on the CEC website (www.energy.ca.gov).

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