A broad coalition of business, government and consumer leaders called on U.S. industrial leaders to take the “10 Percent Pledge” to lower their energy use and costs by 10% to help ease the potential shortfall in natural gas supplies this winter.

At a briefing on Capitol Hill Monday exploring near-term solutions to a gas supply crunch, Mark Hopkins, acting co-president of the Alliance to Save Energy, recommended that the Bush administration and Congress urge the corporate community to adopt the 10% energy-reduction goal before the start of the upcoming heating season in the fall.

“Low energy prices have lulled American industry into largely overlooking the many easy ways to save energy and improve their bottom lines with energy efficiency. But the natural gas shortage should focus their attention on energy-efficient improvements and ‘energy-smart’ behaviors that can help bail us out,” Hopkins said.

No mention was made of industrials which, driven by high prices, already have switched fuels, curtailed operations, or shut down completely.

Alliance encouraged industrial plant managers to immediately secure an energy audit, which typically will disclose a number of no-cost options for saving energy and money, the group said. The easiest opportunities involve the shut-off of idle equipment and the proper sequencing of equipment start-up, it noted. Leaks in steam and compressed air systems drain operating budgets while boosting unnecessary demand for fuel and power. Alliance estimated that a majority of the low-cost improvements have a financial payback of two years or less.

Hopkins cited three areas of industrial energy use, in order of greatest savings, that would provide a total of 10% savings:

For free diagnostic tools that uncover problems in steam and compressed air systems, motors, pumps, insulation and adjustable speed drives, see the Department of Energy (DOE) web site at www.oit.doe.gov/bestpractices. For information on a free energy audit from one of DOE’s 26 Industrial Assessment Centers, go to https://www.oit.doe.gov/iac.

In a related development, a number of leading energy experts will meet on Aug. 18-19 at George Washington University near Washington, DC to address growing concerns over supply and price in the gas markets. Some of the speakers will be William Hederman, director of FERC’s Office of Market Oversight and Investigations; Stephen Brown, director of energy economics at the Federal Reserve Bank in Dallas; Don Mason, vice chairman of the natural gas committee of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners; and executives from top energy companies. The conference will be sponsored by King Publishing Group, publisher of The Energy Daily.

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