October 31, 2003—A branch of the nation’s armed forces, a prominent energy-efficiency advocate in the U.S. House of Representatives, a municipal government that helps residents and businesses cut energy use and costs, the world’s largest convenience food company that prides itself on energy-efficient plant operations, and a multi-billion dollar corporation that produces energy-efficient products will be honored this year by the Alliance to Save Energy for outstanding contributions to the advancement of energy efficiency.
The Alliance’s 2003 “Stars of Energy Efficiency” are the U.S. Department of the Navy, Frito-Lay, Inc., and Johnson Controls, Inc. In addition, the Alliance’s prestigious Charles H. Percy Award for Public Service will go to the city of Austin, Texas, and the Chairman’s Award will go to Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) in recognition of his years of congressional leadership in the cause of energy efficiency.
The award to the U.S. Department of the Navy pays tribute to this military branch’s energy-saving projects which totaled nearly $200 million world-wide for FY ’02 and are expected to reduce the department’s annual energy consumption by 900,000 MMBtus, generating more than $400 million in total life cycle savings.
The Navy’s Energy Team works with Congress and the Pentagon on energy policy and with top level Navy and U.S. Marine Corps officials to establish directives and programs in support of energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainable design.
Frito-Lay, Inc., headquartered in Plano, Texas, has a successful energy- efficiency and water conservation effort including a company-wide productivity strategy for its 45 manufacturing plants and 193 distribution centers in the U.S. Annual plant energy audits allow the company to disseminate best practices company-wide. The company attributes this progress to capital projects, process re- design, and focused awareness and training programs. In addition, more than 150 of the company’s sites boast energy-efficient lighting.
Johnson Controls’ services include energy auditing, engineering design and specification, equipment installation, financing for energy- efficient upgrades, and performance contracting. As one example, the company’s Energy Savings Performance Contract with Fort Sam Houston looks to exceed the federally mandated goal of 30 percent energy reduction per square foot of building space by 2005.
Johnson Controls has upgraded 46 of its own facilities to reduce energy costs by more than 25 percent—a saving of more than $820,000—and has decreased its overall energy usage by more than 30 percent since 1997, avoiding more than 20 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
Austin Mayor Will Wynn will accept the Alliance’s highest honor, the Charles H. Percy Award, on behalf of his city and Austin Energy, which invests nearly $15 million annually on energy-efficiency programs, including energy audits, rebates and loans, and free weatherization for low income customers.
The City of Austin was recognized as the leader in municipal renewable power sales in 2002, when Austin Energy sold more than 251 million kWh of green power to its customers—approximately three percent of the city’s current power needs. The mayor has set a goal of five percent renewable power by 2005.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), recipient of the Alliance’s Chairman’s Award, has long been an outstanding spokesperson for energy efficiency and energy policy in general. Since his election to the House in 1976, he has championed several key initiatives, including the Efficient Energy through Certified Technologies Act (EFFECT), minimum energy efficiency standards for major energy-consuming household appliances, and major portions of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct). Markey serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and its subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality. He has been a congressional vice chair of the Alliance to Save Energy since 1997 and a member of the Alliance Board since 1995.
For more information, contact The Alliance to Save Energy.
