The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $60 million of funding for Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) at 32 universities in 28 states to help the nation’s manufacturing. The IAC program, managed by DOE’s Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) and one of the Department’s longest-standing programs, provides no-cost assessments to small- and medium-sized manufacturers to help them save money and energy, improve productivity, and reduce pollutant emissions. To date, the IACs have provided nearly 20,000 assessments offering 147,000 recommendations, with a typical assessment identifying over $130,000 in potential annual saving opportunities. The program has also been a training ground for industrial energy-efficiency workers.
The new IAC cohort will also support improved cybersecurity and resilience and offer trainings in disadvantaged communities. There will also be a pilot effort to expand the IAC approach to commercial buildings, to include select centers partnering with community colleges and technical training programs to train a diverse workforce in commercial building energy assessments.
Read the full list of awarded universities and visit the Industrial Assessment Centers website to learn more about the program. All publicly available assessments and recommendations are in the searchable IAC Database.