Nissan North America in Smyrna was among seven manufacturing plants that recently earned the ENERGY STAR certification in Tennessee.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that seven manufacturing plants earned ENERGY STAR certification in Tennessee. Nationwide, 95 U.S. manufacturing plants earned ENERGY STAR certification in 2020 for being among the most energy-efficient in their industries. By strategically managing their energy use while our country dealt with challenges of the pandemic, these ENERGY STAR certified plants saved nearly $400 million on energy bills—equal to the payroll value of over 8,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs. They also avoided the consumption of 80 trillion Btus of energy compared to average plants and prevented over 5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to those from the energy use of nearly 600,000 homes. Since the first industrial facilities received certification 15 years ago, ENERGY STAR certified plants have significantly helped our economy and our environment, resulting in over $6 billion in savings on energy bills and cleaner air by preventing over 65 million metric tons in greenhouse gas emissions compared to average-performing facilities.
“These forward-looking businesses have demonstrated that economic development and job creation go hand-in-hand with environmental progress,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The transition to a clean energy economy is happening now, as partnerships like ENERGY STAR encourage companies to go the extra mile, bringing innovation, cost-savings and pollution reductions in return.”
"I congratulate these companies who are taking the lead and reducing their environmental impact, cutting energy costs and reducing waste," said EPA Acting Region 4 Administrator John Blevins. "Their leadership and commitment to energy efficiency is good for business and protects the environment."
Energy efficiency is an important decarbonization strategy for the industrial sector, which emits nearly a third of U.S. total greenhouse gas emissions. To make the crucial reductions in industrial greenhouse gas emissions necessary—and enable a transition to a clean energy economy—manufacturing plants must significantly increase the energy efficiency of their operations.
ENERGY STAR provides manufacturers with resources for improving the energy performance of manufacturing plants. Plants use ENERGY STAR energy performance indicators (EPIs), or, in the case of petroleum refineries, the Solomon Associates Energy Intensity Index (Solomon-EII™) scoring system, to assess how their energy use compares to plants with similar operating characteristics. Plants with a verified energy performance score of 75 out of 100 or higher are eligible for ENERGY STAR certification, meaning that they perform better than 75 percent of plants within their industry. ENERGY STAR certification is available for 20 manufacturing sectors, from cement, steel, and glass to commercial bakeries.
Manufacturing plants that earned ENERGY STAR certification in 2020 within Tennessee:
- Beiersdorf Manufacturing LLC, Cleveland (pharmaceutical)
- Buzzi Unicem USA, Chattanooga (cement manufacturing)
- Nissan North America, Inc., Decherd (automobile engine)
- Nissan North America, Inc., Smyrna (automobile assembly)
- Tate & Lyle, Loudon (corn refining)
- Tennessee Bun Company, Dickson (commercial bread and roll baking)
- Tennessee Bun Company, Nashville (commercial bread and roll baking)*
