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President Obama signs Executive Order promoting industrial energy efficiency

August 30, 2012 - Today, U.S. President Obama signed an Executive Order to facilitate investments in industrial energy efficiency that will “strengthen American manufacturing and help create jobs”. The White House says these efforts to boost industrial energy efficiency—including combined heat and power (CHP) systems—can save manufacturers as much as $100 billion in energy costs over the next decade, improving their bottom lines and strengthening American manufacturing competitiveness.

August 30, 2012  By  Anthony Capkun


This Executive Order builds on steps the Obama Administration has taken to scale up private sector investments in energy efficiency in American homes, buildings and factories, says the White House, with efforts like the Better Buildings Initiative and investments upgrading homes around the United States.

In addition, it directs the Departments of Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency, to coordinate actions at the federal level while providing policy and technical assistance to states to promote investments in industrial energy efficiency.

The order also directs agencies to foster a national dialogue through ongoing regional workshops to encourage the adoption of best practice policies and investment models that overcome barriers to investment, provide public information on the benefits of unlocking investment in industrial energy efficiency, and use existing federal authorities that can support these investments.

Today’s order also establishes a new national goal of 40 gigawatts of new CHP capacity by 2020, a 50% increase from today. The White House goes on to say that meeting this goal would save energy users $10 billion per year, and result in $40 to $80 billion in new capital investment in manufacturing and other facilities.

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