Measuring and encouraging energy efficiency
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched Energy Star program which develops tools to benchmark the energy performance of flat and container glass plants in the USA. Energy Star provides a tool called the Energy Star Energy Performance indicator (EPI) for flat and container producers to compare the energy performance of their plants against the performance of similar plants in the USA. During testing, companies are encouraged to input actual plant data into the draft EPI and compare results with expected energy performance for the plants. Feedback from such testing refines the EPI and builds an understanding of the Energy Star energy performance score provided by the model. EPIs are designed to account for major, measurable impacts that affect a plant's energy use and are benchmarking tools that analyze the entire plant. Today, nearly 750 industrial corporations, from glass manufacturers to printers are partners with EPA's Energy Star program.