Industrial Energy Productivity: Manufacturing Sector in the Midwest

What is Industrial Energy Productivity
There are numerous definitions of industrial energy productivity (IEP). Some definitions, such as
those used by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and the Federal Reserve Board’s
Index of Industrial Production, are geared toward measuring the aggregate and average efficiency
of industrial enterprises. The EIA also uses a more broadly applicable definition of energy efficiency
as “energy reductions without sacrifice of service 3 .”
In this report, we use the following definition of IEP, which takes EIA’s broader definition and applies
it to the most energy-intensive industrial sectors in the U.S. and in the states that comprise the
MGA:
IEP is the combined set of practices (production processes, material sourcing) and
improvements (equipment, machinery, facilities/buildings) that enable the largest, most energyintensive
industrial enterprises to:
• significantly reduce energy usage and emissions (carbon and particulate),
• significantly reduce energy costs, and
• maintain or increase production and productivity levels (i.e., no sacrifice of service).
In the Midwest, the most energy-intensive industries include petroleum, coal, steel, aluminum,
paper and the manufacturing of chemicals, machinery, food and transportation equipment 4 .
3
EIA, Total Energy, glossary: http://www.eia.gov/tools/glossary/index.cfmid=E.
4
Composite list taken from multiple sources including Michigan Manufacturing Technology Center, World Resources Institute, Minnesota Technical
Assistance Program, Center on Globalization & Competitiveness (Duke University), Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, and the National
Commission on Energy Policy (Yudken).
2