Attendees

EPA: Global Change Division (GCD) Tracy Narel

EEUISD: Transportation & Industrial Branch John Preston
Mike Margreta
Cindy Magee

Due to the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT), the Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey (MECS) has become a biennial collection, instead of triennial, starting with the 1994 collection. In addition, it is expected that the sample size will be expanded to accommodate data reporting on the basis of census division, including counts of establishment types.

GCD is the home of the Green Lights program, which is part of the President's Climate Change Action Plan. As part of participation in this voluntary energy-efficiency (EE) program, an establishment is expected to install EE lighting in its facility and then to regularly report the results. Hence, GCD would be interested in how the MECS determines the types of energy-saving technologies that are in use within an establishment, and how it measures their degree of penetration.

Mr. Preston responded that the question of how much actual energy was saved, due to Green Lights participation, would be difficult to ask and burdensome for establishments to answer. To encourage establishments to continue to be as receptive as possible to the MECS, such questions must be carefully worded. Thus, the MECS team is receptive to including dichotomous-type questions (only a response of "yes" or "no" permitted for an answer) on the survey for inquiries dealing with program awareness and program participation. Such information would be of some use to GCD, especially if tabulated by counts of types of the establishments and correlated with square footage of the establishments.

GCD expressed interest in survey questions regarding the physical qualities of base-line installed equipment. However, detailed questions at the equipment level exceed the capability of the MECS. Such questions are burdensome to establishments which do not wish to inventory their machinery.

GCD has been tracking trends in energy intensities for key industries. Its trend analysis has led to changes in its industrial forecasts. While energy intensities are difficult to forecast, Mr. Preston agrees that, in general, plant managers have some sense of where the trend is headed for energy efficiency. He is willing to consider a MECS question dealing with the anticipated size of energy efficiency gains/losses by percentage categories.

In conclusion, Mr. Narel was asked to provide in a week a list of EE programs, or characteristics of the program, that GCD is promoting. The MECS can then survey for awareness and involvement in these programs. The MECS team will consider a question regarding trends in energy intensities in key industries, with categories of percentage increases/decreases.

Contact:

robert.adler@eia.doe.gov

Robert Adler

Project Manager

Phone: (202) 586-1134

Fax: (202) 586-0018

URL: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/mecs/mecs91/consumption/mecs3h.html