“These companies are strong partners in our work to make Colorado a world leader in energy efficiency and clean-tech innovations,” Gov. Ritter said. “Reducing energy consumption isn’t just good for the environment, it also will help these companies stay competitive, create jobs, increase America’s energy security and strengthen Colorado’s New Energy Economy.”
The Colorado Industrial Energy Challenge is a voluntary program open to industrial facilities with more than $200,000 in annual energy costs. To join the program, companies agree to set a five-year goal of reducing energy use, reporting total energy consumption for the base year, and in following years demonstrating progress. By joining the program, a company can receive free technical assistance to achieve its energy reduction goals.
The 13 charter members are: Amgen, Aspen Skiing Company, Avago Technologies, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Encana, Frito-Lay, MillerCoors, New Belgium Brewing Co., Roche Colorado Corp., Rocky Mountain Bottle Company, Rocky Mountain Metal Container, Sandoz and Woodward.
“This program will help us elevate the status and visibility of our energy efficiency efforts,” said Jerry Becker, facility manager for Woodward, an energy control technologies manufacturer based in Fort Collins. “We are developing a paradigm shift at Woodward, where facilities and maintenance staff become a profit center rather a drain on the bottom line.”
Jennifer Orgolini, sustainability director for New Belgium Brewing Company in Fort Collins, said the Energy Challenge “inspired us to set a compelling goal, and we wanted to join with the community of Colorado industries in asserting the importance of energy use reduction.”
“We compete in a global market, and in order to excel, we must be efficient in everything we do,” said Steve Wolley, workplace services manager at Avago Technologies, a semi-conductor device manufacturer in Fort Collins. “Joining the challenge will serve as a catalyst to keep us moving forward in our objective of saving on natural resources.”
The challenge is sponsored by the Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) through a competitive grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The Southwest Energy Efficiency Project is leading and coordinating the program on behalf of the GEO. Colorado State University’s Industrial Assessment Center will provide most of the technical assistance to partner companies, with additional technical support from the ETC Group, an environmental engineering firm based in Salt Lake City.
Video of industrial operations at MillerCoors can be obtained by contacting Todd Hartman at 303.866.2262.
