IDFA member companies have the opportunity to review and comment on a first draft of the ENERGY STAR Energy Guide for dairy processing facilities. The guide, developed through the efforts of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, is designed to help plant and energy managers within the industry identify energy efficiency opportunities.

"IDFA members have accepted the Energy Star challenge, with nearly 100 facilities enrolled in the program," said Clay Detlefsen, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs. "The next step is for all of our industry experts to weigh in and add their technical expertise to what we hope will be a template for all processing facilities."

The dairy processing industry Energy Guide summarizes trends in energy use and energy intensity within the industry, and provides an assessment and discussion of available energy efficiency opportunities. The Energy Guide focuses on commercially available technologies in the United States and abroad. Also provided is a brief discussion of emerging technologies currently under development. And, given the importance of water use in the dairy processing industry, this guide also includes a chapter on water use and water efficiency measures.

IDFA has posted the draft version of the Energy Guide and a brief (7 question) review form. All members are encouraged to review the draft Energy Guide and to provide IDFA with comments using the form. The deadline for feedback is July 15.

The goal of ENERGY STAR is to help participating companies improve their energy management practices by providing tools and resources, such as steps to identify areas for energy savings, educate staff and employees and develop checklists for plant-wide energy efficiency assessments. To date, Energy Guides have been developed for thirteen different ENERGY STAR focus industries. General Motors Corporation, for example, sent more than 100 copies of the Energy Guide for auto assembly plants to its energy managers for use in identifying improvement opportunities.

To submit your comments, or to learn more about the ENERGY STAR program, contact Clay Detlefsen at cdetlefsen@idfa.org.