Engineering faculty and students will conduct on-site visits at small-
and medium-sized plants

SAN FRANCISCO, March 16, 2006 -- The San Francisco State University School of Engineering is offering free energy use assessments to Bay Area small and medium-sized manufacturing plants. The audits, conducted by faculty and students, are part of the U. S. Department of Energy's "Save Energy Now" campaign aimed to educate the public about simple, effective ways to reduce energy use.

About one-third of the United States' energy supply is consumed in industrial facilities.

The assessment team will make one-day site visits by appointment. Manufacturers will receive a detailed report that recommends ways to save money on energy consumption, minimize industrial waste and improve productivity. Though manufacturers are not obligated to implement the recommended changes, more than 50 percent of past participants over the last 10 years have. On average, the recommendations have reduced total annual energy costs by 10 to 20 percent. Many improvements require little or no extra investment, are easy to implement and pay off in less than one year.

For more information about assessments in the Bay Area, visit http://engineering.sfsu.edu/centers_of_excellence/industrial_assessment_center/index.html or contact Rebeka Brady, Industrial Assessment Center administrator, at (415) 338-6202 or iac_sfsu@sfsu.edu.

Visit the Save Energy Now Web site at www.eere.energy.gov/industry/saveenergynow.

One of the largest campuses in the California State University system, SFSU was founded in 1899 and today is a highly diverse, comprehensive, public, urban university.