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

SAN FRANCISCO, January 16, 2007 -- The San Francisco State University School of Engineering is offering free energy use assessments to 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, visit http://engineering.sfsu.edu/centers_of_excellence/industrial_assessment_center/index.html or contact Patrick Moore, 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.

SF State is the only master's-level public university serving the counties of San Francisco, San Mateo and Marin. The University enrolls about 29,000 students each year and graduates about 7,000 annually. With nationally acclaimed programs in a range of fields -- from creative writing, cinema and biology to history, broadcast and electronic communication arts, theatre arts and ethnic studies -- the University's more than 120,000 graduates have contributed to the economic, cultural and civic fabric of San Francisco and beyond.