Home Page

Changing the World

The Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC) is a Department of Energy program dedicated to helping small and medium-sized manufacturers and wastewater treatment plants minimize their energy costs through efficient use of resources. UWM ITAC is one of 36 centers across the U.S. and the only one in Wisconsin, providing valuable support to improve energy efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness.

Key Achievements since 2012:

  • Energy Savings: Saved 2.5 TBtu
  • Cost Savings: Saved $18.5 million
  • Certification: Certified 45 engineers
  • Student Training: Trained 91 students
  • Research: Published 99 papers

Services Provided to Assessed Facilities

When a facility undergoes an assessment by the Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC), they receive comprehensive services designed to enhance energy efficiency and reduce operational costs. These services include:

  • Energy Utility Analysis:
    • A detailed breakdown of electricity, natural gas, and water usage.
  • Full-Day Facility Tour:
    • A thorough investigation of key energy users, including HVAC systems, compressed air systems, steam boilers, and more.
  • Detailed Report:
    • Calculations of potential savings and implementation costs.
    • Recommendations for energy efficiency improvements.
  • Incentive Assistance:
    • Guidance on seeking incentives from local energy programs such as Focus on Energy.
    • Access to governmental benefits, including Implementation Grant Funding by the Department of Energy (DOE).
  • DOE Resources:
      • Access to DOE software and research & development data to support energy management and innovation.

Impact

To date, over 600 companies and water treatment plants have utilized the UWM ITAC’s multidisciplinary energy assessment services, with average recommended savings of about $150,000 per facility and an average implementation rate of 40%. The team’s efforts have boosted the average recommended savings to over 20% of the companies’ utility bills through the enhanced assessment of energy and water usage, reclamation of electric power, cyber-security, and smart manufacturing. Working closely with Focus on Energy, We Energies, Franklin Energy, and the assessed companies, the UWM ITAC is making an effort to increase the average implementation rate to above 50%.The impact the UWM ITAC has on the state of Wisconsin is profound. The center is educating and training a generation of energy engineers within 150 miles of the site, and extending into Northern Illinois. The UWM ITAC has also expanded partnerships between UWM and the Wisconsin state government, municipal government, private agencies and companies, as well as other academic institutions, increasing the visibility of all stakeholders in Wisconsin and nationwide.

Research Highlights

The UWM ITAC produces essential technologies on electric power consumption, waste material removal, water treatment studies, reclamation of energy in the process of heating, power, and water processes with the implementation of biofuel production, renewable energy technology, recuperation, and reheating methods. The results have been published in a number of prestigious scientific journals and international conferences/proceedings. The UWM ITAC has achieved the goal of annual savings of 41 million kWh, 98,000 KW demand and 3.5 million Therms throughout the Wisconsin manufacturers.

 

“Our company is interested in partnering with you and your team at the UW-M Industrial Assessment Center again to conduct an energy assessment at our different location. We were very impressed with the work they did in 2023 on the energy assessments for our several locations and hope to continue the success at another location.” – Source: Scott Simpson, Manager, Plexus, 09/18/2024

College of Engineering & Applied Science

Cluster Energy
Contact:
Ryo Amano
amano@uwm.edu