The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has invited drinking water and wastewater plants to join a new EPA initiative to increase their energy efficiency and reduce municipalities' electric bills.

Over the next year, with participation by more than 20 organizations, the new Energy Star Industrial Water and Wastewater Focus will develop an energy performance rating system, a guide to assessing energy efficiency opportunities, strategies for superior energy management, and innovative approaches to financing energy efficiency projects.

This new Energy Star program for water systems is part of a series of efforts to improve the energy efficiency of selected industries.

Drinking water and wastewater systems spend about $4 billion a year on energy to pump, treat, deliver, collect, and clean water -- with much of this cost borne by ratepayers and municipalities. The energy costs to run drinking water and wastewater systems can represent as much as one-third of a municipality's energy bill.

If drinking water and wastewater systems reduce energy use by just 10 percent through cost-effective investments in energy efficiency, collectively they would save about $400 million and 5 billion kWh annually.

Currently, the Energy Star Water and Wastewater Focus includes the American Council for An Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), Awwa Research Foundation, California Energy Commission (CEC), Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE), Columbus (GA) Water Works, Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Los Angeles - Bureau of Sanitation, Metropolitan Council Environmental Services, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), National Association of Water Companies (NAWC), New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), Oakridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Public Technology Institute (PTI), Water Environment Federation (WEF), Wisconsin Focus on Energy, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC), and WateReuse Association.

For more information see the Energy Star Industrial Water and Wastewater Focus fact sheet or contact Katy Hatcher, ENERGY STAR National Manager for the Public Sector at 202-343-9676 or send email to hatcher.caterina@epa.gov .

5/20/2005