Arizona State University's free energy-audit program for industrial businesses is getting a five-year expansion from the U.S. Department of Energy, and it is adding a track aimed at mines and mineral processors, KTAR News reported Monday.
The program, known as an Industrial Training and Assessment Center, sends ASU engineering students into factories and other industrial sites to look for ways the owners could cut costs. Assessments cover areas such as water efficiency, lighting upgrades to LEDs and the condition of piping, according to KTAR. The visits are free to the companies.
The Department of Energy is putting $13 million into the network of these centers at universities across the country. KTAR's report did not say how much of that total goes to ASU.
What the audits have found
Patrick Phelan, associate dean of graduate programs at ASU's Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, told the station the center has completed more than 600 audits.
"During that time, we've recommended more than $100 million in annual energy savings [and] annual cost savings," Phelan said. He added that recommendations companies actually carry out average more than $50,000 a year per audit.
Phelan said the program lets students work as government employees while building skills they carry into their careers.
