- The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded Ford Motor Company its 2009 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award
- Ford improved energy efficiency in the U.S. by 5 percent in 2008 and nearly 35 percent since 2000
DEARBORN, Mich., March 31 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ford Motor Company's actions to reduce the amount of energy used to manufacture vehicles and support its U.S. operations have earned it the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's coveted 2009 ENERGY STAR Award for the fourth consecutive year.
The 2009 ENERGY STAR Award for Sustained Excellence recognizes Ford's continued leadership and commitment to protecting the environment through energy efficiency.
"Ford Motor Company is committed to the responsible use of resources," said George Andraos, director, Energy and Manufacturing Site Management. "Energy efficiency is critical to running a strong and successful business delivering both financial and environmental benefits."
In 2008, Ford improved energy efficiency in the U.S. by 5 percent resulting in savings of approximately $16 million. Actual savings due to plant shutdowns were higher, but Ford measures energy efficiency as energy consumed per vehicle. Since 2000, Ford's U.S. facilities have improved energy efficiency by nearly 35 percent. That's equivalent to the annual energy consumed by more than 150,000 homes.
A number of actions taken by Ford since 2000 have contributed to its overall energy efficiency improvement, including:
-- Updated heating systems at many manufacturing facilities by replacing
out-moded steam powerhouses with digitally controlled direct-fired
natural gas air handlers;
-- Updated facility lighting systems by replacing inefficient high
intensity discharge fixtures with up-to-date fluorescent lights and
control systems;
-- Upgraded paint process systems including booth air handling and improved
emission controls;
-- Continued development of Ford's "Paint Shop of the Future"
processes, including Fumes-to-Fuel that turns paint fumes into
electricity, the 3-Wet painting process that significantly reduces the
footprint and energy use of paint booths, and zirconium oxide
pretreatment that uses less energy to inhibit surface corrosion;
-- Installed advanced computer controls on all North American plant air
compressors for paint shop applications and pneumatic tools;
-- Aggressively curtailing energy use during extended production shutdown
periods;
-- Using flexible tooling to assemble multiple vehicles on the same
production line, which requires less manufacturing floor space and
optimizes plant utilization;
-- Leveraging the Energy Star program through employee energy awareness
communications and events, development of energy modeling and analysis
tools, and replication of industry best practices.
"EPA is delighted to recognize Ford Motor Company with the 2009 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence award," said Kathleen Hogan, director, Climate Protection Partnerships Division at the U.S. EPA. "Ford's leadership on energy efficiency has yielded impressive results for their bottom line and our global environment, showing us all what can be accomplished through sustained commitment and action."
ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Today, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 12,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 213,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company's wholly owned brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford's products, please visit www.ford.com.