Saving Energy: Commercial & Industrial Sector

The commercial sector consists mainly of hotels, motels, restaurants, wholesale businesses, retail stores, laundries and other service enterprises, as well as religious and nonprofit organizations. The industrial sector is composed of manufacturing industries (the largest part of the sector), mining companies, construction companies, and agricultural, fishery and forestry operations. Taken together, these two sectors use 58 percent of the state's annual energy (45 percent from industrial and 13 percent from commercial).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to finalize the reconsideration process for its Clean Air Act pollution standards National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Major Sources: Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional Boilers and Process Heaters (known as Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT)), in Spring 2012. This rule applies to large and small boilers in a wide range of industrial facilities and institutions. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will offer technical assistance to ensure that major sources burning coal or oil have information on cost-effective clean energy strategies for compliance, including combined heat and power. For more information click here.