The University of Utah’s Intermountain Industrial Assessment Center (IIAC) is expanding its scope of helping local businesses save energy.
The University of Utah’s Intermountain Industrial Assessment Center (IIAC) is expanding its scope of helping local businesses save energy. Not only is its team of expert faculty and students advising Utah businesses big and small on how to save energy costs, but it is now analyzing how companies can cut down on pollution.
The IIAC center, which launched in 2016, consists of engineering faculty and students who look at a variety of manufacturing operations, such as the compressed air system and boilers, to find opportunities to reduce costs. The team also examines heating and air conditioning units and production and electrical systems to see if they are functioning efficiently. The U.S. Department of Energy announced this week the IIAC’s funding was renewed for another five years.
The team typically spends a day or two on-site, working with participants to identify cost-effective ways to save electricity, gas, and water. With this consultation, the center can help companies achieve anywhere from 10% to 20% in energy and productivity savings. They provide the company a report outlining areas where the facility can save, and it includes a detailed engineering and economic calculation of potential energy-saving ideas.
But now these expert consultants are also examining how businesses can cut down on harmful emissions, such as oxides of nitrogen that are released in the air during electricity generation and natural gas combustion.
Read more at University of Utah
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