Fresh eyes, real savings

Imagine walking into a large manufacturing facility for the first time and, within hours, being expected to understand it well enough to recommend energy-saving improvements.

That's the starting point for every energy audit conducted through the Mid-Atlantic Industrial Assessment Center at the University of Delaware, where interdisciplinary student teams work alongside director Keith Goossen to analyze complex industrial systems and identify opportunities for improvement.

The center provides free energy, productivity and waste assessments to small- and medium-sized industrial facilities, with primary funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Goossen estimates that facilities ultimately implement about 50-60% of recommendations, leading to energy savings of roughly 10-20%.

"Had we hired a firm to do this work for us, it would have cost us thousands of dollars," said Rick Murphy of Eagle Group, a foodservice equipment manufacturer, in a 2022 review of the center's audit. "We really appreciate the time and effort."