Noted Washington energy efficiency expert to deliver hopeful message to West Michigan manufacturers

When manufacturers commit to running energy efficient operations, the direct result is often increased productivity and increased profitability. And the time to make the investment is now.

So says Dr. Neal Elliot of the Washington D.C.-based American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Dr. Elliott brings his expertise to West Michigan manufacturers at today's ENERGY SUMMIT 09 at Grand Valley State University's Eberhard Center.

The world is entering a period of resource constraint where resources will no longer be cheap and abundant, says Dr. Elliott. And he expects the federal government to mandate carbon constraints in the future.

"The only option to control the economic damage from high energy prices is to reduce consumption," he says. "Market studies show energy consumption reduction lowers energy prices so all consumers benefit. For manufacturing, the current price uncertainty makes it difficult to plan, and uncertainty discourages investments. We need predictability in the marketplace."

The way Dr. Elliott sees it, West Michigan's manufacturing skills positions the region for investment in energy efficiency. It will take new equipment, worker training and the capacity to produce products for a variety of industries.

"An individual firm can make a difference because investment in energy efficiency is highly cost effective," he says. "Economy-wide, we could easily achieve 30 percent reduction in consumption, and if we go out and look at doing things in a really smart way that could be 50 and 60 percent reductions with what's available today.

"When the economy turns around, manufacturers will not be ready if they don't invest in energy efficiencies today," he adds. "We will see energy prices go through the roof again. If we reinvest in manufacturing, we will be reinventing the quality manufacturing that is the backbone of places like Michigan."

Source: Dr. Neal Elliott, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy; Blue Strategies Group

Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].