Wolf agreed to talk with The News about the panel discussion and comment further on the issues raised. "While the focus was on manufacturing, we also emphasized HVAC and brought general buildings into the discussion," said Wolf. "A lot of technology exists today that can be utilized to implement high energy efficiency processes in buildings," he noted.
"There's been significant progress made in the last three decades in the efficiency of equipment. We've improved our efficiency to where products are available now with 35 percent-plus better operating efficiency than in the past. We can actually build buildings that use 50 percent less energy today than what has been the minimum building code standard."
There's a lot of opportunity to improve efficiency, he said. "It's a matter of creating an awareness that the technology exists and what the total ownership cost is."