WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have recognized six U.S. companies, government agencies, and institutions for exemplary combined heat and power (CHP) projects. Combined heat and power applications improve fuel efficiency by recycling the waste heat produced in electricity generation and reusing it for heating, cooling, or other purposes.

Winners of Energy Star CHP Awards included Weyerhaeuser Co., for the Albany ContainerBoard Mill CHP Project, Albany, Ore., and the California Institute of Technology for its campus CHP Project, Pasadena, Calif.

Organizations receiving certificates of recognition for their leadership in implementing CHP included: Department of Veterans Affairs for the Veterans Administration Medical Center, La Jolla, Calif.; General Services Administration for the White Oak Federal Research Center Campus CHP Project, Silver Spring, Md.; Johnson & Johnson for the San Diego Research and Development Facility CHP Project, San Diego, Calif.; and NiSource Energy Technologies for three projects: Manchester Tank, Elkhart, Ind.; Utilimaster, Wakarusa, Ind.; and Vestil Manufacturing Co., Angola, Ind.

Award winning projects achieve better fuel efficiency and emissions performance than traditional separate power and heat projects. The Weyerhaeuser and California Institute of Technology projects achieve an average of 20 percent fuel savings. Certificate winning projects advance the application of CHP in different markets or demonstrate leadership in applications and technology. The White Oak project was implemented by a government agency in a former brownfield; the NiSource projects achieve high efficiencies in small size applications; the Veterans Affairs project uses very low emitting technology.

For information about the EPA's Combined Heat and Power Partnership, visit www.epa.gov/chp.

Publication date: 03/21/2005