Simplot has become a partner in the federal government’s national Energy Star program as part of the Company’s strategy to reduce energy costs and demonstrate environmental leadership.

Joining the Energy Star program will help Simplot to more effectively measure, track, and improve the energy performance of Company sites, according to Don Sturtevant, manager of energy purchasing.

“This alliance strengthens our commitment to environmental stewardship through continuous energy improvement,” he said.

As an Energy Star partner, the Company has access to a variety of resources such as energy-related training and better networking capabilities with other manufacturers on energy issues.

Simplot also is now eligible to use the familiar Energy Star logo (as shown below).

“The logo, which is recognized by 85 percent of American households, is a clear symbol of the Simplot Company’s commitment to sustainability, and helps demonstrate to our customers that we’re on the energy conservation bandwagon,” said Sturtevant.

According to Alan Christie, Food Group director of engineering, the ability to compare Simplot’s energy consumption to that of other companies in similar industries will be very useful.

“The resulting graphs tell a company where it ranks in its class and helps it to be more competitive and improve performance,” he said. “I can compare us to other manufacturers in the United States and benchmark against the other companies. That’s what really caused my interest in the program.”

Christie said he first became involved in Energy Star about a year ago.

“At the time we were just getting into benchmarking our plants against companies we deal with in Europe to improve our performance in a number of ways, including energy, labor, and other kinds of consumption,” he said. “Then the Energy Star opportunity came up, and the idea of benchmarking against U.S. companies to get the same kind of information was very interesting.”

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that was introduced in 1992 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by identifying and promoting energy-efficient products and facilities around the country.