Non-Energy Benefits of Manufacturing Energy Efficiency
NREL supports efforts around Non-Energy Benefits (NEBs)—including dedicated software tools, targeted trainings, comprehensive guides, and practical case studies— enhancing industrial energy assessments and helping organizations achieve their goals.
Why Non-Energy Benefits?
With growing energy supply concerns and rising costs, energy efficiency is a critical component of industrial energy resilience and competitiveness by directly reducing energy operating costs. Energy efficiency projects in manufacturing also yield valuable benefits to other key metrics, such as improved quality, reduced maintenance costs, improved safety, decreased pollution, and enhanced productivity. The inclusion and quantification of NEBs in the decision-making process for energy efficiency projects can improve the overall financial payback period while demonstrating a positive impact on the organization’s key performance metrics and business strategy.
Identifying and Quantifying Non-Energy Benefits
To help users and decision makers fully capture both energy savings and NEBs, the Learning Suite, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, provides detailed guidance and curated resources. Paired with the open-source JUSTIFI software, which streamlines the identification, estimation, and analysis of NEBs, these resources empower users to maximize return on investment (ROI) and shorten payback periods for energy improvement initiatives.
Learning Suite
Explore comprehensive guides and practical examples to master NEBs and the JUSTIFI software.
Access tailored guides and applied scenarios for users, teams, and decision makers to learn about NEBs and practice using the JUSTIFI tool.
A curated collection of reading materials and research articles to deepen understanding of NEBs and support energy efficiency projects.
JUSTIFI Software Tool
A software tool to identify, quantify, and report NEBs that could be found while conducting energy assessments. For technical support, please visit JUSTIFI.
Related Resources
Better Plants Program: a U.S. Department of Energy funded energy efficiency program
Funding Resources: a list of programs that support manufacturers of all sizes in implementing energy and efficiency projects
MEASUR: a free, open-source industrial system assessment tool
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Last Updated May 2, 2025