The University of Dayton Industrial Training and Assessment Center (ITAC) is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to conduct FREE energy assessments for small- to mid-sized manufacturers to help save energy, improve productivity and reduce waste. To date, we have helped over 1000 manufacturers reduce energy costs to maintain a competitive advantage.

IAC team of faculty, staff and students posing at client facility

What Does the Assessment Include?

A one-day visit to your facility by our team of faculty, professional staff and students trained in industrial energy efficiency
Recommendations for reducing energy, waste and production costs, including any applicable rebates and incentives, in a personalized comprehensive report tailored for your facility

Since 1981, UD-ITAC has helped small- to mid-sized industries reduce costs and stay competitive saving an average of 10-15% on their energy costs. View a printable .pdf about ITAC's services and how to qualify.

Why use the Industrial Training and Assessment Center?

In a typical year, the UD-ITAC saves the equivalent electricity use of 1,300 houses and the equivalent natural gas use of 280 houses. Our clients save about the equivalent electricity produced by the two 1.8 MW wind turbines near Bowling Green, Ohio.

Awards

2022 U.S. Department of Energy Excellence in Applied Energy Engineering Research Award
2022 AES Energy Innovation Challenge, First Place Award, Project Oasis
2017 ASHRAE Technical Paper Award
2015 U.S. Department of Energy Center of Excellence Award
2014 U.S. Department of Energy Excellence in Applied Energy Engineering Research Award
2012 U.S. Department of Energy Energy Excellence in Applied Energy Engineering Award
2011 American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy Champion of Energy Efficiency Award
2006 Ohio Governor’s Award for Energy Excellence
2003 U.S. Department of Energy Center of Excellence Award

“Please accept our thanks for the high quality and comprehensive Energy Assessment performed for our company by the University of DaytonIndustrial Training and Assessment Center. I would especially like to recognize your department’s program and its student . . . They should be commended for preparing one of the more thorough, professional, well-written and substantiated engineering reports that has been prepared for our company.” (944)
"I just wanted to let you know that we installed 29 variable frequency drives on our Paint Line System and took advantage of the DP&L rebate program. The pay back is 7 months. If you remember, we had most valves throttled back on all of our 29 pumps. The valves were closed in most cases on average 70 percent. With recent installation we now have all the valves open and are operating the pump motors from 32 hertz to 45 hertz. Before the VFDs, all motors were running at 60 hertz. Your students were a great help to get us to this point. The original concept was to install a light curtain to shut the pumps on or off if there was no product running thru the system. If you are still in contact with them please share this information with them. I am happy to say that we have implemented just about every improvement idea that came from the assessment." (818)

More Testimonials

“Firstly, congratulations in an excellent report. Good summaries and all recommendations appear realistic and not some theoretical impractical ideas!” (767)
“We implemented 15 of your 17 recommendations. In addition, your report provided a good jumping off point for other energy saving ideas.” (726)
“I just wanted to let you know that Hyson Products' experience with ITAC was extraordinary. The ITAC provided us with specialized technical knowledge that under normal circumstances would have been unaffordable for a small enterprise like Hyson Products. We value the recommendations given by the IAC and we are in the process of implementing most of them. We expect to obtain $30K in savings a year thanks to ITAC.” (727)
“We can’t thank you enough for your recent assessment of our factory under the U.S. DOE sponsored program. The efficiency of your work was outstanding. Your recommendations were exactly on target and we are going to implement all of them. Saving $60,000 a year for this new company at a 'Brownfield site' is major. I can’t imagine a higher degree of professionalism in both your one day visit and in your written report . . . It is obvious that you are pros that have worked together and have a high level of proficiency. To get this kind of direct help from a government program is so refreshing. A team like yours was beyond our expectations. Thanks.” (675)
“I should note that we were impressed with your students. When you work in a 'blue collar' environment and hire young men and women of the same age who tend to be disenchanted with life you forget about those who are striving for excellence. Meeting your students who were well mannered, articulate, hard working and willing to ask tough questions reminds me that there is still hope for the ‘next generation’." (699)
"I felt the word 'student' was a misnomer for your team. I have a bachelor's and master's degree with lots of experience, but found I was student many times asking them to explain to me. These younger folks may be students in terms of we are all students, always learning, but these folks are TRUE SKILLED PROFESSIONALS. We were lucky to have this week and wherever they land will be lucky to have them as well." (871)
“Greenfield Products, Inc. was fortunate to have a U.S. Department of Energy sponsored industrial assessment performed by the University of Dayton Department of Engineering… I have been at Greenfield Products, Inc. since 1987. Our company has utilized the services offered through several government programs. We have worked with the State of Ohio and sought the services of other Federal programs. I feel the U.S. Department of Energy Sponsored Program for industrial assessment is superior. Private industry would be hard pressed to top the efficient way the services were provided. We are making application for a grant through the Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvements Grant Program . . . Without your program we would not be able to apply. I wanted to take this time to once again, thank the University of Dayton team for an exceptional effort. Small businesses are often left out of the mix because of budget constraints. Without your program we would not have been able to find nor afford this level of expertise.” (714)
“We recently received the final report of the energy survey provided by the University of Dayton Industrial Training and Assessment Center for our two locations in Grove City, Ohio. We want to strongly commend the team that completed the audit for their professionalism and thoroughness. The final report is extremely well researched and effectively presented. Horton will use this report and its recommendations to develop and implement actions that will reduce our emissions profile as well as our energy costs. My congratulations to you and your team for producing this valuable tool.” (737)
“Returning Dust Collector air, compressed air leaks, ladle preheaters, and notched v-belts make sense....and are already planned for execution. THANKS to you and the team for a terrific report as well as an enlightening experience for us. I would recommend you to any foundry.” (692)
“I have done a review of the electronic report and you have done a very thorough and professional job. I am fairly confident we will implement at least seven of your recommendations and perhaps all nine.” (760)
“We would like to thank you along with your team of engineers for performing the energy assessment on our Miamisburg facility. We were all impressed with your level of work and professionalism. The energy assessment team has already given us money saving ideas.” (738)
“Please accept this letter as a token of gratitude for the fine job you and your students did in the recent industrial energy assessment. Your team presented themselves well as a competent, skilled team prepared to help us find savings. They were a pleasure to work with… Your report and assessment recommendations are clear and concise. Several of the ARs are being studied for implementation.” (694)
“The team identified eleven items that could reduce energy costs. Some of the items will be implemented immediately, the others will need to be more closely studied and justified. We would like to thank you for the service your team provided. We were impressed with both your professionalism and the technical knowledge represented by the team. It’s great to know that there are organizations out there sponsored by the Department of Energy that are focused at reducing energy consumption for a company of our size.” (734)
“I would like to express my appreciation to you and your team. I have been in the automotive industry for 15 years and worked with some of the most successful automotive companies in the world, but I have yet to see a group that brings as much passion to a project as yours did today. I believe that the research that your team did prior to the facility audit was both thorough and accurate. This helped to make the facility audit go very smoothly. Your ability to facilitate the activities of your engineers and to promote any teaching opportunity possible, was like a breath of fresh air. This is all a testament for the organization and educational skills that you are promoting with this activity. Your team performed flawlessly. Whereas the energy savings piece of this program will be the most tangible aspect of this activity, I cannot help but feel that the passion that your team brought to this energy savings activity is the true value to this program. Passion breeds more passion, and you have helped inspire my organization to move forward with these energy reduction activities. In this extremely cost competitive automotive industry your group has challenged our company to utilize its limited resources to the best degree possible. I feel that we will rise to this challenge. Lastly, I would like to express the gratitude of the 700 associates of our company for your help in securing their future, by helping to make our organization as cost competitive as possible.” (740)
“This was the best thing we have ever done. I have used the report several times. Our new head operations manager is moving in this direction.” (714)
“I am the new controller. Our president has given me a hard copy of the energy assessment done in Nov. 2003. I was very impressed with your evaluation and report.” (690)
“You did a good job. The report was sent on with strong recommendations.” (713)
“I would like to thank you for the outstanding report you and your team developed. We have already started to address some of your AR's prior to the report so we are already on track . . . I plan to present the executive summary to management soon . . . Again thank you for the outstanding report, it truly reflects the dedication you give to providing your clients with best results possible.”
“Our corporate Environmental Health and Safety division was extremely impressed with your report and wants to share it with other plants . . .”
“Our exercise on Friday with your ITAC Team was great. The team was very well received by our entire operation. Our Plant Manager… myself and others in our technical and facilities departments were very impressed with your team's professionalism, their technical and manufacturing knowledge and their powers of observation. During the day and at the closing meeting we got many good inputs which we can begin to follow up on.”
“The assessment was very professional. Our plant was difficult given the shop type work we do, but we took advantage of the practical stuff. This is a good program. You identified lots of opportunities for us to save.”
“I want to thank you again for the day we spent together. I believe your visit will result in additional energy improvements to our plant. I greatly enjoyed the conversations. I was very impressed with the "down-to-earth" approach your group employed in our assessment. We are already starting to investigate some of your proposals.” (793)
“Waste and energy data collection was helpful. It gave us a start for projecting future use.”
“You provided good ideas to get us thinking.”
“The assessment made us look at areas that we ignored for no good reason.”
“The assessment was very helpful! It was done in a professional manner and was very organized. We enjoyed working with the students.”
“The assessment opened our eyes to a few things.”
“Anytime we can save money, it is worthwhile. We enjoyed having the assessment and though we did a great job.”
“The report was fantastic! It was helpful from a technical point of view.”
“(Because of the report) management listened to our ideas!”
“We learned more about our facility. Opening our eyes was good. It helped us as engineers.”
“It was extremely helpful. The team was very professional. We are pleased with the report. It was an excellent analysis.”
“Very helpful to have economics from a neutral third party when selling ideas to management.”
“Nice to photocopy your report, give it to engineering and say ‘Now, make it happen.'”
“Really appreciated it. It let us know what we were doing right.”
“Very pleased with the way it was done. I was impressed by the nature and depth of the questions.”
"Would be interested in participating again in the future."
"Appreciate the service. Had enthusiastic group of students."
"Was very professional. Big help. Helped us understand how to evaluate utilities and savings."
"Helped us focus on helpful areas and stifle old wives tales."
"Good to get third party to look. Inside person sees trees and not the forest. Good to get a little education."
"The report is a nice source book."
"You saw things we didn't see."
"Was excellent. Fine job."
“Thank you again for coming to the site and all you and your team's hard work! It's greatly appreciated, and my manager is already hammering me to get some of the initial actions you mentioned on my to do list!” (753)
"Informative. Issues were brought up that we had not considered."
“Wanted to let you know that we have completed some work on our air compressor room to vent it better! The room is now cool and the compressor is cold to the touch! Thanks for your help.”
"A good service."
"A lot of good ideas."
"Helped us see some things we didn't see before."
"Information was valuable."
"Great program, especially for smaller customers."
"Good job. Glad to see calculations. Helped to justify changes to management. Helped us understand rate structures."
"Very professional, courteous and polite."
“This was a great report. We are very pleased.”
“Thanks to you and your team for the effort extended at our facility. I was surprised you were able to accomplish so much in the limited time available. Extend my personal thanks to each member of your team.” (769)
“I would like to thank you and your staff for visiting our facility. Both Terry and I enjoyed the opportunity to work with you in finding energy saving ideas for our facility. We were very impressed with the knowledge and level of details that everyone provided.” (820)

We know that your data is important, and you want us to exercise care in its use, so we want to explain how we may use it.

The data are used to prepare your individual assessment report. Your company’s name and address do not appear in the report. Upon completion, the report will be sent to you. The report will not be sent to the Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety & Health Administration or any regulatory body. In addition, it will not be released to vendors, utilities or anyone else outside of the Industrial Training and Assessment Center program. However, to ensure continued high quality, all of our reports are reviewed by program managers. In addition, we report our client list to our program sponsor the United States Department of Energy.

Some data from the report are entered into a national database available for public access on the Internet at the Industrial Assessment Center U.S. Department of Energy. View the Industrial Training and Assessment Center's national database, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, Advanced Manufacturing office. This database is a valuable tool for manufacturers and researchers who want to know the savings of various types of projects. The data entered into the national database that are available for public access include the following:

Assessment center performing the assessment (University of Dayton)
State where plant is located
Assessment date
Plant SIC, principal product, floor area and employees
Annual sales, volume, production hours and energy cost
Name, type, estimated annual resource savings, annual cost savings, implementation cost, simple payback and implementation status of each savings recommendation

Our work in your plant may be a good subject for a future case study; however, such a case study will be subject to your review and approval.

UD-ITAC Leadership