The Energy Conservation Center, Japan, carries out evaluation of energy conservation efforts at medium-sized factories (about matching Type 2 Designated Energy Management Factories under the Energy Conservation Law). The center examined a total of 1,742 factories between 1997 and 2003.

The features of this project are as follows:

1. The evaluation is carried out upon request by the factory. It is therefore not compulsory.
2. The evaluation takes one day with the dispatch of respective experts in heat and electricity to the factory.
3. The evaluation is carried out free of charge for the applicant (the cost covered by the budget of the administration).

The procedures at the Energy Conservation Center are as follows.
The center first receives a sheet of questionnaires filled by the applicant for the evaluation, and then selects experts and adjusts the schedule with the factory, dispatches experts to the factory to conduct hearings on facilities and their operations, carries out an on-the-spot examination, analyzes the data after the end of the evaluation and finally writes a report and sends it to the applicant.

The report, regarding items including (1) energy management and other general items, (2) air-conditioners and freezers, (3) pumps, fans and compressors, (4) combustion, boilers and steam and (5) lighting, power source, transformers and use of power, analyzes the results of the visit to the factory and data submitted in advance, lists up energy conservation measures item by item and presents the amount of energy to be conserved and its estimated costs.

Regarding buildings, the figures of unit energy consumption as a whole (MJ/m2) and facility-by-facility unit energy consumption (heat source facilities, facilities for heat transmission, lighting facilities, power facilities, etc.) are displayed as reference materials for lecture. Lecture participants are thus able to compare those figures with date for their own buildings.

Also, the number of item-by-item energy conservation proposals, based on the evaluation report data as in the case of factories, is presented. As a result, lecture participants are able to utilize them to promote energy conservation.

As a concrete example of the ESCO project, the case of Tokyo ANA Hotel is introduced, outlining its content and the results of energy conservation.

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