The U.S. manufacturing sector consumes about 30 percent of the Nation's energy.

Tax proposals, international conflict, and many other circumstances—political, economic, and environmental—introduce unpredictability into the price of fuels used by U.S. manufacturers.

To minimize the sudden impact of higher costs resulting from unforeseen events, 1 in 7 manufacturers have technology that allows them to switch quickly from their primary fuel source to at least one other type of fuel. This 14.3 percent of plants uses nearly 32 percent of all energy consumed by the manufacturing sector.