tapping a powerful resource

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July 24, 2008

All Americans have a role in improving energy efficiency.

Now more than ever, it is important for Americans to use energy efficiently.

Energy efficiency does not mean doing less; it means using energy more wisely and taking advantage of energy-saving technologies.

At ExxonMobil, we have systematically worked to improve efficiency at our facilities here in the United States and around the world.

Many may not realize, but it takes a lot of energy to produce the world’s energy. So if ExxonMobil can find ways to reduce our energy costs, it can benefit our customers and our shareholders. It also benefits the environment; lowering energy usage reduces greenhouse-gas emissions.

Last year, ExxonMobil achieved its best-ever energy-efficiency performance in our refining and chemicals businesses.

• Since 2004, we have invested more than $1.5 billion in activities that improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
• ExxonMobil is on track to improve energy efficiency in our refining and chemicals operations by at least 10 percent between 2002 and 2012. Over the past few years, we have improved the energy efficiency of these businesses at a rate two to three times faster than the industry average.
• Our industry leadership in the application of cogeneration technologies accounts for much of this success. With cogeneration, we can capture heat that would otherwise be lost when power is generated, and then re-use that heat for manufacturing and production.  ExxonMobil has interests in about 100 cogeneration facilities in more than 30 locations worldwide, with a combined power generation capacity of 4.5 gigawatts last year.
• Through efficiency actions taken in 2006 and 2007, we reduced greenhouse-gas emissions by about five million metric tons in 2007, equivalent to removing about one million cars from roads in the United States.

All Americans have a stake in finding ways to meet growing energy demands and reduce high prices. And each of us has a role.

To help power the U.S. economy forward, ExxonMobil is tapping new resources, including energy efficiency. In the next few years, we plan on spending at least $500 million on additional initiatives to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. In our next installment in this series, we will suggest ways American consumers can become more energy efficient also.

By all of us doing our part to advance energy-efficiency, Americans can save money, reduce emissions and strengthen the nation’s energy security.