Jeff White, Energy Manager -- Ford

Jeff White

Energy Manager

Ford

Please tell us your job responsibilities and day-to-day activities.

Global strategic energy efficiency and responsibility for deployment of North America projects and programs to improve energy efficiency.

What is your biggest energy challenge in 2017, and how are you addressing it?

Renovation of Ford's Research and Engineering center utility distribution system to a state of the art cogeneration facility, with electric, steam, chilled water, heating hot water, solar and geothermal aspects.

Is there a specific recent project or implementation you worked on at your company that you can share? Any tips you can share that would help colleagues at other companies who are contemplating similar projects?

Over the past 3 years, Ford has converted over 80,000 metal halide high bay light fixtures to LED in our manufacturing plants. The electric energy saved by this one action exceeds the amount of electricity used by an entire vehicle assembly plant. Ford plant engineers, project managers and LED OEM partners all worked together to make this one very impactful set of projects a reality

Tip: Engineer a great idea once and deploy it to as many facilities as you can!

Please tell us what you see in the market in the next few years. What will be the biggest challenges the industry will face?

LED will continue to improve both efficacy and cost effectiveness.

Wireless controls, Sensor TEchnology and Power over Ethernet (POE) lighting and control devices will revolutionize access to data for deep analytics to identify opportunities to improve energy efficiency.

Tell us about a favorite hobby, passion, or book  you’ve read recently that has had an impact on you.

Genealogy is my hobby! It is important to understand where we come from and upon whose shoulders we stand today!