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SECRETARY OF ENERGY LAUDS ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT CHILLERS

SYRACUSE, Aug. 28U.S. Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary tied energy-efficient heating and cooling products to economic growth after touring the factory where Carrier Corporation builds its new Evergreen centrifugal chillers.

O'Leary, who was in the Syracuse area last week to examine a variety of projects that combine both energy savings and environmental sensitivity, said when American contractors and consumers buy "green" products that offer lower operating costs they create jobs in the process.

"The Evergreen chiller is what it's all about," O'Leary told an employee gathering after the tour. "As more and more of your customers understand that you offer the most energy-efficient products, then you have no place to go but up. And that means growth.

"It's my pleasure to work in collaboration with business to secure jobs in the United States and to help the economic expansion that creates jobs. Carrier is a benchmark for many other firms."

U.S. Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary (second from left) toured the Carrier Corporation factory in Syracuse, N.Y. where Evergreen chillers are made. With her (from left to right) are Roger Morey, president of the Commercial Applied Equipment and Services division; Guy Fauconneau, president of Carrier's North American Operations; Joy Greenway, TR-1 plant manager; and Matt Chadderdon, vice president of government relations and public affairs.

The Evergreen chiller was introduced by Carrier in January as the world's most efficient centrifugal chiller using non-ozone-depleting HFC-134a as a refrigerant. The Evergreen chiller, manufactured in capacities ranging from 350 to 800 tons, offers operating efficiencies approaching .50 kW/ton while using chlorine-free refrigerant. The chiller uses a patented energy-recovery turbine that eases the motor's workload reducing external power consumption. The turbine-assisted chiller is the first product ever to be s honored with the DOE's National Energy Award.

Before seeing the chillers made, O'Leary visited an experimental forest of fast-growing willow trees developed by the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The willows are a possible substitute for burning coal and other fossil fuels to generate electricity. Unlike coal, the willows are sustainable and also cleaner burning. O'Leary said using willows to generate electricity could expand the economic base of the farm community just as building energy-efficient heating and cooling products could expand a state's industrial base.

"I'm also well aware that the Evergreen chiller moves globally, not just within the United States. And that's where the future lies," O'Leary said, " serving the needs of the world with equipment that is efficient and environmentally correct."

Secretary O'Leary also said the United States needed energy efficiency goals if it hoped to secure its energy future. She said support of those standards was one mark of industry leadership.

"We don't know where we're going unless we have a benchmark to measure ourselves against," O'Leary concluded. "That's what energy efficiency standards are all about. With the Evergreen chiller, you understand that. When you know you're the best in class, you have no reason to fear a standard - in fact, you invite a standard."

Carrier Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of heating and air conditioning systems and equipment. It is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corporation, provider of a broad range of high-technology products and support services to the aerospace, building systems and automotive industries.

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