The Industrial Assessment Center at West Virginia University, is one of 26 centers around the country, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to provide no-cost assessments to small and mid-sized manufacturers. A team of students and professors do the engineering measurements in auditing how each facility utilizes energy and resources. Then, they identify opportunities to save energy, reduce waste, and improve productivity. IAC assessments are confidential, and participating plants incur no obligation to act on any recommendations. Yet, many facilities realize attractive returns from implementing them.