 The glass industry is an
integral part of the American economy and everyday life. Glass is used in a myriad of
consumer products ranging from food and beverage packaging, lighting products for homes
and businesses, automobile windshields, and windows in buildings to insulation for
buildings, fiber optics for communications, and tubes for televisions.
The U.S. glass industry is a $27 billion enterprise with
both large producers and small firms playing pivotal roles in the industry. While most
sectors of the glass industry have restructured and consolidated in the past twenty years,
the industry still employs 150,000 workers who earn an average of $15.53 per hour. On a
percent-of-shipments basis, glassmaking is one of the most energy-intensive industries;
the industry spent $1.4 billion on purchased energy in 1997. [DOC
1997]
Glass covers several Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes,
including SICs 321, 322, 323, and 3296.
Shipments from glass facilities total about $27 billion
annually.
The glass industry primarily uses energy to supply heat to
glass melting furnaces in which the raw materials are melted and refined.
Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, and North Carolina are among
the nation's top glass producers.
The industry depends largely on glass furnaces for melting
and downstream processing to form glass products.
Over 50% of glassmaking establishments conduct
energy-management activities.
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