Manufacturers under U.S. initiative cutting emissions 26 (UPI) -- Manufacturers across the United States saved nearly $1 billion in energy costs under a federal energy-efficient scheme, the Energy Department said. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency Kathleen Hogan praised U.S. manufacturers in her keynote address at the World Energy Engineering Congress in Washington. She said U.S. manufacturers agreed to take part in a volunteer program to cut energy use by more than 20 percent during the course of 10 years. Hogan said more than 1,750 industrial plants across the country saved nearly $1 billion in energy costs and cut their emissions by taking part in the program. "American manufacturers are cutting energy waste and saving millions of dollars each year," she said in her address Wednesday. The so-called Better Buildings, Better Plants Program is part of a broader initiative aimed at encouraging manufacturers to become at least 20 percent more energy efficient in the next decade.