DOE recognizes Better Buildings Initiative partners

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced combined savings of 1.38 quadrillion British thermal units, equivalent to $8.4 billion in energy and costs, as a result of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Better Buildings Initiative.

More than 900 public- and private-sector organizations are participating in the initiative, and they are sharing their innovative approaches to energy and water efficiency. The 2019 Better Buildings Progress Report highlights this progress and specific accomplishments in the commercial, industrial, residential, and public sectors to improve energy productivity.

Partners in the Better Buildings Initiative represent 32 of the country’s Fortune 100 companies, 12 of the top 25 U.S. employers, 12% of the U.S. manufacturing energy footprint, and 13% of total commercial building space, as well as 17 Federal agencies, eight National Laboratories, 28 states and 90 local governments spanning the nation.

Highlights of their achievements include:
● More than 360 Better Buildings Challenge partners have saved nearly $4 billion since the program began. Financial allies have extended more than $19 billion for efficiency projects. Partners have also saved more than six billion gallons of water.
● More than 215 manufacturing partners located in all 50 states are working with DOE through the Better Plants program and report an estimated $5.3 billion in cost savings over the last seven years.
● More than 220 Accelerator partners are creating new tools and strategies targeting specific efficiency barriers like access to packaged combined heat and power, sustainable wastewater infrastructure, and building energy data analysis.
● Better Buildings Alliance Technology Campaign participants reported estimated savings of nearly $200 million in 2018 through improvements to lighting, rooftop units, and energy management systems.

Additionally, 20 Better Buildings Challenge partners and allies achieved their energy, water, or financing goals this year. Since the start of the program, 85 partners and Financial Allies have now met their original energy efficiency, water efficiency and financing goals. Many of these goal achievers have publicly committed to new goals, demonstrating that continual energy efficiency improvement is possible even after sizable gains have already been made.

This year’s 20 energy, water and Financial Ally goal achievers are:
● Abundant Power Group (finance)
● Atlanta, GA (energy)
● Bentley Mills (energy)
● Bucks County Water & Sewer Authority (energy)
● Bullitt County Public Schools, KY (energy)
● Cambridge, MA, Housing Authority (energy)
● Chattanooga, TN (energy)
● General Mills (energy)
● Greenworks Lending (finance)
● Hannon Armstrong (finance)
● Havertys (energy)
● Iron Mountain (energy)
● Keene Housing (water)
● Kohl’s Department Stores (energy)
● Las Vegas Sands Corporation (energy)
● Redaptive (finance)
● Roanoke, VA (energy)
● Sparkfund (finance)
● TE Connectivity (energy)
● Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (energy and water)

Better Buildings partners are contributing to more than 2,500 resources with replicable solutions available on the Better Buildings Solution Center.

Read about previous partner successes in the 2018 Better Buildings Progress Report.

Through Better Buildings, DOE aims to make commercial, public, industrial, and residential buildings 20% more energy efficient over the next decade. This means saving billions of dollars on energy bills, reducing emissions, and creating thousands of jobs. For more information, visit the Better Buildings Solution Center.

The DOE has also released a new industrial sector financing primer with guidance to secure funding for energy projects in the industry.