DOE’s Better Buildings Challenge has added new partners and financial allies, expanding its energy efficiency efforts to more than one billion square feet of building space.
On May 9, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that its Better Buildings Challenge partners are on track to meet their energy performance goals, having achieved an annual energy use intensity improvement of 2.5 percent in 2013. The improvement rate – if demonstrated by all U.S. commercial, multifamily, and industrial buildings – could result in annual savings of more than $80B after 10 years. Launched in February 2011, the Better Buildings Challenge aims to make commercial and industrial buildings 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020 and accelerate private sector investment in energy efficiency. DOE also announced that 26 new partners and 7 financial allies have joined Better Buildings Challenge, expanding energy efficiency efforts to more than one billion square feet of building space. The new partners shared results from more than 70 projects and 40 implementation models to demonstrate their approaches.
Better Buildings Challenge – Facility-Level Improvements (DOE)
The Better Buildings Challenge Spring 2014 progress report highlights the role of more than 190 organizations representing more than three billion square feet of building space and close to $2B in energy efficiency financing. More than 70 new partners and allies joined the initiative in 2013 to offer new energy-saving models. To date, partners have shared energy performance results for more than 1.3 billion square feet across more than 9,000 facilities, of which 2,100 buildings have improved by at least 20 percent and 4,500 buildings have improved by at least 10 percent, relative to their baseline years. Financial allies have placed more than $1.72B in funding, reaching 97 percent of their collective $1.77B goal. DOE’s recent water savings pilot will expand to the Better Buildings Challenge enabling partners to share water performance data, track progress toward water goal, and reduce energy wastage from inefficient water use.
May 12, 2014 via Energy Solutions Forum.
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