Energy efficiency upgrades through DOE’s Better Buildings Neighborhood Program have saved more than $730M on energy bills.
On May 21, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that is Better Buildings Neighborhood Program has worked with 41 state and local governments and their partners to upgrade energy efficiency in more than 100,000 buildings, saving more than $730M on utility bills. The program is part of the 2011 Better Buildings Initiative aimed to develop a self-sustaining building system upgrade market. It has leveraged federal funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to establish sustainable community-based programs.
According to DOE, the program’s initial $508M federal investment leveraged $1B in public and private sector funding and supported more than $740M in direct invoices for energy assessments and upgrades performed by local workers. Overall, more than 1,400 contractors completed home energy efficiency upgrades and approximately 30 of the initial 40 programs are active without federal support.
DOE’s Better Buildings Residential Network, built on the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program, is a voluntary, national residential energy efficiency membership network that supports continued private-public partnerships. It is open to organizations that support residential energy efficiency market expansion and currently includes 70 organizations. It provides technical assistance and enables peer sharing for stakeholders – contractors, nonprofits, financial institutions, utilities, state and local governments – sharing best practices on residential energy efficiency program strategies.
Better Buildings Neighborhood Program Progress (DOE)
The Better Buildings Initiative aims to make commercial and industrial buildings 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020 and accelerate private sector investment in energy efficiency. On May 9, DOE released a report highlighting that its Better Buildings Challenge is on track to achieve performance goals and announced additional partners and financial allies to expand energy efficiency efforts to more than one billion square feet of building space.
May 22, 2014 via Energy Solutions Forum.
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