WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the efforts of 345 leading public and private sector organizations in the Better Buildings Challenge have led to a combined 240 trillion Btu and an estimated $1.9 billion in cumulative energy and cost savings.

These results are summarized in the 2017 Better Buildings Progress Report that highlights accomplishments across the broader Better Buildings Initiative. The goal of this initiative is to make commercial, public, industrial, and residential buildings 20 percent more energy efficient over the next decade by focusing on overcoming market barriers and sharing partner-created solutions.

“Through the Better Buildings Initiative, hundreds of leaders from the public and private sectors are demonstrating innovative approaches and deepening American investments in critical building infrastructure,” said Rick Perry, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. “By planning ahead and investing in cost-effective energy efficiency strategies, partners are bringing better buildings to our communities and improving the everyday places Americans live and work, while creating new and lasting jobs.”

The more than 345 organizations from diverse sectors that have stepped up to the challenge committed to improve the energy intensity across their entire building portfolio by at least 20 percent within a decade. These organizations represent more than 4.4 billion square feet of building space, include more than 1,000 industrial facilities, and have committed $7 billion in financing. Partners have shared energy performance results for nearly 38,000 properties. On average, partners are improving by more than 2 percent per year and are staying on track to meet their energy-savings goals of 20 percent over the next 10 years.

Publication date: 5/19/2017

Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn today!