August Top 10 Solutions
The 10 most-viewed resources from the past month include new solutions from Better Buildings partners Sprint and DWS on waste reduction and resiliency, as well as toolkits on high-efficiency RTU replacements, financing, and more. Check them out!
1. Clean Energy for Low-Income Communities (CELICA) Toolkit
Low-income households spend about 8% of their income on energy costs, three times more than average. Better Buildings Accelerator partners committed $335 million to help 155,000 low-income households access energy efficiency and renewable energy benefits, collecting resources and lessons learned into the CELICA Toolkit. The toolkit includes a guide to program development and replicable program models for single-family and multifamily housing, as well as community solar. Read more.
2. InterContinental Hotels Group: Green Engage™ Sustainability Platform
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), a Better Buildings partner, created the IHG Green Engage™ system to manage its energy, water, and waste reduction efforts in a global, franchised business environment. The platform allows hotels to track, measure, and report on their carbon footprint and utility consumption and offers more than 200 ‘Green Solutions’ with detailed technical guidance that hotels can employ on-site to achieve greater sustainability. Green Engage can help hotels save up to 25% – about $90,000 – annually on energy. Read more.
3. Green Revolving Funds Toolkit
This collection of solutions provides guidance on establishing a green revolving fund to overcome a lack of dedicated capital. A green revolving fund is an internal capital pool dedicated to funding energy efficiency, renewable energy, and sustainability projects that generate cost savings. A portion of those savings is then used to replenish the fund, establishing an ongoing funding vehicle to help drive energy efficiency and sustainability investment over time. Read more.
4. Finance and Resilience Toolkit for Commercial Buildings
Research shows that resilience and financial performance are closely linked. This toolkit includes resources and case studies to help commercial building owners develop a plan for measuring, managing, and mitigating resilience risk to help preserve the value of their properties, protect occupants, and attract investment. Read more.
5. Jersey City Housing Authority: Booker T. Washington Apartments
As part of a proactive rehabilitation project at its Booker T. Washington Apartments, Better Buildings partner Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) implemented energy and water efficiency upgrades to the buildings’ lighting, water, and HVAC systems. These improvements yielded 37% energy savings and $650,000 in cost savings. Read more.
6. Sprint's Systematic Approach to Waste Management – NEW!
In its efforts to divert 50% of its operational waste stream from the landfill by 2025, Better Buildings partner and Waste Reduction Pilot participant Sprint developed a 4-year waste management pilot program that provided its business units with customized waste diversion solutions. In addition to streamlining its approach to waste reduction across its retail, commercial, and network facilities, Sprint’s pilot improved the recycle rate from 23% to 46%, reduced utility spend by 25%, and yielded nearly $2 million in savings and avoided costs. Read more.
7. Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) Toolkit
This collection of resources enables state and local communities to benefit from the experience of partners who have successfully established and implemented performance contracting. It includes best practices and innovative approaches that states, cities, and K-12 schools have used. Users can easily find the information they need at each stage of their ESPC decision-making process. Read more.
8. High-Efficiency RTU Replacement Toolkit
This toolkit helps HVAC contractors and service companies work with their customers through a step-by-step process of evaluating and managing their inventory of rooftop units (RTUs) and how to evaluate the business case for high-efficiency replacements. From an incentives database to a comparison calculator, the toolkit provides everything needed to make an informed decision regarding RTU replacements. Read more.
9. Efficiency-as-a-Service Toolkit
Efficiency-as-a-service (EaaS) is a pay-for-performance, off-balance sheet financing solution that allows customers to implement energy and water efficiency projects with no upfront capital expenditure. It is a relatively new financing mechanism, in which customers pay a provider for the service of energy savings. This toolkit provides resources and case studies for building owners, operators, and occupants who may want to take advantage of EaaS for energy and water projects. Read more.
10. DWS: Site-Level Climate Risk and Resiliency Checklist Pilot – NEW!
Better Buildings partner DWS lacked a process for identifying and mitigating the climate risks affecting its properties. DWS developed a Climate and Resiliency Pilot that featured a Climate Risk Checklist for property managers and engineers to enable them to consistently and cost-effectively evaluate higher-risk properties. Utilizing the checklist across its U.S. sites allowed DWS to understand the variances between climate data providers across real estate markets and make better investments to protect occupants and assets from short- and long-term climate risk. Read more.