Beat Blog
The economic and environmental benefits of solar are known to business owners across multiple sectors. Despite the declining cost of solar (with prices dropping 50 percent since 2010) and the technology becoming more popular and accessible (with more applications like multi-faceted roofs, retrofits…
Better Buildings Challenge partner Cleveland Clinic has established the largest Green Revolving Fund in the healthcare industry to date. During the Better Buildings Summit in May 2016, Cleveland Clinic announced its $7.5 million Green Revolving Fund to finance and implement sustainability…
How much do you really know about controlling Plug and Process Loads with Advanced Power Strips?
Plug and Process Loads (PPLs) account for about one-third of the energy consumed in commercial buildings. That equates to $56 billion a year. A new technology has emerged to help reduce that number by…
Driving the reduction of energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through efficiency projects in the retail sector can be difficult, particularly when many energy managers lack awareness of financing mechanisms available to them to fund their projects. To address this market barrier,…
On May 26, Better Buildings announced an historic partnership with The CoStar Group, one of the largest providers of information to real estate decision makers in the country, to increase the visibility of energy performance data in CoStar’s online property database. CoStar will collect energy…
This year’s Better Buildings Summit was filled with the announcement of several exceptional milestones and Partner achievements. U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz lauded the initiative’s $1.3 billion in energy cost savings coupled with the avoidance of 10 million tons of harmful carbon emissions,…
While the idea of sustainability managers might not immediately conjure up suspense or allure like Superman or Catwoman, they are heroes in their own right. They are the ones finding new ways to save their communities from climate change, cutting costs to operate their businesses, and spurring new…
Here’s something that made us sit up a little bit straighter last week: Two of Las Vegas’ largest casinos, MGM Resorts (a Better Buildings Challenge hospitality partner) and Wynn Las Vegas LCC announced that they have issued notice to stop purchasing electricity from their current utility, NV…
2016 Summit session presentations now available on the Better Buildings Solution Center
Over 300 presentations covering 100 unique session topics. Everything from selecting the right high-impact technologies, organizational strategies, finding financing, creating partnerships, and much…
Each month we recap the most viewed solutions shared by Better Buildings partners. Check out May's Top-10 solutions below. 1. IHG Implementation Model: Green EngageInterContinental Hotels Group created the IHG Green Engage system, a comprehensive online sustainability…
LINC Housing, a Better Buildings Challenge multifamily partner has developed, owned or operated quality affordable housing communities for limited income families, seniors and persons with special needs throughout California for more than 30 years. In 2013 the California Energy Commission (CEC)…
Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) Climate Corps program and the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Challenge share much in common, not the least of which is an active set of partners committed to improving how they use and manage energy. EDF Climate Corps is an innovative fellowship…
Securing funding for energy efficiency projects within the commercial sector is difficult due to the perceived risk by lending institutions. Architects and engineers have advanced energy efficient technologies considerably over the past several years, which often mitigates any risk associated with…
This year's Summit concluded with two Secretaries delivering remarks on America's energy-efficient future, and the importance of continued growth in the realms of Better Buildings partners' leadership, increased commitments to share new solutions with companies and organizations…
It was a banner year for the Better Buildings Challenge, with bigger results, more partners and deeper impacts on our nation’s energy and water use and economy.
160 trillion Btus of energy saved
$1.3 billion saved
10 million tons of avoided carbon emissions
2.3 billion gallons of water saved…
Yesterday marked “Partner Day” for the Better Buildings Summit, when we recognized partners for their knowledge and insights with Insider Talks, their remarkable accomplishments in energy and water savings and investments, and rich two-way conversations between panelists and session attendees.…
The first day of the 2016 Better Buildings Summit was a day full of action that set the Better Buildings crew up for more two full days of energy efficiency peer-exchange.
The day started off with tours of both commercial and public buildings. Groups broke out and examined DC buildings up close…
Manufacturers are increasingly trying to get a better handle on their water use. Cutting water use can reduce costs, mitigate risks, and lessen environmental impacts. As population growth, climate change, and drought put additional pressure on certain watersheds, the business imperative for better…
The efficiency revolution will be impossible without effective financing options. Building on their leadership in solving this challenge, nine Better Buildings Challenge Financial Allies will be speaking at the upcoming 2016 ACEEE Energy Efficiency Finance Forum on May 22-24 in Newport, Rhode…
The U.S. Secretary of Energy, Ernest Moniz, and the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Julian Castro will keynote the Better Buildings Summit, Wednesday May 11, and will announce the tremendous impact of Better Buildings partners as they continue to work across the nation to cut back…