Beat Blog
At the 2020 Green Schools Conference and Expo, DOE’s Better Buildings team hosted a panel with Challenge partner Poudre School District and a representative from the State of Tennessee’s Energy Efficiency Schools Initiative to share resources and successes about energy efficiency in rural K-12…
Resilience is emerging as a critical issue for commercial buildings, particularly in light of recent disruptions from climate and weather events. Owners and operators of commercial properties are placing greater emphasis on improving the resilience of their assets and mitigating risk from…
The 10 most-viewed resources from the past month include new solutions from Schneider Electric, Centrica Business Solutions, and Connecticut Green Bank as well as toolkits on financing, lighting, reducing energy use in laboratories, and more. Check them out!1. Energy Savings Performance Contracting…
The 10 most-viewed resources from the past month include a new toolkit on high-efficiency interior lighting, as well as solutions on financing, sustainability management in hospitality, and more. Check them out! 1. Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) Toolkit This collection of…
Does your organization include energy efficiency and sustainability in its lease clauses or corporate guidelines? Apply to be a 2020 Green Lease Leader! Developed through DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative and the Institute for Market Transformation (IMT), Green Lease Leaders is a national…
Recognizing the need for a low-cost, reliable method for homeowners and buyers to understand their homes’ energy use, DOE created the Home Energy Score™. Just like a miles-per-gallon rating for a car, the score provides comparable and credible information about a home’s energy efficiency. DOE…
The 10 most-viewed resources from the past month include a new webinar on distributed energy and resilience, as well as solutions on financing, rooftop solar, and more. Check them out!1. Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) ToolkitThis collection of resources enables state and local…
On February 27, 2020, DOE recognized Better Buildings Challenge partner Chesapeake College for advances in energy efficiency and resiliency made at its campus in Wye Mills, Maryland.
Chesapeake College has reduced its energy intensity by 24% since 2011, reaching its Challenge goal of 20% energy…
Better Buildings Challenge multifamily partners are challenging the misperception that solar power is an amenity reserved for middle- and upper-income households. Using an innovative financing model called “portfolio-level solar,” six Challenge partners have installed 8.4 MW of solar PV in…
Interior Lighting Campaign Saves $85 Million in Energy Costs; Spurs New Focus on Integrated Lighting
Through DOE’s Interior Lighting Campaign (ILC), building owner participants have replaced more than 3.5 million lighting systems, cumulatively saving roughly 800 million kWh of electricity per year (approximately the energy used by 80,000 U.S. homes) and $85 million in energy costs.
The 2015 –…
The 10 most-viewed resources from the past month include new solutions from The Tower Companies and Hannaford Supermarkets, as well as guidance on upgrading to efficient lighting, financing projects, and more. Check them out!
1. Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) Toolkit
This…
On January 23, DOE recognized Better Buildings Challenge partner MetLife Investment Management for advances in energy efficiency made at its District Center in Washington, D.C.
MetLife’s District Center is a 910,000-square-foot commercial building in Washington, D.C.’s east end. As a result of…
Upfront costs can be a hurdle for owners and developers looking to implement energy, water, or resilience improvements in new building construction, adaptive reuse, or major renovation. Working with partners and allies in the Better Buildings Challenge, DOE has developed the Commercial PACE for New…
As 2020 kicks off, we are excited to share the 10 most-viewed resources on the Better Buildings Solution Center from the past year. Check out these popular solutions you may have missed!1. Commercial Energy Financing PrimerPart of the Better Buildings Financing Navigator, this primer serves as an…
This fall, Better Plants Challenge partner Legrand kicked off its Energy Marathon 3.0, a company-wide initiative to reduce energy usage and increase efficiency. Keeping to the 26.2-mile marathon theme, the event spanned 26.2 days – October 3-29, 2019. Participating Legrand sites were challenged…
The 10 most-viewed resources from the past month include new solutions from Kaiser Permanente and DaVita, a recent webinar on solutions for small and rural K-12 schools, and more. Check them out!1. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Small and Rural K-12 Schools (Webinar)This webinar features…
Housing retrofit projects that improve energy efficiency can also improve the health of occupants while reducing waste and operating costs. Three Better Buildings partners, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC), Kaiser Permanente, and Enterprise Community Partners, have teamed…
Last week, DOE’s Smart Energy Analytics (SEA) Campaign welcomed its 100th participant. For the past three years, DOE, through this campaign, has helped participants leverage commercially-available energy management information systems (EMIS) and use ongoing monitoring practices to meet their energy…
Better Buildings Challenge multifamily partner New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) offers a model for public housing authorities nationwide to develop green workforce programs, addressing an ever-growing need in the marketplace. NYCHA is using its suite of Energy Performance Contracts (EPCs) as…
Earlier this year, the City of Atlanta achieved a 20.3% reduction in energy use intensity across more than 100 million square feet, surpassing its Better Buildings Challenge goal two years ahead of schedule. This week, the city and its partners are celebrating the successes of the Atlanta Better…