Beat Blog

Each month we recap the most viewed solutions shared by Better Buildings partners. Check out October's Top-10 solutions below.  1. Energy Data Access: Blueprint for Action Toolkit The  Better Buildings Energy Data Accelerator was a two-year partnership with cities and…

Garlic may keep vampires from sucking your blood, but what’s keeping vampires loads from sucking your energy? Plug and Process Loads (PPLs) account for 33% of U.S. commercial building energy use. A portion of that energy can be attributed to vampire or phantom loads: energy use from electric…

Better Plants partners had a banner year, with two Challenge partners and eight program partners meeting their goals of reducing energy intensity by at least 25 percent within 10 years. Their leadership brings the total number of energy goal achievers, since the start of Better Plants, to 35. An…

It’s time to get excited for the 2017 Better Buildings Summit, presented by the U.S. Department of Energy!  For the fourth consecutive year, over 900 Better Buildings partners and allies will come together at the Summit to explore and share innovative strategies, emerging trends, and high-…

On October 3rd, Legrand North America, a Better Plants Challenge partner, kicked off the Energy Marathon 2.0, a company-wide internal competition designed to save as much energy as possible through employee engagement and ready-to-implement technologies. The Energy Marathon is a 26.2-day (about 629…

The 2016 LEEP Campaign Awards were announced on October 5 in Los Angeles, California, at Greenbuild, the world's largest conference and expo dedicated to green building.Sixteen organizations were recognized in 21 award categories for new lighting installs and retrofits. There was much excitement in…

Manufacturing Day is a celebration of modern manufacturing meant to inspire the next generation of creators and inventors. Opening the doors to their facilities, companies can dispel notions of manufacturing being ‘dumb, dirty, dangerous, and disappearing’, and showcase how innovation and advanced…

Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), a Better Buildings Challenge multifamily partner, is a nonprofit developer, owner, and operator of nearly 9,000 affordable homes in nine states and the District of Columbia. The organization operates a diverse portfolio of multifamily housing,…

Smart Cities Week emphasized the shift of the energy landscape in the U.S. towards cleaner energy sources, with thought leaders discussing energy independence, climate change, and community resilience with renewed vigor. Industry consensus is that ideation and innovation will be at the root of…

This November, every energy fanatics’ favorite show is back! That’s right Season 2 of the Better Buildings Challenge SWAP hits land and sea – as the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Airforce Academy take energy savings to each other’s campuses. This season’s participants include a colonel,…

Each month we recap the most viewed solutions shared by Better Buildings partners. Check out September's Top-10 solutions below. 1. Energy Data Access: Blueprint for Action ToolkitThe  Better Buildings Energy Data Accelerator was a two-year partnership with cities and…

In September, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Climate Corps and the Better Buildings Initiative co-hosted a local peer networking event in New York City, bringing together Climate Corps host organizations and Better Buildings partners. Through a series of facilitated discussions, attendees…

DID YOU KNOW that the first-ever National Energy Efficiency Day is next week and Better Buildings is helping lead the conversation? Here's our cheat sheet of what to expect and how your company or organization can participate next week. WHEN: October 5th, 2016. Join us on Twitter for a chat from…

The Industrial sector racks up an annual energy bill of about $200 billion while running the backbone of the American economy and accounting for 30 percent of all U.S. energy consumption. But the power of American manufacturers is on full display during the World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC…

Better Buildings Challenge multifamily partners are looking ahead. With a few barriers knocked down for access to energy data, they now are turning attention to enhancing data delivery. Effective data delivery helps to guide future phases of research and development for new energy efficiency…

The World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC), the largest energy conference and technology expo for business, industrial, and institutional energy users is almost here. Starting Wednesday and running through Friday, September 21 to 23, energy leaders are coming together in Washington D.C…

Reducing plug load energy use in a multi-tenant office can be a challenge. Balancing tenant engagement with technology installation and everything in between takes careful planning, execution, and good communication – and the benefits of these efforts have not been well documented. To better…

Many public institutions hope to find the upfront funds to retrofit buildings knowing that the investments will reap savings for their organizations. But the truth is, it’s not always easy to get the money and ensure the savings all at the same time (which as energy professionals know, is what is…

Each month we recap the most viewed solutions shared by Better Buildings partners. Check out August's Top-10 solutions below. 1. Energy Data Access: Blueprint for Action ToolkitThe  Better Buildings Energy Data Accelerator was a two-year partnership with cities and…

As social media expands its many channels – LinkedIn, Twitter, Skype – so do the innovative tactics institutions use to reach their communities. Arlington County, Va., pursued a non-traditional way of engaging both residents and the public sector at large. The latest addition to the Arlington…