There are many different ways to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings & Better Plants Initiative. View the list of partnership options to find the best fit for your organization and join us. For more information, view the Better Buildings & Better Plants Initiative Overview and FAQ. Contact us if you have questions.
Better Buildings Challenge Partners
This leadership initiative challenges CEOs and executives of leading U.S. companies, university presidents, state and local government leaders, and multifamily housing and building owners to commit their organizations to reduce energy use by at least 20% within 10 years and to share their strategies and results. The Better Buildings Challenge has amassed hundreds of partners across nine key market sectors.
Better Plants Challenge Partners
The Better Plants Challenge invites CEOs and executives of leading industrial sector companies to drive energy intensity reduction, reliability, and competitiveness across U.S. manufacturing and wastewater treatment facilities. Through the Better Plants Challenge, partners voluntarily commit to reduce energy intensity across their U.S. portfolio by at least 25% over a 10-year period and share their strategies and results. To date, hundreds of industrial organizations have joined the Better Plants Challenge.
Initiative Partners
Organizations with a portfolio of buildings or plants that prefer not to set a qualifying portfolio-wide goal can still join the Better Buildings & Better Plants Initiative as an Initiative partner to connect with peers and allies across sectors, apply for annual awards, and share solutions that spotlight achievements.
Better Buildings & Better Plants Accelerators
Better Buildings & Better Plants Accelerators are designed to demonstrate specific innovative policies and approaches that will accelerate investment in energy-saving technologies and practices upon successful demonstration. Each Accelerator is a targeted, short-term, partner-focused activity designed to address persistent barriers to greater energy management.
Home Energy Score
This tool helps homeowners and homebuyers understand how much energy a home is expected to use and provides suggestions for improving its energy performance. The Home Energy Score is based on a standard assessment of energy-related assets to easily compare energy use across the housing market.
Residential Network
Through the Residential Network, organizations focus on accelerating the pace of energy upgrades in existing homes by sharing best practices and increasing collaboration across energy reduction programs.
ISO 50001
50001 Ready's award-winning program enables organizations to implement an energy management system (EnMS) that aligns to the international ISO 50001:2018 energy management standard. The program helps identify energy and capital savings and establish data-driven processes to ensure scalable savings that persist.
Other Initiatives
Better Buildings & Better Plants partners have multiple additional avenues for working with DOE. Some of our special initiatives are listed below; click on them to learn more.
Onsite Energy | Waste Reduction Network | Water Savings Network | Technology Campaigns | Technology Research Teams