Energy Department's Better Buildings, Better Plants Program Has Saved $3 Bn in Energy Costs

Today, Secretary Ernest Moniz announced that 12 partners in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings, Better Plants program have met their energy or water savings goals this year, and 30 new partners have joined the program, representing significant growth for the program to accelerate progress in energy and water savings. Since President Obama launched the Better Buildings, Better Plants program five years ago, partners have saved more than $3 billion in cumulative energy costs.

The Better Buildings, Better Plants Program is part of the broader Better Buildings Initiative, launched in 2011. The goal of the Better Buildings program is to make commercial, public, industrial, and residential buildings 20 percent more energy efficient over ten years from when partners join the program.

With these new members, Better Plants partners now represent more than 11 percent of the manufacturing sector’s total energy footprint, with over 2,500 facilities across the United States. So far, partners have reported cumulative energy savings of 600 trillion BTUs, and nearly 35 million metric tons of avoided climate-changing carbon emissions.

“This hugely successful program involves thousands of facilities, avoiding millions of metric tons of carbon emissions and saving billions of dollars in energy costs. The progress that our Better Plants partners have made throughout the Obama Administration indicates that American companies are committed to reducing the energy footprint of their operations,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “That commitment is essential for America to continue making important strides toward a low-carbon future.”