Better Buildings - A National Initiative Driving Greater Energy Efficiency in U.S. Buildings

摘要

Launched by President Obama in 2011, Better Buildings is a broad initiative to reduce energy intensity in the commercial, residential, and industrial sectors by 20% over ten years through effective use of tax incentives, financing, state and local policies, corporate leadership, workforce development, and efforts to deliver better information to the marketplace. Through Better Buildings, the Energy Department (DOE) is accelerating energy savings through innovation, leadership, partnerships, and demonstrated best practices. In 2013, the President’s Climate Action Plan called for the expansion of Better Buildings to include multifamily residential housing, and the creation of targeted Accelerators to overcome persistent barriers to energy efficiency in the near term. This paper is divided into three sections. The first provides an overview of the key strategies of Better Buildings and lists for each the accomplishments to date and plans for the future. Second is a discussion of new efforts and finally, included is a detailed exploration of Partner results in the Better Buildings Challenge. 1. Overview and progress updates: details on activities within the four strategic pillars of the Better Buildings Initiative: 1.Developing innovative, replicable solutions with market leaders; 2.Making energy efficiency investment easier and better information more accessible; 3.Developing a skilled clean energy workforce; and 4.Federal leadership by example. 2. New efforts under the Better Buildings Initiative: a discussion of the new Better Buildings Accelerators and the expansion of the Better Buildings Challenge to include multifamily housing, a water savings pilot, and data centers; and 3. Better Buildings Challenge: Exploring results and Partner solutions in depth-- a more detailed look at the significant progress being made by market leaders through the Better Buildings Challenge.