The Better Buildings Challenge was launched by President Obama with the goal of improving the efficiency of commercial, institutional and multi-family buildings and industrial plants by 20 percent or more over ten years. Organizations that have agreed to meet the challenge must conduct an energy efficiency assessment of their building portfolio, pledge an organization-wide energy savings goal, implement a plan to achieve those savings, and showcase at least one project to share the results of their efforts.
More than 120 organizations have committed to becoming Partners of the Better Buildings Challenge, including state agencies and municipalities, educational institutions, and corporations in various commercial markets, such as retail, hospitality, commercial real estate, and healthcare. Manufacturing firms participate through the Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge, which is the industrial component of the program. Some of these firms were awarded recognition at the World Energy Engineering Conference in Washington last month. Data from the Department of Energy indicates that many facilities can save 15% or more annually through projects with paybacks of less than three years.