DOE’s Better Buildings, Better Plants Participants Cut Billions in Energy Costs

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by | Oct 15, 2021

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More than 250 manufacturers and water utilities have introduced energy efficiency and decarbonization measures that have saved $9.3 billion in energy costs, according to a new report by the US Department of Energy.

The DOE updated the progress of its Better Buildings, Better Plants program, which in addition to the energy savings shows that several companies involved in the program, including Ford, Procter & Gamble and Owens Corning, have achieved their energy goals over the past year. The report also says that businesses such as Ingersoll Rand, Sherwin-Williams and Graphic Packaging achieved their energy reduction goals and replaced those with new strategies.

The DOE said 74 energy and water goals were met as part of the program over the past year.

The Better Buildings, Better Plants Program’s goal is to decarbonize the industrial sector. It includes every major US industrial area and represents almost 14% of the manufacturing footprint in the US. Partners of the program have pledged to reduce energy intensity by about 25% over 10 years.

Also as part of the DOE program, several businesses will test emerging clean energy technologies to improve their water treatment efficiency through the Industrial Technology Validation Pilot. Those companies include Ahlstrom-Munksjö, Nissan North America, Toyota North America and Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., and they will participate in the pilot in partnership with the DOE’s National Laboratories.

Thirty participants in the Better Buildings, Better Plants program also are participating in the Low Carbon Pilot, which the DOE says it will work with the businesses to find ways to achieve low-carbon manufacturing and then will share the results with their industry peers.

The DOE has been active in such programs to improve energy efficiency across industries. It recently invested $61 million in 10 other pilot programs to use new technology to make smart and energy efficient buildings. The agency also offered $127 million to small businesses working on clean energy technology.

There were 16 businesses that joined the Better Buildings, Better Plants Program over the past year, according to the update. In addition to the 250 businesses that participate, some 3,500 plants are involved in the program.

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