U.S. Energy Department’s Better Plants Initiative Saved $9.3 Billion in Energy Costs

The U.S. Energy Department on Oct. 14 released a progress report of its Better Buildings, Better Plants program that aims to decarbonize the industrial sector. To date, over 250 manufacturers and water utilities have embraced efficiency and decarbonization measures, achieving cumulative savings of $9.3 billion in costs and 1.9 quadrillion British thermal units of energy, according to the report. The program is part of the 2011 Better Buildings Initiative aimed to enhance energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings, and industrial plants by expediting investment and sharing best practices. The achievements contribute to the Biden administration’s goal of reaching a net-zero economy by 2050.

With 20 new partners, the Better Plants program now includes 3,500 facilities across almost every major industrial sector and13.8 percent of the domestic manufacturing energy footprint. Better Plants participants voluntarily pledge to reduce portfolio-wide energy intensity by over 25 percent in 10 years, and the department supports them through technical resources, peer-to-peer tutoring, technology validation and training, and workforce development. Sixteen partners joined at the program level and four moved up to the Better Plants Challenge program, with an additional commitment to share their energy efficiency solutions and data for other industrial companies to benefit.

A total of seven partners in the program and challenge level achieved or surpassed their ambitious energy intensity reduction goals in 2021: Ford Motor Company, Orange Water and Sewer Authority, Owens Corning, Steelcase, Alumalloy Metal Casting Company, AstraZeneca, and Proctor & Gamble. These companies met or exceeded their pledged goals of 20 to 25 percent reduction of energy intensity reduction in 10 years.

Four partners, Ingersoll Rand, Sherwin-Williams, Comau, and Graphic Packaging International LLC previously met their goals and repledged with new targets this year. For both Graphic Packaging and Sherwin-Williams, these updated goals are related to new mergers and acquisitions which increased the firms’ overall energy footprint.