U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Building Technologies Office – Better Buildings Partners

Progress

A line graph with the headline Residential Building Upgrades Performed Since Program Launch. It shows that in the fourth quarter of 2010 there were about 2,500, the first quarter of 2011 had about 7,000, the second quarter of 2011 had about 10,000, the third quarter of 2011 had about 13,000, the fourth quarter of 2011 had about 17,000, the first quarter of 2012 had about 22,000, the second quarter of 2012 had about 26,000, and the third quarter of 2012 had about 37,000, the forth quarter had about 60,000. A line graph with the headline Commercial Building Space Upgraded Since Program Launch (sq. ft.). It shows that in 2010 there were 0, then in 2011 it rose to 2.5 million in the second quarter, 5 million in the third quarter, 10 million in the fourth quarter, 15 million in the first quarter of 2012, 22 million in the second quarter of 2012, then 40 million in the third quarter of 2012, the forth quarter had about 47 million.

DOE's Better Buildings Neighborhood Program hit the ground running in mid-2010. Since September 2010, all of the partners have launched local programs – testing program delivery business models that will work for their communities. The ultimate goal remains the same: to make energy efficiency more accessible to homes and businesses from coast to coast. More than 47,000 homes and 60 million square feet of commercial building space were upgraded through December 2012.

By the end of 2013, Better Buildings Neighborhood Program partners are working to:

  • Develop sustainable energy efficiency upgrade programs
  • Upgrade more than 100,000 residential and commercial buildings to be more energy efficient
  • Save consumers approximately $65 million annually on their energy bills
  • Achieve 15% to 30% energy savings from energy efficiency upgrades
  • Reduce the cost of energy efficiency program delivery by 20% or more
  • Engage 10,000 to 30,000 contractors in work on energy efficiency upgrades
  • Leverage $1 to $3 billion in additional resources.

Through the use of innovative approaches to achieve energy and financial savings, Better Buildings Neighborhood Program partners are showing real progress and success in meeting these goals while promoting increased comfort for homeowners, lower operating costs for businesses, and local job growth. To see recent program successes, download the presentation from the Efficiency Cities Network webinar held on November 6, 2012.

Watch the Video

Learn how Better Buildings Neighborhood Program partners are training and expanding their local contractor workforce and supporting professional jobs in their communities.

View the text version of the video.