by Brianna Crandall — October 13, 2014—The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recognized 11 companies on October 2 that have met ambitious energy-efficiency goals through the Better Buildings, Better Plants Program. Across the country, manufacturers spend more than $200 billion each year to power their plants. Through the Energy Department’s Better Plants Program, American manufacturers commit to improve their energy intensity by 25 percent over ten years, or an equally ambitious level for their sector.
“Through cost-effective energy efficiency improvements in their factories, American manufacturers are boosting their energy productivity, saving money and protecting the environment by reducing carbon emissions,” said Secretary Ernest Moniz. “As a result, Better Plants Partners have avoided 18.5 million metric tons of carbon emissions to date, which is about the same as the annual emissions from close to five coal-fired power plants. These companies are demonstrating that significant energy savings can be achieved through smart investments that create jobs and strengthen the U.S. manufacturing sector.”
The Department also announced that over the last four years, Better Plants Partners have improved the energy intensity of their operations — a measure of a facility’s energy use per unit of output — by about 2.4 percent annually, far exceeding projected business-as-usual rates for U.S. manufacturers as a whole. The Partners have reportedly avoided 18.5 million metric tons of carbon emissions to date, which is about the same as the annual emissions from close to five coal-fired power plants.
Demonstrating leadership and showcasing initiatives and strategies that have proven successful, 11 Better Plants Partners recently met their goal to improve energy intensity:
- BPM, Inc.
- Celanese International Corp.
- Holcim (U.S.) Inc.
- Legrand North America
- Lennox International Inc.
- Patriot Foundry & Castings
- Procter & Gamble
- Texas Instruments
- ThyssenKrupp Elevator
- Toyota
- Verso Paper Corp.
More than 140 companies currently participate in the Better Plants Program, representing more than 2,300 manufacturing facilities and close to 11 percent of the total U.S. manufacturing energy footprint. Cumulatively, these companies have saved approximately 320 trillion British Thermal Units of energy—equivalent to saving nearly $1.7 billion in energy costs, notes DOE. Earlier this month, the Department welcomed 23 new manufacturers to the Better Plants Program, representing a range of manufacturing sectors.
The Better Buildings, Better Plants Program is part of President Obama’s broader Better Buildings Initiative to help American commercial and industrial buildings become at least 20 percent more energy efficient over the next 10 years. The Initiative also includes the Better Buildings Challenge through which U.S. companies, universities, school districts, multifamily housing owners, and state and local governments have committed to reducing energy use across their building portfolios by 20 percent or more.
The accomplishments above are summarized in the Energy Department’s Better Plants Progress Update 2014.
