Better Buildings, Better Plants Partners Have Saved $6.7 Billion

The Department of Energy program's partners represent more than 3,200 facilities and roughly 12% of the U.S. manufacturing energy footprint.

The more than 220 organizations that partner with the Department of Energy (DOE) through the Better Buildings, Better Plants program have cumulatively saved $6.7 billion in energy costs and more than 1.3 quadrillion British thermal units (BTUs). These partners have more than 3,200 facilities and represent roughly 12% of the U.S. manufacturing energy footprint.

manufacturing energy
(Photo: U.S. Department of Energy)

Through the Better Buildings, Better Plants partnership, managed by DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, DOE works with partners who have set ambitious energy, water and/or waste reduction goals. As of 2019, partners have now met and exceeded 60 energy goals. All partners share their energy performance data and solutions with other companies, helping to expand innovation and savings throughout the industrial sector.

Partners of the Better Plants Challenge — a higher-level commitment than the Better Plants program — commit to sharing their solutions and best practices in addition to setting manufacturing energy efficiency goals.

Some highlights from the 2019 Better Plants Annual Progress Update include:

  • 22 new partners have joined the Better Plants Program, including: Autoliv, Alumalloy Metalcastings, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, Custom Glass Solutions, Deschutes Brewery, Durable Products, Estée Lauder, Flowers Foods, GB Manufacturing, Graham Packaging Company, Intralox, MEKRA Lang North America, Michels Corporation, Mitsubushi Electric Automotive America, Ozinga Brothers, Saputo Dairy Foods USA, Shape Corporation, Sugar Creek Packing Company, TitanX Engine Cooling, Tyson Foods, and United Mechanical & Metal Fabricators, Inc.
  • Two partners, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Xerox, have joined the Better Plants Challenge and have committed to publicly share energy performance data and solutions, and set an ambitious energy intensity reduction goal.
  • Five Better Plants Challenge partners have achieved their energy intensity reduction goals: Bentley Mills, Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority (BCWSA), General Mills, J.R. Simplot, and TE Connectivity.
  • Two Better Plants Program partners have achieved their energy intensity reduction goals: CalPortland Company and Navistar.
  • Better Practice and Better Project awards were presented to thirteen partners to recognize their leadership in adopting exceptional energy efficiency solutions.
  • ArcelorMittal, Saint-Gobain Corporation, and Owens Corning are piloting a new Water Efficiency In-Plant Training, which helps participants calculate the true cost of water and look for water savings opportunities in their facilities.
  • As of this year, Better Plants has hosted more than 2,160 participants at more than 120 In-Plant Trainings, helping to identify $40 million dollars in energy cost savings opportunities.
  • In 2019, DOE launched a Waste Reduction Pilot to help partners reduce waste, improve energy performance, and reduce operating costs. Thirteen Better Plants partners joined the pilot to help demonstrate what is achievable in waste reduction.

Read the full 2019 Better Plants Annual Progress Update to learn more about partner successes and how the Better Plants Program boosts competitiveness through improvements in energy efficiency.