The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is getting ready to launch Season 2 of “Better Buildings Challenge SWAP.” Filmed as a reality series, the new season features two natural rivals, the U.S. Naval Academy and U.S. Air Force Academy, as they swap energy teams with a mission to improve each campus’ energy efficiency. Watch the trailer here.
SWAP mirrors the goal for DOE’s Better Buildings Challenge, an initiative launched by President Obama in 2011 to improve efficiency of American commercial, institutional, multifamily buildings and industrial plants by 20 percent or more over 10 years –with leading CEOs and executives sharing ideas to help spur billions in new investments and energy savings in their facilities. In addition this season’s SWAP brings light to efforts being made in government buildings, which under the Administration have also grown tremendously.
DOE launched Season 1 of the show earlier this year with Whole Foods Market and Hilton Worldwide making the swap – more than 400,000 viewers tuned in on YouTube as they went behind-the-scenes with the two respected organizations, bringing fresh perspective to energy efficiency efforts in U.S. buildings .
Both Hilton and Whole Foods saw a reduction in energy use at their properties as a result of SWAP. And DOE saw a 24 percent increase in membership of its Better Buildings Challenge initiative, with new organizations coming on board, including Nike, CenturyLink, and U.C. Berkeley.
In Season 2, the Air Force Academy’s energy team examines the energy infrastructure at the Naval Academy’s campus in Annapolis, MD. The Naval Academy’s team does the same at the Air Force Academy’s campus in Colorado Springs, CO. Each partner identifies energy saving solutions in buildings they have never seen before. From opportunities for more solar panels in creative places, to turning food waste into energy with bio digesters, the campuses in Annapolis and Colorado Springs uncovered a wide variety of energy savings opportunities. In addition, students at both academies got the chance to be part of the discovery process and gain valuable insight into how energy efficiency can be improved at their campuses.
Find out what the teams learned from the energy experts at the U.S. Air Force Academy and U.S. Naval Academy when the three-episode web series premiers November 30.