An Update on President Obama's 'Better Building Initiative'

A press release and fact sheet about the accomplishments of the Obama Administration's "Better Building Initiative" includes three new national programs designed to improve the efficiency and resilience of the built environment.

1 minute read

May 12, 2016, 1:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The White House put out a fact sheet and press release announcing the accomplishments of the Better Building Initiative—designed to partner the Department of Energy "with leading organizations in every state across the country to drive increased investment in energy efficiency and overcome the barriers that prevent many organizations and consumers from capturing these benefits."

According to the fact sheet, there are now more than 750 organizations engaged in the Better Buildings Initiative, with partnerships and energy savings more than tripling over than past five years.

The fact sheet also announces new partnerships and progress updates on behalf of U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and the U.S. Secretary for Housing and Urban Development Julián Castro, including three new programs in collaboration with all 50 states, 17 new examples of businesses, states, and cities achieving Better Building challenge goals, and additional energy savings accomplishments.

The three aforementioned programs include the Clean Energy in Low Income Communities Accelerator, the Combined Heat and Power for Resiliency Accelerator, and the Wastewater Infrastructure Accelerator

Wednesday, May 11, 2016 in The White House

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