Better Plants Program Improves Industrial Facility Efficiency

Manufacturing facilities that are participating in the DOE’s Better Plants challenge are seeing large efficiency benefits, according to a new report that shows partners in the program have reported saving 457 trillion BTUs of electricity and $2.4 billion. Additionally, the program has seen increased participation and scope, with 21 organizations joining over the past year, including 12 from the now-included water and wastewater treatment sector. Beyond energy efficiency improvements, initiatives have also resulted in savings of 357 million gallons of water so far.

The program, which requires manufacturers to set a specific goal for energy intensity reduction, reports that members’ improvement rate is higher than government agency “business-as-usual” estimates, coming in at 2.1%. If the existing program participants continue to sustain an average improvement rate of 2.5% per year – which would keep them on track with the program’s standard 25% improvement over 10 year goal – cumulative savings could reach up to $11 billion by 2020, avoiding nearly 27 million tons of CO₂ emissions. Learn more about potential savings and how to sign your organization up at the Better Plants Program’s website.