The Energy Department announced on September 30 that the Better Buildings, Better Plants Program has saved $2.4 billion during the past five years. The program rests on a pledge by manufacturers and water and wastewater treatment agencies to cut energy intensity by about 25 percent over a ten year period.
The department said that nine entities met their goal for this year and that 21 organizations -- including 12 water and wastewater treatment agencies -- have opted into the program. New entrants include 3M; Bentley Mills; Harbec; Ingersoll Rand; Johnson & Johnson; Roche Diagnostics; Shaw Industries Group; Volvo Group North America and Weyerhaeuser Wood Products.
Now, there are almost 160 industrial organizations with more than 2,400 facilities in the program. They consume about 2.2 quadrillion BTUs of energy, which is about 11.4 percent of U.S. manufacturers' use.
Yesterday, Energy Manager Today reported that Volvo Group North America – one of the companies that met its goal for 2015 – has installed a solar canopy over the parking lot of its facility in Hagerstown, MD.
