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How many companies does it take to change a lightbulb?
February 17, 2016
How many companies does it take to change a lightbulb?
Alison Moodie
Wednesday 17 February 2016 11.00 GMT
Commercial and residential buildings accounted for 41% of all energy produced in the US in 2014, with nearly half of the country’s carbon emissions coming from business and industrial structures. Designing buildings to use energy efficiently – like installing lights that provide the same brightness using less energy, or insulating rooms well to reduce the need for heating and cooling – could save businesses a significant amount of money and reduce their carbon footprint.
In 2011, the US Department of Energy (DOE) launched its Better Buildings Challenge, an initiative to encourage companies to reduce their energy usage by at least 20% within 10 years. The initiative involves nearly 300 organizations, including commercial businesses, universities and municipalities, who collectively have saved 2% on average in energy use annually since 2011.
The latest push by the DOE is a web series, launched today, which highlights what businesses can do to cut wasteful energy. Titled “Better Buildings Challenge Swap”, the series pits two companies against each other, with corresponding team members visiting one another’s properties to pinpoint inefficient energy use and prescribe remedies. In the first few episodes, hotel chain Hilton goes head-to-head with Whole Foods in a three-day swap filmed in December in San Francisco. The DOE says it may produce more episodes if the series attracts interest from more companies.
Read more at The Guardian.
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