BuildSmart NY Innovators Summit Offers Sneak Peek at Better Buildings Challenge Solutions to Come
As the newest state partner in the Better Buildings Challenge, New York is off to an impressive start. New York is committed to making its entire portfolio of buildings 20% more efficient by 2020. This is approximately 205 million square feet of real estate, including universities, prisons, mental health hospitals, office buildings, and facilities that house its trains, buses, and equipment.
The New York Power Authority’s BuildSmart NY program is spearheading the state’s ambitious efficiency improvements. Already, the state is reaping the rewards of efficiency at work— saving 4.7% in the first year. In just the first six months of 2014, New York has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 14,650 tons annually and cut its energy bills by more than $4 million/yr.
With progress being made, New York is looking ahead at the next set of energy savings opportunities and learning from demonstrated successes. This week at the BuildSmart NY Innovators Summit agencies came together to share best practices, participate in panel discussions, and network with other energy efficiency companies. Top performing agencies were recognized as Super Savers for their progress in meeting the 20% efficiency goal. Read more about the awards in New York’s press release.
Through the Better Buildings Challenge, New York will share its most innovative and successful solutions and back up the results of efficiency projects with actual energy data. The state will feature its most effective strategies in the form of showcase projects and implementation models on the Better Buildings Challenge website and the Energy Department will work with New York to share these solutions more broadly with the nation.
You can learn more about New York’s recent achievements in the BuildSmart NY Annual Report.