A ’BETTER’ Way Forward for Low-Cost, Accessible Retrofits

Berkeley Lab developed a tool called BETTER, the Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits, which has helped hundreds of organizations save millions in auditing and energy costs. (Credit: iStock) Building operations account for a whopping 35% of U.S. carbon dioxide emissions. A free online tool developed by Berkeley Lab with support from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Building Technologies Office (BTO) - the Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits ( BETTER ) - is helping to bring that number down by virtually evaluating buildings for immediate noand low-cost energy efficiency upgrades. BETTER eliminates the need for costly in-person initial assessments, and its recommendations for simple energy efficiency improvements allow building owners to immediately cut energy use, cost, and greenhouse gas emissions by 5 to 10% while prioritizing facilities for more in-depth assessments based on their potential for deeper energy savings. A total of 480 organizations have taken advantage of the tool since its initial release in 2020. A California state agency recently used it to audit 450 buildings, avoiding $3.3 million in in-person audit costs. The planned retrofits in nine of these buildings will save taxpayers an estimated $800,000 annually.