BETTER V1.7.1 is online.
Aug. 31, 2024
Visit the Changelog to learn about new features in V1.7.1
BETTER Featured at the 2024 American Council for Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Summer Study.
Aug. 5, 2024
Click here to read the recent paper included in the 2024 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings: New U.S. Data Tools are Playing a Crucial Role in Decarbonizing Buildings at Speed, Scale, and Low Cost. The paper discusses the use of BETTER and the U.S. DOE Standard Energy Efficiency Data (SEED) platform by one of the branches of the California state government to streamline a retrofit program across 455 public non-residential buildings to align with state goals to reduce GHG emissions.
New Data Privacy and Use Terms for BETTER are Released.
July 26, 2024
Visit here to learn about BETTER's new data privacy and use terms.
BETTER V1.7 is online.
June 30, 2024
Visit the Changelog to learn about new features in V1.7
Mexico’s National Energy Efficiency Commission Endorses Use of BETTER | Mexico to Meet Federal Energy Savings Targets.
May 6, 2024
Building managers and operators of the 7,582 buildings that are part of the Mexico Federal Public Administration Program (APF), which seeks to reduce energy consumption by 3% annually across federal government facilities, can use the BETTER | Mexico toolkit to meet annual energy-saving targets without costly energy audits. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the National Commission for the Efficient Use of Energy (CONUEE) comparing the results of energy performance evaluations using BETTER | Mexico and the Mexico national building energy Benchmarking Tool. Support for BETTER | Mexico comes from USAID/Mexico and the USAID Energy Efficiency for Development (EE4D) program.
Renew America's Nonprofits Program Highlights BETTER.
Feb. 27, 2024
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Renew America's Nonprofits program hosted an informational webinar about the importance of energy efficiency as a first step in preparing nonprofits for solar. The webinar introduced BETTER for benchmarking and identifying low-cost improvements. Access the webinar recording here.
Dec. 14, 2023
Click on the handout to access the nonprofit case study.
BETTER V1.6 is online.
Nov. 24, 2023
Visit the Changelog to learn about new features in V1.6
BETTER | Mexico Gains Traction!
Nov. 10, 2023
Since launching in May 2023, BETTER | Mexico has 76 registered users who have entered nearly 500 buildings, covering approximately 90 million square feet. This work is supported by USAID/Mexico through the EE4D program.
BETTER V1.5.1 is online.
Oct. 18, 2023
Visit the Changelog to learn about new features in V1.5.1
BETTER V1.5 is online.
Sept. 15, 2023
Visit the Changelog to learn about new features in V1.5
USAID Power Tunisia Partners with Berkeley Lab to Enhance BETTER | Tunisia
July 26, 2023
USAID Power Tunisia is working with Berkeley Lab to increase the size of BETTER | Tunisia’s hotel energy database in order to deliver more accurate and precise benchmarking and net zero retrofit analysis of hotels in Tunisia. This work is supported by USAID/Tunisia through the EE4D program.
Berkeley Lab Introduces BETTER | Tunisia to Fédération Tunisienne d'Hôtellerie (FTH)
July 15, 2023
Berkeley Lab introduces BETTER | Tunisia to FTH, Tunisia's national hotel industry association, and explores opportunities to train its members, managing 70% of all Tunisian hotels, on energy efficiency and net zero energy strategies. This work is supported by USAID/Tunisia through the EE4D program.
BETTER V1.4 is online.
July 12, 2023
Visit the Changelog to learn about new features in V1.4
Acciona Pilots BETTER | Mexico to Support Net Zero Energy Retrofits
July 11, 2023
Acciona, one of Mexico's largest energy service providers, pilots BETTER to support net zero energy retrofit analysis in its corporate portfolio. This work is supported by USAID/Mexico through the EE4D program.
Five Mexican States Trained on BETTER | Mexico
June 30, 2023
The USAID Mexico Partnership for Net Zero Cities (MPNZC) delivered training on BETTER | Mexico to building operators in Mexico City, Nuevo Leon, Jalisco, Sonora, and Yucatan in support of Mexico's goal to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This work is supported by USAID/Mexico through the EE4D and MPNZC programs.
BETTER | Tunisia Goes Live!
June 30, 2023
BETTER | Tunisia is a French translation of the BETTER toolkit and adds a building energy database and benchmarking statistics specific to Tunisia. Support for development and validation of BETTER | Tunisia comes from USAID/Tunisia, the USAID EE4D program, and the National Agency for Energy Management (ANME) in Tunisia.
BETTER | Mexico Incorporated into Technological Institute of Construction (ITC) Academic Programs
June 16, 2023
The ITC, the training arm of the Mexican Chamber of the Construction Industry (CMIC), is leveraging BETTER | Mexico to support ITC academic programs and analyze energy consumption in private buildings. ITC’s training network includes campuses in six Mexican states and 40 learning centers affiliated with CMIC across Mexico. This work is supported by USAID/Mexico through the EE4D program.
Video Success Story: BETTER | Mexico Helps Companies Cut Energy Use by 6% in Five Months
June 16, 2023
See how private companies in Mexico, such as Citibanamex, are using BETTER | Mexico to cut energy usage, costs, and GHG emissions under the Mexico City Efficient Buildings Challenge. This work is supported by USAID/Mexico through the EE4D program.
BETTER | Mexico Goes Live!
May 5, 2023
BETTER | Mexico is a Spanish translation of the BETTER toolkit and adds energy database and benchmarking statistics specific to Mexico. Support for development and validation of BETTER | Mexico comes from USAID/Mexico, the USAID EE4D program, and the Mexico City Secretariat of the Environment (SEDEMA).
BETTER V1.3 is online
May 5, 2023
Visit the Changelog to learn about new features in V1.3
Government of Ecuador Trained on BETTER
April 28, 2023
Berkeley Lab delivered training on BETTER for the “Talks About Energy Efficiency in Industry, Construction, and Sustainable Public Procurement” seminar series organized by the Ecuadorian Accreditation Service (SAE). The event included the participation of the Ecuador Ministry of Energy and the Ecuador Ministry of Production, Investment, Foreign Trade and Fisheries, among other government agencies, research institutions, and industry entities. This work is supported by USAID/Mexico through the EE4D program.
BETTER Adds French and Spanish Language Toggles
April 28, 2023
BETTER is now available for use in French and Spanish. This work is supported by USAID/Tunisia and USAID/Mexico through the EE4D program.
BETTER Adds Net Zero Energy Analysis Capability
April 19, 2023
Thanks to a new application programming interface (API) connection with National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s PVWatts® Calculator, BETTER now assesses both energy savings through energy efficiency upgrades and the electricity generation potential from installation of rooftop solar photovoltaic panels to quickly and easily target buildings for net zero energy retrofits. This work is supported by USAID/Mexico through the EE4D program.
Quintana Roo, Mexico Hotels Pilot BETTER
April 9, 2023
With support from The Secretariat of Tourism, Quintana Roo hotels used BETTER to identify energy efficiency measures that will result in economic and environmental benefits. The analysis was the first of its kind to engage the hotel industry in Mexico and demonstrated how implementing energy efficiency measures under a high ambition scenario could cut annual energy costs by 40% (13 gigawatts), equivalent to the energy used to power 9.7 million houses for one year. This work is supported by USAID/Mexico through the EE4D program.
The Efficient Healthy Schools Campaign Trains U.S. School Districts on BETTER
March 14, 2023
To help K-12 school districts in the United States reduce energy waste, Berkeley Lab partnered with the New Buildings Institute (NBI) to provide training on using BETTER to identify cost-saving energy efficiency measures in school buildings. Click here to access the recording of the training. This outreach is supported by DOE through the Efficient Healthy Schools Campaign.
BETTER V1.2 is online
Feb. 17, 2023
Visit the Changelog to learn about new features in V1.2
Fibra Uno Pilots BETTER to Accelerate Net Zero Energy Retrofits
Jan. 13, 2023
Fibra Uno, Latin America and Mexico's first and largest Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), with a real estate portfolio accounting for roughly 30% of all properties belonging to REITs in Mexico, is piloting BETTER to accelerate energy efficiency and net zero energy retrofits for nearly 100 of its properties across Mexico. A 10 percent reduction in Fibra Uno’s energy consumption will avoid emission of 695,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and demonstrate an approach for decarbonizing real estate investment portfolios at speed, scale, and low-cost for 2,000 REIT properties in Mexico. This work is supported by USAID/Mexico through the EE4D program.
BETTER Includes New Heuristics and Measures to Improve Window Energy Performance
Nov. 18, 2022
New heuristics and resources have been added to BETTER to improve the targeting and implementing of solutions to improve window energy performance in buildings. This includes adding new heuristics and resources to identify and implement upgrades to windows to reduce solar heat gain (e.g., adding secondary glazing systems) and to improve thermal efficiency of windows (e.g., increasing window insulation).
November 17, 2022
ICDI, a Taiwanese think tank, is leveraging the BETTER open-source code for development of an online tool to serve as an instrument to evaluate the energy consumption of Taiwanese buildings.
Training Sessions Held on the Use of BETTER to Advance Energy Efficiency in Buildings in Mexico
Aug. 9, 2022
Berkeley Lab held a virtual training session for the National Commission for the Efficient Use of Energy (CONUEE) on the use of BETTER. The session was attended by the CONUEE Director who indicated that BETTER will be used to conduct a test to analyze energy performance by public buildings in Mexico City and the State of Mexico. Another training session on BETTER was held in a hybrid format on August 10, 2022 for participants of the Efficient Building Challenge, an initiative led by WRI Mexico and the Mexico City Secretariat of the Environment (SEDEMA) aimed at reducing energy consumption in public and commercial buildings in Mexico City. This session included a live demonstration and a review of energy saving recommendations generated by BETTER. For more, visit EE4D.
BETTER Continues to Gain Traction
Aug. 3, 2022
Since the launch of BETTER V1.0 in July 2020, more than 4300 buildings, covering approximately 350 million square feet of floor space across 50 countries and 16 sectors have been entered in BETTER. On a monthly basis, approximately 25 new users register and enter an additional 360 buildings and 30 million square feet of floor space.
BETTER Supports A Pilot Project for Clean Development in the Hotel Industry in Quintana Roo, Mexico
July 15, 2022
As part of an ongoing engagement and collaboration with the Secretariats of Ecology/Environment and Tourism of Quintana Roo, Mexico, Berkeley Lab is providing technical assistance to support a pilot program for clean development of the hotel industry in the state, which receives 47% of all international tourists in Mexico. Hotels participating in the pilot program will provide energy consumption data to be uploaded in BETTER to analyze energy consumption patterns and identify low or no-cost energy efficiency measures that will result in economic and environmental benefits. An informative session held on July 14, 2022 with Berkeley Lab and hotel facilities operators provided details on the use of BETTER and opened the registration period to participate in the pilot program. For more, visit EE4D.
BETTER Introduced to Mexico’s Federal Energy Efficiency Agency
July 7, 2022
Berkeley Lab delivered a virtual workshop to officials at the National Commission for the Efficient Use of Energy (CONUEE) on the properties and functionality of BETTER. The agenda of the workshop included a discussion of the potential adoption of a customized version of BETTER for Mexico to support CONUEE’s data gathering efforts and program design targeting private and public buildings. The partnership with CONUEE and the development of a customized version of BETTER will help in creating the data infrastructure needed to expand technical assistance activities to increase energy efficiency uptake in Mexico’s building sector. For more, visit EE4D
The Efficient Buildings Challenge in Mexico City Utilizes BETTER
May 26, 2022
World Resources Institute (WRI) Mexico and the Mexico City Secretariat of the Environment (SEDEMA), with support from the National Commission for the Efficient Use of Energy (CONUEE), the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and Berkeley Lab launched the second phase of the Efficient Buildings Challenge (EBC) in Mexico City this week. BETTER will be among the software tools utilized in the second phase of EBC to assist buildings to reduce energy usage by 10 percent annually. For more, visit EE4D.
BETTER Introduced to the National Agency for Energy Management in Tunisia (ANME)
January, 2022
Berkeley Lab introduced BETTER to a group of local experts from public and private institutions in Tunisia. As a result of the webinar, ANME will collect a set of data to work with Berkeley Lab in order to customize and pilot BETTER for Tunisia’s hotel sector. For more, visit EE4D.
BETTER is helping state agencies and school districts to decarbonize their buildings while saving taxpayers money.
Nov. 5, 2021
BETTER is being used to identify buildings in New England’s underserved neighborhoods that are most in need of energy improvements through a program called Rapid Retrofits
BETTER V1.0 is online
July 30, 2021
BETTER V1.0 is live!
June 23, 2021
Learn why approximately 400 organizations are turning to BETTER to decarbonize their building portfolios.
June 11, 2021
A new U.S. DOE data tools website for cities interested in pursuing building performance standards (BPS) features BETTER.
Energy Management During COVID-19: Utilizing Benchmarking Tools to Target Cost Savings Opportunities
April 27, 2021
Berkeley Lab and Energy Resources Integration (ERI) presented at the CxEnergy virtual conference on how BETTER is being used to assess a portfolio of 450 California state agency buildings, target buildings for audits, validate audit findings, and perform longitudinal benchmarking.
BETTER was named a semi-finalist for the 2021 EarthX Climate-Tech Prize – an award which connects early-stage developers with investors
April 26, 2021
Berkeley Lab presents at the Woodrow Wilson Center China Environment Forum webcast on BETTER and the evolution of building energy efficiency benchmarking and analysis tools to speed decarbonization of existing buildings in China and the United States. Click here to listen to the recorded session.
Berkeley Lab Delivers a Guest Lecture on BETTER at Fanshawe College
April 7, 2021
Berkeley Lab delivered a guest lecture on BETTER to graduate students in Fanshawe College's Building Energy Modeling Course as part of Johnson Controls' Global Sustainability Network Earth Month outreach activities.
Oct. 1, 2020
The R&D 100 Awards have served as the most prestigious innovation awards program for the past 58 years, honoring great R&D pioneers and their revolutionary ideas in science and technology. BETTER won the award in the Software/Service category. Click here for more.
Sept. 4, 2020
BETTER wins the 2020 LBNL Director's Award for Exceptional Achievement in Technology Transfer which recognizes the BETTER team's exemplary efforts in building relationships with industry to advance the science of data-driven, remote building energy analysis to improve building energy efficiency at speed and scale worldwide.
July 28, 2020
BETTER Beta is online
May 5, 2020
Beta version of BETTER is live!
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Calculations Available
April 8, 2020
BETTER can now estimate potential GHG emissions reductions for buildings and portfolios hrough improved energy efficiency.
Portfolio Report Updates
Feb. 19, 2020
Updated the portfolio report to show energy consumption and savings breakdown, and most frequently recommended energy efficiency measures
New Version of Data Entry Template
Feb. 2, 2020
The data entry template is updated. The new template adds more energy units which are the same as the units used in ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®
BETTER Alpha is online
Aug. 6, 2019
Alpha version of BETTER is live!