Making America's Buildings Better (Fact Sheet)

This fact sheet is an overview of the U.S. Department of Energy's Building Technologies program. Buildings use more energy than any other sector of the U.S. economy? In fact, buildings consume more than 70% of the electricity and more than 50% of the natural gas Americans use. That's why the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Building Technologies Program (BTP) is working to improve building energy performance through high-impact research, out-reach, and regulatory efforts. These efforts will result in affordable, high-performance homes and commercial buildings. These grid-connected buildings will be more energy efficient than today's typical buildings, with renewable energy providing a portion of the power needs. They will combine energy-smart 'whole building' design and construction, appliances and equipment that minimize plug loads, and cost-effective photovoltaics or other on-site energy systems