This is an excerpt from EERE Network News, a weekly electronic newsletter.

April 24, 2013

Energy Department Highlights Nissan’s Better Plants Challenge Project

The Energy Department on April 17 recognized Nissan’s participation in the Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge and its showcase project at the company’s new energy-efficient paint plant in Smyrna, Tennessee. The 250,000-square-foot Smyrna facility, which opened in January, is expected to cut energy use by almost a third compared to its predecessor.

As a partner in the Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge, Nissan North America has committed to reducing energy use in its three U.S. plants by 25% by 2020, affecting 12 million square feet of plant space. Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge participating organizations receive technical assistance from the Energy Department and share best practices on industrial energy efficiency with other Challenge partners.

Each year, the United States spends about $200 billion just to power commercial buildings and another $200 billion to power industrial facilities. Together, commercial and industrial buildings account for roughly half of the nation’s energy use and more than 40% of U.S. carbon emissions. The Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge serves as the industrial component of President Obama’s broader Better Buildings Challenge, which was launched in December 2011 to help America’s commercial and industrial buildings become at least 20% more efficient over the next decade. See theEnergy Department press release and the Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge website.