Preparing buildings for retrofits traditionally requires expensive on-site audits or time-
intensive simulation models. As a result, the majority of buildings fail to pursue cost-saving
retrofits. To address these barriers, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has introduced the
Building Efficiency Targeting Tool for Energy Retrofits (BETTER)—a new, free, on-line tool
that utilizes a data-driven analytical engine and user-friendly web interface to automatically
analyze a building’s monthly energy usage in response to weather conditions. The tool
benchmarks a building’s electric and fossil energy usage against peers; estimates energy, cost,
and emissions reductions at the building and portfolio levels; recommends energy efficiency
measures; and prioritizes buildings for net-zero energy retrofits. Thanks to interoperability with
the DOE’s Standard Energy Efficiency Data (SEED) platform, BETTER is supporting U.S.
jurisdictions to prepare buildings for retrofit at speed, scale, and low cost to comply with energy
policies. This paper discusses the use of BETTER and SEED 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 greenhouse gas emissions. It describes the
organization’s challenge to reduce energy consumption across a geographically diverse, aging
portfolio; explores how BETTER and SEED improved workflow efficiency; presents
preliminary results, including avoiding audit costs of $3.28 million and developing the
groundwork for retrofit projects estimated to prevent emission of 2,271 t CO2e annually; and
provides guidance for other jurisdictions seeking similar results.