Whole System Approach to Decarbonize India's Buildings

This report outlines a whole-system approach to decarbonize India's buildings sector, which currently accounts for roughly 40% of the country's energy use. It argues that without intervention, energy consumption will triple by 2050, but a strategy focusing on low-carbon design and clean energy supply could reduce emissions by a factor of four compared to business-as-usual.

• Building operations and the production of building materials currently account for approximately 40 percent of India's energy use, with operations representing about a third and construction/materials representing about 10 percent.
• If energy-efficiency improvements and policy measures are not implemented, the buildings sector's energy consumption is projected to increase to more than three times current levels by 2050.
• Adopting an integrative whole-system approach focusing on low-carbon design, reduced operational energy needs, efficient service, and clean energy supply could reduce India's buildings-related emissions by a factor of four by 2050 relative to a business-as-usual scenario.

APA

RMI (2022). Whole System Approach to Decarbonize India's Buildings. https://rmi.org/resources/whole-system-approach-to-decarbonize-indias-buildings/

Chicago

RMI. Whole System Approach to Decarbonize India's Buildings. 2022. https://rmi.org/resources/whole-system-approach-to-decarbonize-indias-buildings/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Whole System Approach to Decarbonize India's Buildings |date=9 November 2022 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/whole-system-approach-to-decarbonize-indias-buildings/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2022whole, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Whole System Approach to Decarbonize India's Buildings}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2022}, month = nov, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/whole-system-approach-to-decarbonize-indias-buildings/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }