How RMI Is Accelerating Demand-Side Transformation to Deliver Ambitious Equitable Climate Outcomes for Buildings

This briefing by RMI outlines a demand-side strategy to decarbonize the buildings sector, which accounts for nearly 40 percent of global carbon dioxide pollution. The document advocates for a combination of full electrification, holistic energy efficiency retrofits, the reduction of embodied carbon in construction materials, and a commitment to equitable delivery for underserved communities.

• The buildings sector is a primary driver of global emissions, contributing nearly 40 percent of climate-disrupting carbon dioxide pollution. This pollution stems from three main sources: electricity demand for lighting and appliances (often fossil-fuel generated), the on-site burning of fossil fuels (mainly gas) for cooking and heating, and the fossil energy used to produce construction materials such as steel and cement.
• Decarbonizing buildings in the United States requires addressing the massive scale of on-site fossil fuel use, with over 70 million buildings currently burning fossil fuels for operations, including 24 million low-income households. RMI argues that electrification via heat pumps and induction stoves is now more economically viable than relying on price-volatile fossil fuels, biogas, or hydrogen.
• Holistic, whole-building retrofits are presented as a critical tool for reducing indirect emissions and lowering the overall cost of the clean energy transition by reducing the need for new power infrastructure. The document highlights the importance of providing these retrofits at little to no upfront cost for low-income families to ensure equity and affordability.
• Embodied carbon from the production of construction materials like concrete and steel accounts for approximately 10 percent of all global climate pollution. RMI suggests that through whole-building design and procurement practices, embodied carbon can be reduced by 19–46 percent with a cost premium of no more than 1 percent.
• The document emphasizes that building-sector transformation must center on inclusivity and justice, specifically targeting benefits toward frontline, overburdened, and underserved communities of color and low-income populations who have historically borne the brunt of housing and energy injustices.

APA

RMI (2022). How RMI Is Accelerating Demand-Side Transformation to Deliver Ambitious Equitable Climate Outcomes for Buildings. https://rmi.org/resources/how-rmi-is-accelerating-demand-side-transformation/

Chicago

RMI. How RMI Is Accelerating Demand-Side Transformation to Deliver Ambitious Equitable Climate Outcomes for Buildings. 2022. https://rmi.org/resources/how-rmi-is-accelerating-demand-side-transformation/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=How RMI Is Accelerating Demand-Side Transformation to Deliver Ambitious Equitable Climate Outcomes for Buildings |date=23 August 2022 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/how-rmi-is-accelerating-demand-side-transformation/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2022how, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{How RMI Is Accelerating Demand-Side Transformation to Deliver Ambitious Equitable Climate Outcomes for Buildings}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/how-rmi-is-accelerating-demand-side-transformation/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }