Best Practices for Achieving Zero Over Time for Building Portfolios

This guide introduces the Zero Over Time (ZOT) approach for commercial building portfolios, noting that US commercial buildings use 36% of the nation's electricity. It highlights that global retrofit rates must rise from 1% to 3.2% annually to meet COP21's 2040 climate targets.

• Commercial buildings in the United States account for 36% of total electricity consumption and generate annual energy costs exceeding $190 billion.
• To meet the two degree Celsius increase target by 2040 established at COP21, the global annual rate of energy retrofits for existing buildings must increase from approximately 1% to around 3.2%.
• The Zero Over Time (ZOT) approach enables portfolio managers and owners to align investments in energy storage, renewable energy, and deep energy efficiency with specific life-cycle event triggers.

APA

RMI (2018). Best Practices for Achieving Zero Over Time for Building Portfolios. https://rmi.org/resources/zero-over-time-for-building-portfolios/

Chicago

RMI. Best Practices for Achieving Zero Over Time for Building Portfolios. 2018. https://rmi.org/resources/zero-over-time-for-building-portfolios/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Best Practices for Achieving Zero Over Time for Building Portfolios |date=12 September 2018 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/zero-over-time-for-building-portfolios/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2018best, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Best Practices for Achieving Zero Over Time for Building Portfolios}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2018}, month = sep, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/zero-over-time-for-building-portfolios/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }