The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Buildings

The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Buildings provides a framework for regional governments to reduce emissions in the building sector, which contributes nearly one-third of global emissions. It recommends three primary actions: establishing net-zero codes for new buildings, mandating energy efficiency upgrades for existing buildings, and requiring utilities to implement energy-savings programs through energy efficiency resource standards (EERS).

• Regional governments are encouraged to implement net-zero codes for new buildings, either through immediate requirements or a phased-in approach. These policies should prioritize deep energy efficiency and include requirements for on-site solar and access to local renewable energy.
• To address existing buildings, the guide recommends requiring them to meet specific energy efficiency standards. These can take the form of building-equipment efficiency standards or targets for energy consumption metrics, such as energy consumption per unit area, tailored to the building's use type.
• The guide suggests establishing energy efficiency resource standards (EERS) via legislation or regulation. This requires utilities and energy supply chain administrators to develop energy-savings programs for customers, ideally coordinated with a renewable portfolio standard (RPS).

APA

RMI (2018). The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Buildings. https://rmi.org/resources/carbon-free-regions-handbook-buildings/

Chicago

RMI. The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Buildings. 2018. https://rmi.org/resources/carbon-free-regions-handbook-buildings/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Buildings |date=26 August 2018 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/carbon-free-regions-handbook-buildings/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2018carbonfree, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{The Carbon-Free Regions Handbook: Buildings}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/carbon-free-regions-handbook-buildings/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }