Resilient, Carbon-Free Buildings Are Within Reach

RMI advocates for integrating building decarbonization with resilience efforts to combat climate-driven power outages and emissions. The briefing emphasizes 'passive measures'—such as envelope retrofits—as a priority to manage peak electricity demand, lower utility costs, and significantly extend the 'hours of safety' for occupants during extreme heat and cold.

• Building construction and operations are a critical sector for decarbonization because they account for 35 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.
• Integrating resilience and decarbonization allows for "opportunistic decarbonization," where sustainable materials and electric equipment are selected proactively. This approach improves the durability and longevity of equipment, which reduces embodied carbon—the emissions associated with a building's lifecycle.
• Passive measures are prioritized to manage peak energy load and improve energy affordability and equity. In New York State, while simple electrification of residential buildings could increase peak electricity demand by 123 percent by 2050, combining electrification with residential envelope retrofits would reduce that growth by 27 percent.
• Passive measures increase the ability of occupants to shelter in place during power outages. In existing buildings, these measures can extend the duration of safe indoor conditions by up to 120 percent during extreme cold and up to 140 percent during extreme heat.

APA

RMI (2024). Resilient, Carbon-Free Buildings Are Within Reach. https://rmi.org/resources/resilient-carbon-free-buildings-are-within-reach/

Chicago

RMI. Resilient, Carbon-Free Buildings Are Within Reach. 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/resilient-carbon-free-buildings-are-within-reach/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Resilient, Carbon-Free Buildings Are Within Reach |date=22 October 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/resilient-carbon-free-buildings-are-within-reach/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024resilient, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Resilient, Carbon-Free Buildings Are Within Reach}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/resilient-carbon-free-buildings-are-within-reach/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }