Integrative Design: A Disruptive Source of Expanding Returns to Investments in Energy Efficiency

Integrative design applies engineering principles to whole systems rather than individual components, potentially creating expanding returns on energy efficiency investments where large-scale savings cost less than smaller, conventional gains.

• Integrative design achieves significantly higher energy and resource efficiency by shifting the design logic and asking different questions while still applying standard engineering principles.
• Optimizing entire systems for multiple benefits, as opposed to optimizing separate components for single benefits, typically results in end-use efficiency gains that are more substantial and less expensive than traditional expectations.
• Unlike typical energy efficiency investments that face diminishing returns, integrative design can produce expanding returns, meaning order-of-magnitude energy savings can cost less than minimal savings.

APA

RMI (2010). Integrative Design: A Disruptive Source of Expanding Returns to Investments in Energy Efficiency. https://rmi.org/resources/integrative-design-a-disruptive-source-of-expanding-returns-to-investments-in-energy-efficiency/

Chicago

RMI. Integrative Design: A Disruptive Source of Expanding Returns to Investments in Energy Efficiency. 2010. https://rmi.org/resources/integrative-design-a-disruptive-source-of-expanding-returns-to-investments-in-energy-efficiency/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Integrative Design: A Disruptive Source of Expanding Returns to Investments in Energy Efficiency |date=17 May 2010 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/integrative-design-a-disruptive-source-of-expanding-returns-to-investments-in-energy-efficiency/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2010integrative, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Integrative Design: A Disruptive Source of Expanding Returns to Investments in Energy Efficiency}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2010}, month = may, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/integrative-design-a-disruptive-source-of-expanding-returns-to-investments-in-energy-efficiency/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }