Building Efficiency Accelerator Saves Energy in Colombia and Mexico

The World Resources Institute (WRI) supported Bogotá and Mérida in implementing mandatory energy-efficient building regulations by adapting national guidelines to the local level. In Mérida, WRI used the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and multi-stakeholder working groups to identify savings and oversee regulation adoption. In Bogotá, WRI collaborated with the Colombia Green Building Council to improve national guidance and advocate for a city-level energy-efficient building code. By 2018, both cities became the first in their respective countries to adopt such mandatory regulations, aiming to reduce energy and water consumption, lower air pollution, create green jobs, and avoid carbon-intensive infrastructure lock-in.

• In 2018, Bogotá and Mérida became the first cities in Colombia and Mexico, respectively, to convert national energy-efficiency guidance into mandatory local regulations, which provides financial benefits to building operators through reduced water and energy use.
• WRI's intervention in Mérida involved training officials in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, conducting savings analyses, and establishing a steering committee comprising government, academia, industry, and civil society to oversee the adoption of regulations.
• In Bogotá, WRI worked with the Colombia Green Building Council and the national government to refine sustainable building guidance that city officials previously found difficult to implement as local regulation.

APA

World Resources Institute (2019). Building Efficiency Accelerator Saves Energy in Colombia and Mexico. https://www.wri.org/outcomes/building-efficiency-accelerator-saves-energy-colombia-and-mexico

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Building Efficiency Accelerator Saves Energy in Colombia and Mexico. 2019. https://www.wri.org/outcomes/building-efficiency-accelerator-saves-energy-colombia-and-mexico.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Building Efficiency Accelerator Saves Energy in Colombia and Mexico |date=30 April 2019 |url=https://www.wri.org/outcomes/building-efficiency-accelerator-saves-energy-colombia-and-mexico |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2019building, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Building Efficiency Accelerator Saves Energy in Colombia and Mexico}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2019}, month = apr, url = {https://www.wri.org/outcomes/building-efficiency-accelerator-saves-energy-colombia-and-mexico}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }