Accelerating Building Efficiency: Eight Actions for Urban Leaders

This guide by the World Resources Institute, developed with Johnson Controls, provides urban leaders with a framework and eight specific action categories to increase building efficiency. It outlines the economic, social, and environmental benefits of reducing the energy and resource footprint of the built environment, while offering a strategic approach to overcoming the "efficiency gap" through integrated policy planning and stakeholder engagement.

• Buildings have a significant global environmental impact, accounting for 32 percent of global energy consumption and 25 percent of CO2 emissions. Globally, they are also responsible for nearly 40 percent of electricity use, 12 percent of water use, 40 percent of material resources, and 40 percent of waste generated by volume.
• Improving building efficiency offers substantial economic returns and job creation opportunities. Every $1 invested in building efficiency saves $2 in costs for electricity generation and distribution. Furthermore, doubling the global rate of energy productivity improvements from approximately 1.5 to 3 percent per year could save US $2 trillion by 2030.
• Building efficiency can lead to significant emissions reductions and social improvements. Global CO2 emissions from buildings could be reduced by 83 percent below business-as-usual levels by 2050. Socially, efficient buildings can reduce energy poverty for low-income residents, improving their health, comfort, and spending power for essentials like food.
• The guide identifies eight specific action categories for urban leaders to unlock building efficiency: 1) implementing efficiency codes and standards; 2) setting efficiency improvement targets; 3) providing performance information and certifications; 4) offering incentives and finance; 5) demonstrating government leadership by example; 6) engaging building owners, managers, and occupants; 7) engaging technical and financial service providers; and 8) working with utilities.
• Urban leaders face an "efficiency gap," defined as the difference between technically possible savings and those that are easily achieved. This gap is caused by market, financial, technical, institutional, and awareness-related barriers. To bridge this gap, the document recommends integrated planning that aligns interests across all stages of a building's lifecycle, from land-use planning and design to operation and demolition.
• Successful implementation of building efficiency requires a robust action plan that includes bold targets with clear timeframes, a defined financial pathway, and a governance structure that ensures accountability. The process should involve multi-stakeholder engagement to identify needs and increase compliance with regulatory requirements.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Accelerating Building Efficiency: Eight Actions for Urban Leaders. https://www.wri.org/research/accelerating-building-efficiency

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Accelerating Building Efficiency: Eight Actions for Urban Leaders. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/accelerating-building-efficiency.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Accelerating Building Efficiency: Eight Actions for Urban Leaders |url=https://www.wri.org/research/accelerating-building-efficiency |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendaccelerating, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Accelerating Building Efficiency: Eight Actions for Urban Leaders}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/accelerating-building-efficiency}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }