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RMI proposes five policies to accelerate heat pump adoption in Illinois: increasing incentives for heat pumps and weatherization while phasing out gas equipment subsidies, providing 0% financing, reforming electric and gas rate designs, implementing an AC-to-heat pump replacement policy, and adopting electric-friendly standards for new construction. The brief notes that while heat pumps can reduce energy bills for most Illinois households—particularly those using propane or electric resistance heat—high up-front costs remain a primary barrier.

The UK has reduced emissions by 50.4% since 1990 while growing its economy by nearly 80%, with the net zero economy contributing £83.1 billion to GDP in 2024. However, the report identifies a 'policy implementation gap,' noting that as of June 2025, credible plans existed for only 38% of the reductions needed for the 2030 NDC. The document calls for a holistic approach to electrification, the creation of lead markets for green technologies, a national retrofit strategy for housing, and a comprehensive plan to close a green skills gap of up to 400,000 workers. It also emphasizes the need to align climate goals with nature recovery and to overcome political polarization by communicating the economic benefits of the transition to the public.

The Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed nearly eight million affordable homes and found that 79.1% were located in counties experiencing at least one week's worth of heat alerts in 2024. The report highlights that people of color, older adults, and individuals with disabilities are disproportionately affected due to substandard housing, the urban heat island effect, and energy insecurity. Key recommendations include increasing funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), implementing cooling inspection standards for subsidized homes, and updating building codes to improve heat resilience.

The document addresses the funding gap for state Priority Climate Action Plans (PCAPs) following the oversubscription of the EPA's CPRG Implementation Grants. It outlines a framework for building 'capital stacks'—combining federal grants, tax incentives, and low-interest loans—to finance ten common climate measures across the transportation, electricity, industry, buildings, and waste sectors. The guide emphasizes leveraging the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to maintain momentum in decarbonization efforts.

The report identifies significant barriers to 'stacking' (combining) multiple financial incentives for US residential energy retrofits, including complex application processes, inconsistent performance standards, and funding gaps for health and safety repairs. It analyzes the interaction between Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax credits and rebates, noting that while clean energy retrofits can be more affordable than fossil fuel alternatives after incentives, low-income households often lack the 'tax appetite' to benefit from tax credits. RMI recommends that state program administrators prioritize funding for pre-electrification upgrades, consolidate application processes, and increase allocations for underserved communities and multi-family housing.

The document outlines a framework for SEOs to manage $8.8 billion in federal funding for residential energy retrofits. It emphasizes data-driven design, strategic outreach to underserved communities, and the creation of 'one-stop-shop' support models. Key recommendations include aligning state policies with Justice40 goals, leveraging complementary federal grants, and implementing workforce training to ensure high-quality electrification installations.

The U.S. aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030. While the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) provide significant reductions, a gap of approximately 810 million tonnes CO2e remains. The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) proposes a 'high impact' scenario leveraging Clean Air Act regulatory authority and agriculture/forestry spending to close this gap.

Energy Innovation's modeling indicates that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) could reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 37-41% below 2005 levels by 2030, closing 50-66% of the gap between business-as-usual projections and the U.S. Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC). Despite an estimated increase of up to 50 million metric tons (MMT) in emissions from required oil and gas leasing, the net effect is overwhelmingly positive, with at least 24 tons of emissions avoided for every ton generated by leasing provisions. The IRA is projected to create 1.4 to 1.5 million jobs and prevent 3,700 to 3,900 premature deaths by 2030, with health benefits disproportionately benefiting communities of color.

The report outlines the assumptions for 25 federal policies categorized as legislated/developed, developing, or announced. Key measures include a federal fuel charge and Output-Based Pricing System reaching $170/tCO2e by 2030, a proposed emissions cap on the oil and gas sector, and a Clean Electricity Standard aiming for net-zero by 2035. The document specifies simulation scenarios for these policies, including varying stringency levels for methane reductions, ZEV mandates, and building efficiency standards, alongside detailed funding allocations for infrastructure, hydrogen projects, and industrial decarbonization.

The document argues that the US housing stock requires significant performance and health improvements, particularly for low-to-moderate-income households and communities of color. It suggests that the mortgage industry can bridge the gap between investor demand for ESG securities and the lack of market-ready green investments by streamlining green mortgage products. Specifically, it claims that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could generate over $2 trillion in green mortgage-backed securities within ten years.

The report examines the physical and economic consequences of delaying climate action. It argues that because CO2 persists in the atmosphere and natural carbon sinks are saturating, stabilizing concentrations requires emissions to reach nearly zero. Delaying this transition increases the risk of nonlinear 'tipping points,' such as methane release from the Arctic, and leads to higher costs due to the need for more aggressive deployment of clean energy and the premature retirement of polluting assets. Using the Energy Policy Simulator for the U.S., the report finds that delaying action until 2030 increases the net present value of expenditures by 72% compared to starting in 2021.

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) supports the House passage of the Clean Economy Jobs and Innovation Act of 2020, asserting that it accelerates progress toward net-zero emissions by 2050. The organization highlights the bill's investment in carbon capture and removal, hydrogen production, advanced nuclear energy, and methane reduction on federal lands as critical for decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors.

The document argues that COVID-19 recovery offers a political opportunity to implement greener, more livable cities by prioritizing 'shovel-ready' decarbonization projects and non-motorized transport. It emphasizes that urban recovery must address social vulnerabilities, specifically by integrating informal settlements and workers into planning to ensure equity. The text highlights the critical role of public transport as the 'backbone of mobility' and calls for improved direct access to international finance for cities to bridge the gap between national recovery packages and local needs.

The report finds that the incremental cost of building ZER homes is modest, averaging 1.8%, while ZE homes average a 7.3% premium. These costs often fall below consumer willingness-to-pay and mortgage-savings thresholds. The analysis identifies heat pumps, LED lighting, and ENERGY STAR appliances as cost-optimal measures and projects that ZE incremental costs will drop to 3.1%–5.5% by 2030 due to declining solar PV costs and efficiency gains. It emphasizes the need for skilled labor training and supportive policy frameworks to accelerate adoption across various US climate zones.

The report argues that targeting rental properties for energy efficiency is a high-impact strategy for cities to meet climate goals, as rentals often suffer from a 'split incentive' where owners do not pay utility bills. Using Boulder's 'SmartRegs' program as a model, the document outlines a seven-step roadmap for other cities: determining fit, analyzing impact, consulting stakeholders, developing financing, implementing measurement tools, establishing compliance, and creating disclosure frameworks. RMI's analysis of five US cities suggests that MESR policies could significantly reduce carbon emissions at a relatively low cost to municipal governments.

The document is a full bibliography of sources used for the 'Cooling for All' project, listing reports, academic papers, and articles related to sustainable cooling, urban heat mitigation, and energy access.

Fort Collins Utilities implemented the Efficiency Works-Neighborhood Pilot to accelerate the city's goal of eliminating 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. By replacing an 'à la carte' approach with bundled service packages, third-party audits, and 100 percent on-bill financing over 20 years, the program more than tripled customer participation and achieved 60 percent greater carbon savings. The initiative received the Energy Innovator Award from the American Public Power Association (APPA) for its transferable model of removing financial and procedural barriers for residential consumers.

The Transformation to Zero Summit, convened by RMI, NBI, and Architecture 2030, identified key strategies to transition the building sector to zero carbon by 2050. The group prioritized generating demand across specific real estate sectors, driving national models for reach codes and standards, and addressing embodied carbon and workforce training. The organizers plan to conduct a gap analysis of their respective activities to operationalize these goals and develop a comprehensive aligned strategy.

The document argues that deep energy retrofits—defined as integrated measures reducing energy consumption by 30 percent or more—are often undervalued because investors focus solely on energy cost savings. It proposes a 'deep retrofit value' (DRV) approach that incorporates five key value elements: initial development costs, non-energy operating cost reductions (such as maintenance and insurance), risk analysis, tenant-based revenues (via higher rents and occupancy), and increased sales revenues driven by higher net operating income and lower cap rates.

The document argues that deep energy retrofits—those reducing energy consumption by 50% or more—generate significant, often overlooked business value. It introduces the RMI Retrofit Value Model, which categorizes this value into nine elements: retrofit development costs, non-energy property operating costs, retrofit risk mitigation, health costs, employee costs, promotions and marketing costs, customer access and sales, property-derived revenues, and enterprise risk management. The guide provides methodologies for quantifying these benefits, such as calculating reduced absenteeism and improved worker productivity, and offers a sample report to demonstrate how to synthesize these findings for capital requests. It concludes with best practices for risk mitigation and principles for presenting value to decision-makers.