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This research paper by RMI outlines strategic decarbonization planning for commercial real estate investors, emphasizing the transition from regulatory compliance to integrated strategies that enhance asset value. It highlights the financial benefits of sustainable building features, such as rent premiums and higher total returns, and proposes six key principles for embedding decarbonization into capital investment decision-making.

The document is a case study on SoffitDuct, a prefabricated, lightweight HVAC distribution system designed by Thermaduct and RMI to simplify mechanical retrofits in multifamily buildings by eliminating the need for traditional site-built soffits.

This report by RMI provides best practices for reforming energy efficiency incentive programs to accelerate the adoption of heat pumps. It argues that current programs are often too complex, deterring participation—particularly among low-to-moderate income (LMI) households—and recommends streamlining applications, aligning equipment specifications, and tailoring incentives to local climates to better support decarbonization goals.

This report examines the potential for scaling up deep energy retrofits (DERs) in Manitoba, specifically within Winnipeg's residential building stock, to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. It argues that while upfront costs are high, public leadership through a green public bank, updated building codes, and a coordinated workforce strategy can drive significant economic growth and social equity.

This guide by RMI outlines the business case for commercial real estate developers to reduce embodied carbon—the emissions from material production and construction—which accounts for an estimated 11% of global emissions. It presents nine specific investment strategies divided into building-level and corporate-level actions to mitigate transition risks, reduce development costs, and create competitive advantages.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) evaluates Canada's 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP) and Budget 2022 to determine how climate policies impact poverty and inequality. Analyzing a sample of 67 measures, the report finds that while many policies reduce emissions, they do not automatically produce positive social outcomes and some may even exacerbate systemic inequality without specific social safeguards.

This guide by RMI provides implementation recommendations for state energy offices (SEOs) to design and deploy the Home Efficiency Rebate program established by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The $4.3 billion program incentivizes whole-home retrofits for single-family and multifamily dwellings, with higher rebate amounts for greater energy savings and doubled benefits for low-income households.

The Environmental and Energy Study Institute provides a guide for nonprofits on overcoming the barrier of upfront costs for energy efficiency retrofits. It details a combination of utility rebates, state and federal incentives, internal funding strategies, and third-party financing mechanisms to achieve long-term operational savings and environmental sustainability.

This guide provides a framework for nonprofit organizations to implement energy efficiency projects, covering goal setting, the assembly of internal energy teams, benchmarking processes, and the utilization of financial incentives and auditing standards.

This briefing argues that increasing stimulus funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) can address systemic racial and income inequities in the United States by improving energy affordability, creating domestic jobs, and enhancing public health for low-income households.

The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) proposes four specific policy programs for US policymakers to integrate into economic stimulus packages to foster a zero-carbon recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 'US Stimulus Strategy' report by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) provides four primary policy recommendations for a zero-carbon economic recovery in the United States following the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategy focuses on decarbonizing buildings and transportation, implementing debt forgiveness tied to emissions reductions, and establishing a federal Economic Recovery Facility to finance clean energy projects.

The Carbon-Free City Handbook: Buildings provides a set of five strategic actions for cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the built environment, which accounts for nearly 50 percent of all GHG emissions in large cities.

This guide by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) provides real estate investors with a framework to calculate and present the full value of deep energy retrofits. It argues that conventional evaluations, which focus primarily on energy cost savings, often overlook significant revenue and risk-reduction benefits that can make a project financially viable even if its net present value based on energy savings alone is negative.

The report details the outcomes of the General Services Administration's (GSA) National Deep Energy Retrofit (NDER) program and a subsequent stakeholder workshop held in April 2014. It compares the energy savings of GSA's deep retrofits against other federal agencies and identifies systemic barriers and best practices in the Energy Saving Performance Contract (ESPC) process, focusing on project delivery, team dynamics, integrative design, operations and maintenance (O&M), and project economics.

This executive summary introduces a guide by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) designed to help owner-occupants identify, quantify, and capture the business value of deep energy retrofits. It argues that deep retrofits—which can reduce building energy consumption by 50% or more—provide significant non-energy benefits that are often overlooked in traditional financial analysis, such as improved employee productivity, health, and property value.

This report details the outcomes of a March 2013 charrette convened by the General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Energy (DOE), Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), and Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI). The event focused on improving Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) to achieve 'deep energy retrofits'—defined as projects achieving over 50% reduction in energy use—within the GSA building portfolio.

The RMI guide 'Top 10 Ways To Get RetroFit On Energy Efficiency In 2012' provides a list of ten practical strategies for improving energy efficiency in commercial and residential buildings, emphasizing deep retrofits, behavioral changes, and the use of emerging financing models.

This case study describes the energy retrofit of the City-County Building (CCB) in Indianapolis and its role as the cornerstone of the broader SustainIndy sustainability program, which targets energy reductions across 61 city-owned buildings.

This briefing proposes the "Deep Energy Efficiency Pays" (DEEP) program, a new demand-side management (DSM) approach designed to encourage whole-building retrofits over single-measure upgrades. By offering additional incentives for projects that meet a specific energy savings threshold, the program aims to align the interests of utilities, building owners, and energy service providers to achieve significant energy reductions and market transformation.