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Buildings account for 18% of Canada's GHG emissions, with residential space heating as the primary energy driver. The document argues that deep energy retrofits (DERs)—defined as achieving a minimum 50% reduction in energy consumption—are essential for net-zero targets. While high upfront costs are a barrier, the green building industry could contribute CAD 150 billion to the economy by 2030, with annual energy bill savings estimated at CAD 10.8 billion. The brief recommends adopting the highest tier of the National Building Code, implementing innovative financing like Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE), and scaling prefabricated retrofit models like Energiesprong.

The City of Ithaca collaborated with Cornell University and RMI to model 5,468 buildings using a combination of the Urban Building Energy Model (UBEM) and the Green Upgrade Calculator (GUC). The analysis found that combining air-source heat pumps with envelope improvements and rooftop solar significantly reduces operating costs and electricity demand. The study identifies residential homes in low-income communities and certain downtown commercial buildings as high-priority targets for cost-effective decarbonization.

RMI's analysis of US building emissions reveals that building operations account for 23% of annual carbon emissions, with single-family homes (58%) and commercial buildings (37%) being the primary contributors. The report argues that current green capital flows are insufficient and should be redirected from large commercial buildings toward the retrofit of existing buildings, specifically targeting single-family homes and small-to-medium commercial properties to achieve meaningful climate goals.

The document explains the eligibility and certification process for Low Carbon Buildings Bonds, detailing the pathways to achieve net-zero by 2050 and the specific requirements for new and existing buildings. It outlines the use of trajectories and proxies to measure emissions intensity and highlights new 2023 requirements for new buildings, including the prohibition of fossil fuels and mandatory Whole Life Carbon Assessments.

The document outlines the benefits and application of the Climate Bonds Initiative's certification for commercial and residential buildings in Tokyo and 16 other Japanese cities, aiming for a zero-carbon future by 2050.

The report finds that electrification retrofits for mid-sized commercial office buildings are cost-effective when tailored to regional climate conditions and gas utility rates. By analyzing a prototypical 50,000 square foot building, the study demonstrates that combining heat pump replacements with complementary measures—such as ventilation efficiency, peak demand management, and rooftop solar—can result in positive net present value compared to replacing gas equipment in kind.

Australia has become a global leader in decarbonizing high-end commercial buildings through 'ambition loops'—positive feedback cycles where government regulation, industry collaboration, and market demand reinforce each other. Early leadership from the Victoria state government and the Australian Sustainable Built Environment Council (ASBEC) helped overcome initial knowledge gaps and lack of demand. The implementation of mandatory efficiency codes and transparency tools, such as the Commercial Building Disclosure Program and the National Australian Built Environment Rating System (NABERS), created a competitive environment where sustainable buildings attract more corporate tenants and investors. This model has since influenced residential and construction sectors in Australia and exported rating systems to New Zealand and the UK.

The report identifies that Canada must increase the share of electricity in commercial and institutional building heating from less than 15% to at least 75% by 2050 to reach net-zero goals. It highlights three primary obstacles: the low cost of natural gas, a lack of internal planning capacity and a 'business-as-usual' bias among technical experts, and significant capital constraints for building owners. To address these, the report proposes five catalysts: short-term electrification plans for businesses, integrating net-zero mandates into utility and regulatory frameworks, aligning utility planning with net-zero trajectories to ensure clean energy supply, establishing building performance standards, and developing innovative public-private financing models. Examples of progress include the bi-energy strategy in Quebec and performance standards in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.

The report finds that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted Indonesia's energy efficiency sector, primarily through significant drops in sales turnover for facility managers, leading to the postponement of planned efficiency projects. While energy costs decreased, other operational costs rose due to health protocols. Despite this, both facility managers and business actors remain optimistic about post-pandemic recovery, emphasizing the need for digitalization, advanced control systems, and government support. Recommended government interventions include reducing bank loan interest, providing fiscal incentives/disincentives, and implementing energy efficiency projects within state-owned buildings to stimulate demand.

Using the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), this research note assesses how different GDP outlooks from Goldman Sachs, the EIA, and the IMF affect U.S. energy demand and emissions. It finds that while 2020 emissions may drop by 7% to 11% relative to 2019, these reductions are primarily driven by the transportation sector and are expected to rebound to pre-pandemic levels by 2025, resulting in no material impact on cumulative emissions through 2050.

Existing commercial buildings in the United States account for 36% of electricity consumption and over $190 billion in annual energy costs. Globally, the current energy retrofit rate of approximately 1% per year is insufficient to meet the 3.2% annual rate required to limit global warming to two degrees Celsius by 2040. The Zero Over Time (ZOT) approach is proposed to help managers synchronize energy efficiency and renewable energy projects with building life-cycle events.

This fact sheet by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) challenges four primary myths regarding net-zero energy (NZE) leased buildings, asserting that they can be more profitable for developers and more beneficial for employees than traditional buildings. Using the Boulder Commons project as a case study, RMI demonstrates that NZE buildings can achieve higher occupancy rates, rental premiums, and increased employee productivity. The document also outlines a four-step process for transitioning existing buildings to NZE operation and promotes the NZE Leasing Best Practice Guide to scale adoption in the commercial sector.

The document outlines the value of Building Energy Modeling (BEM) in reducing first and operating costs while improving occupant satisfaction. It details the different purposes of BEM—comparison, compliance, and prediction—and provides a structured approach to the modeling process, software tools, and the contracting process, including a sample Request for Proposal (RFP).

RMI worked with H-E-B to implement a whole-system design for a new store at Austin's former airport site, targeting 50 percent energy savings through integrative moves in refrigeration, lighting, and building insulation. The project serves as a catalyst for H-E-B to apply these efficiency strategies across its wider store portfolio.

The briefing argues that traditional utility rebate programs, which focus on single-technology upgrades, yield only 1 to 5 percent whole-building savings. In contrast, a 'deep retrofit' approach—optimizing the building as a whole—can achieve 30 to 50 percent savings. To scale this, the authors propose the 'Deep Energy Efficiency Pays' (DEEP) program, which provides an additional incentive for projects that meet a specific energy savings threshold (e.g., 30 percent). This incentive is designed to 'tip' the economics of projects that would otherwise be financially unviable for building owners. The document highlights the Empire State Building as a successful example of a deep retrofit and discusses existing programs in California and Connecticut as precursors to this model.

The report identifies significant barriers to deep energy efficiency retrofits in the U.S. commercial sector, primarily centered on financing, a lack of performance data, and split incentives. While 71% of surveyed stakeholders express high interest in deep retrofits, the private sector remains risk-averse, often requiring short payback periods of 2-4 years. The study concludes that providing targeted informational resources, such as case studies and improved energy modeling tools, is essential to reduce perceived risks and stimulate industry-wide activity.

The Empire State Building underwent a deep energy retrofit involving the remanufacturing of 6,514 windows into 'superwindows', chiller plant upgrades, and the implementation of direct digital controls. By coordinating energy upgrades with a larger $550 million remodel, the project achieved a projected 38 percent energy use reduction and annual cost savings of $4.4 million, with an incremental simple payback period of three years.

Buildings account for 40% of total annual U.S. energy consumption and 48% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. federal government operates over 500,000 buildings, which used 1.7 quads of energy in 2004, though the Federal Energy Management Program predicts a funding shortfall of over $2 billion for energy-efficiency projects. The document also highlights several high-performance buildings in the U.S. and Europe that achieved significant energy and water savings through sustainable technologies.

The report presents eight case studies of commercial and industrial facilities where energy-efficiency measures—specifically improved lighting, heating, and cooling—led to unanticipated gains in worker productivity and quality of work. It posits that because employee costs are substantially higher than energy costs, even a 1 percent increase in productivity can offset a company's entire annual energy bill. The findings suggest that designs improving visual acuity and thermal comfort are the most effective at driving these productivity gains.

The document outlines how energy modeling can be transformed from a late-stage accounting tool into a strategic design driver. It advocates for an integrated design process where modelers engage from the concept phase to influence fundamental decisions on building size, orientation, and passive loads. By utilizing 'theoretical minimum' energy models and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA), modelers can provide economic justifications for efficiency measures, potentially reducing both first costs and lifetime energy consumption.