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This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) describes various cool roof technologies—including naturally cool, coated, insulated, and green roofs—and their benefits for energy efficiency, climate mitigation, and urban environment management.

This fact sheet describes the "Help My House" on-bill financing pilot program implemented by South Carolina electric cooperatives to increase residential energy efficiency in a region with lower-than-average family incomes.

This fact sheet describes on-bill financing as a mechanism to eliminate upfront costs for residential energy efficiency improvements by providing low-interest loans repaid through monthly utility bills. It distinguishes between tariff-based systems, which tie costs to the meter and can address landlord-tenant split incentives, and on-bill loans, which typically function as non-transferable personal or business loans. The document highlights a pilot program in South Carolina that achieved significant energy savings through whole-house retrofits.

This briefing describes the proposed Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP), a legislative initiative designed to provide low-interest loans to rural homeowners for energy efficiency improvements via on-bill financing through the USDA's Rural Utilities Service.

The City of Boulder Climate Action Plan Analysis Report, prepared by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in May 2012, evaluates the cost-effectiveness and emissions impact of 19 demand-side management programs funded by the Climate Action Plan (CAP) tax. The analysis finds that while Boulder has achieved significant energy savings, it will not meet its 2012 Kyoto Protocol-based emissions reduction targets through current programs alone. RMI recommends transitioning toward more comprehensive, integrated, and long-term energy efficiency strategies and suggests that municipalization of the energy supply could significantly enhance the city's ability to reach its goals.

This report examines how the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) integrates climate change mitigation and adaptation into its mission of facilitating U.S. private investment in developing countries. It details OPIC's transition from general environmental guidelines to a specific 2010 Environmental and Social Policy Statement, which establishes greenhouse gas (GHG) emission caps, energy efficiency requirements for intensive sectors, and reporting mandates for high-emitting projects.

This briefing by Energy Innovation argues that while fuel quality standards are a critical first step in reducing air pollution in China, long-term success depends on developing sustainable, dense, and walkable cities to avoid the car-reliant model of the 20th-century United States.

The Bottom-Up Energy Analysis System (BUENAS) is a stock accounting model developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to project energy demand and evaluate the impact of energy efficiency policies, specifically Energy Efficiency Standards and Labeling (EES&L) programs, across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors.

The Green Economy Coalition provides a statement on the UN Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) initiative, supporting its goals but arguing for greater ambition and a stronger focus on energy equity and poverty reduction. The document emphasizes that universal energy access is essential for sustainable development and suggests that success should be measured by development benefits rather than technical metrics.

This research paper outlines the necessity of a fundamental transformation of the global energy system to address interconnected challenges including high consumption, lack of energy access, climate change, air pollution, and energy security.

This fact sheet details the Obama administration's fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget proposal, focusing on sustainable energy and transportation. It outlines funding requests for key agencies including the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency, emphasizing an "all of the above" energy strategy to promote green technology and infrastructure.

This briefing outlines an 8-point plan to mobilize the $75 trillion held by institutional investors toward the low-carbon transition via the bond market. It argues that while climate-resilient infrastructure provides the long-term, secure assets pension funds and insurers seek, current deal flow is too small and fragmented. The plan proposes aggregating small projects into investment-grade offerings, utilizing public sector risk-sharing and regulatory leverage, greening development banks, and implementing standardized climate bond certifications to bridge the annual investment gap of $1 trillion to $1.3 trillion.

Energy efficiency represents 44% of global GHG abatement potential in a 2°C scenario but receives a small share of climate finance, which is largely concentrated in emerging economies like China. Market barriers hinder the scaling of funding in both developed and Developing Countries. The report advocates for increased funding from bilateral and multilateral development banks to leverage private finance and suggests using the Green Climate Fund to establish an innovative financing framework for cost-effective energy efficiency actions.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) discusses the challenges of providing sustainable energy access to the global poor while meeting climate goals. It presents three scenarios—Baseline, Basic Energy Access (BEA), and Shared Development Agenda (SDA)—to explore the energy systems required to enable long-term economic development. The document argues that market-based instruments alone are insufficient and calls for a transformative global governance framework, increased state-led investment in innovation, and the integration of energy targets into Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

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.

The GSA Net Zero Renovation Challenge is an initiative by the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Federal High Performance Green Buildings (OFHPGB), and the Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) to achieve deep energy savings in 30-35 federal buildings using Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs). A workshop held in October 2011 by RMI and GSA identified structural, contractual, and technical barriers to achieving net zero energy, proposing a shift toward integrative design, streamlined procurement, and shared risk to move beyond conventional shallow retrofits.

This fact sheet from RMI outlines the energy inefficiency of the United States building stock and presents five key solutions to transform the built environment, as detailed in the publication 'Reinventing Fire'.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes how tax exemptions and levy reductions in Germany's energy policy framework impact industrial energy prices. It focuses on four key policies: the Environmental Tax Reform, the Combined Heat and Power Act, the EU Emission Trading Scheme, and the Renewable Energy Act. The analysis finds that these exemptions significantly lower energy costs for large, energy-intensive companies, potentially reducing the policy-induced component of energy prices by up to 75% on average, which may diminish incentives for energy efficiency improvements.

This 2011 report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the impact of energy tax exemptions and levy reductions on the German industrial sector. It examines how various policy instruments—including the Ecological Tax Reform, the Renewable Energy Act (EEG), the Combined Heat and Power Act (KWKG), and the EU Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS)—create a 'politically determined component' of energy prices that varies significantly based on company size and industry sector.

This report, produced by leading research institutes to support political preparations for Rio2012 and the UN year of Sustainable Energy for All, proposes a set of strategic principles to enable a global energy transition and avoid large-scale crises.