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This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics argues that the current global cost of living crisis is driven by fossil fuel price volatility, particularly natural gas, rather than the transition to net zero. It posits that accelerating the adoption of renewables, improving energy efficiency, and electrifying heating and transport are the most effective long-term solutions to reduce energy costs, enhance energy security, and lower emissions.

The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford, Connecticut, has implemented a series of energy efficiency upgrades to reduce operating costs and environmental impact. Key projects include the replacement of an obsolete boiler with a high-efficiency steam system and the installation of LED lighting, new air handling units, and heat pumps. These initiatives were funded through a combination of C-PACE financing, state grants, utility rebates, and donations incentivized by the Connecticut Neighborhood Assistance Act Tax Credit Program.

RMI has developed the Local Energy Action Framework (LEAF), a step-by-step process designed to help US cities and counties prioritize energy projects and map electricity needs holistically to reach 100 percent clean electricity or carbon-neutrality goals.

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.

This guide provides implementation recommendations for state energy offices (SEOs) to design and deploy the Home Electrification Rebate program, a $4.5 billion initiative established by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to support residential electrification for low- and moderate-income households.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes energy efficiency (EE) mechanisms for electricity-intensive consumers, comparing international experiences from the European Union, USA, China, and other nations with the current policy landscape in Brazil. It identifies direct and indirect benefits of EE, such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions and increased industrial competitiveness, and evaluates various regulatory, fiscal, and market-based instruments to provide recommendations for improving Brazil's energy efficiency framework.

The 2023 Energy Services Market Intelligence Report by GreenCape analyzes the growth of South Africa's energy services market, driven by load shedding and rising electricity costs. Key opportunities include rooftop solar PV (projected 10 GWp by 2035), battery storage (projected R32.5 billion by 2035), and smart meters (projected R40 billion by 2035). While technology costs are falling and financing is becoming more accessible, the market faces barriers such as port inefficiencies and a shortage of technical skills.

The 2023 Water Market Intelligence Report by GreenCape identifies significant investment opportunities in South Africa's public wastewater infrastructure, specifically focusing on metropolitan municipalities. The report highlights a critical state of existing infrastructure, the potential for circular economy solutions through sludge beneficiation, and the need for energy efficiency and renewable energy interventions to combat rising costs and energy insecurity.

The NewClimate Institute reports that Germany's plans for eleven LNG terminals with a 73 bcm annual capacity are massively oversized and conflict with national and international climate targets. The report suggests that energy efficiency and existing pipeline imports could eliminate the need for new terminals, and that current plans risk creating stranded assets and diverting resources from renewable energy expansion.

A commentary by members of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) urging the Swedish government to use its presidency of the Council of the EU in 2023 to increase the European Union's sustainability ambitions and lead on the European Green Deal.

This briefing by RMI argues that integrating urban nature—such as forests, street trees, and bodies of water—into city planning reduces greenhouse gas emissions, lowers energy costs, and improves equity. The document highlights that the global value of urban nature's benefits is nine times the costs, and it calls for a significant increase in annual investment to reach a potential $2 trillion in annual net benefits by 2030.

This report by the NewClimate Institute analyzes the impact of the global energy crisis on Southeast Asia, specifically focusing on Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Viet Nam. It argues that while these nations have implemented short-term measures to secure fossil fuel supplies and protect consumers, they have yet to address underlying vulnerabilities through structural shifts toward clean energy and energy efficiency.

This report outlines a whole-system approach to decarbonize India's buildings sector, which currently accounts for roughly 40% of the country's energy use. It argues that without intervention, energy consumption will triple by 2050, but a strategy focusing on low-carbon design and clean energy supply could reduce emissions by a factor of four compared to business-as-usual.

This report by Energy Innovation analyzes the building sector provisions of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), detailing how rebates, tax credits, and funding for building codes can accelerate decarbonization. It provides a roadmap for federal, state, and local policymakers to implement these incentives, emphasizing the need for complementary regulations—such as updated appliance standards and building codes—to overcome the challenge of slow building stock turnover and meet 2030 climate goals.

The 2022 analysis by Sustainable Energy for All identifies significant global gaps in cooling access, with 1.2 billion people at high risk and 2.47 billion at medium risk. The report highlights that the population at high risk increased by 28 million since 2021, driven by urbanization and the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in high-impact countries.

This case study describes the Pembroke-Hopkins Park Energy Efficiency Pilot (PEEP), an initiative in rural Illinois designed to replace expensive and polluting heating sources like propane and wood with energy efficiency upgrades and electric appliances. Led by the Community Development Corporation of Pembroke and Hopkins Park (CDC-PHP) in collaboration with RMI and other partners, the project demonstrates a scalable model for rural energy transitions that prioritizes environmental justice over the installation of new fossil fuel infrastructure.

This report by RMI analyzes the economic and technical feasibility of electrifying mid-sized office buildings (approximately 50,000 square feet) that utilize packaged rooftop units (RTUs). The study demonstrates that cost-effective electrification retrofits exist across diverse US cities when tailored to regional climate conditions and gas utility rates, often requiring a combination of heat pumps, efficiency upgrades, and on-site solar.

A guide by RMI providing a five-step framework for homeowners to decarbonize and electrify their residences, emphasizing energy efficiency, the use of heat pumps and induction stoves, and the utilization of incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act.

This report by RMI examines the shift toward "climate-forward efficiency," which prioritizes energy efficiency, electrification, and demand flexibility specifically to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. It analyzes the use of Performance Incentive Mechanisms (PIMs) to align utility business models—which traditionally favor capital investment and sales growth—with state climate goals.

This case study describes the implementation of multiple solar energy projects by the First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Maryland. Through partnerships with Suntrail Energy and IGS Solar, the church installed a large ground-mounted array and several rooftop systems across its campuses to reduce fossil fuel dependence and lower energy costs.