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This report by the NewClimate Institute examines the potential for Green Public Procurement (GPP) to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in public buildings by replacing conventional air conditioners with Green ACs, while identifying the financial, political, and technical barriers to adoption.

This case study describes the Boulder Valley School District's (BVSD) strategy to achieve net-zero energy and an 80 percent reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050 through a combination of deep retrofits, retrocommissioning, and new construction funded by a 2014 voter-approved bond.

This briefing by the Climate Policy Initiative examines the 'Energy Efficiency Milan Covenant of Mayors' program, an initiative administered by the Province of Milan to retrofit public school buildings using 'pure' Energy Performance Contracts (EPC). The program aims to achieve energy savings of at least 20% and annual emission reductions of approximately 9,000 tCO2, utilizing third-party financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and technical assistance from the ELENA program. While the program successfully tested standard EPCs in the Italian market and moved investments off municipal balance sheets, it faced significant delays and barriers due to existing bundled ESCO business models and banking uncertainties regarding energy efficiency collateral.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the financing gaps and technical barriers facing K-12 school districts in California to recommend strategies for allocating Proposition 39 funds. The authors argue that because private capital is currently available at low interest rates, Proposition 39 funds should be used as supplemental grants for deep energy-saving projects and as technical assistance, rather than as primary financing for short-payback projects that districts can already afford.