Search Climate Insights Directory
172 results
Gaps and Barriers to Stacking Federal, State, and Local Incentives
This RMI report analyzes the barriers and gaps associated with 'stacking' (combining) federal, state, and local financial incentives for residential clean energy retrofits in the US. It identifies significant complexities in application processes, unclear guidance on the order of funding, and critical funding gaps for health and safety repairs and pre-electrification upgrades. The report provides a framework for program administrators to improve accessibility, particularly for low-income households, to ensure the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and other funds effectively drive decarbonization.
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Document type: Report
Consumer Cost Impacts of 45V Rules
This briefing argues that weak Treasury guidelines for the 45V hydrogen production tax credit could increase wholesale electricity prices for consumers. It advocates for the strict application of three pillars—additionality, deliverability, and hourly matching—to ensure that new electrolyzer demand is offset by new clean generation, preventing the price spikes associated with large-scale electricity loads like cryptocurrency mining.
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Document type: Briefing
Improving the Data and Disclosure of the Environmental Impact of Building Materials
This guide by RMI explains the role of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) as 'nutrition labels' for building materials, detailing how they report life-cycle assessment (LCA) data to track embodied carbon. It outlines the current limitations of EPD standardization and proposes a vision for 'ideal' EPDs based on rigorous Product Category Rules (PCRs) to ensure fair and competitive carbon reduction policies.
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Document type: Guide
Inflation Reduction Act Home Energy Rebates: Program Guidance for State Energy Offices
This document provides a collection of case studies and resources intended to help State Energy Offices (SEOs) design and implement home energy rebate programs under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). It highlights specific tools, frameworks, and programs that address equity, workforce development, consumer education, and supply chain coordination to optimize residential energy retrofits and electrification.
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Document type: Guide
Solving Colorado’s Housing and Climate Crisis
This policy brief by RMI argues that Colorado can simultaneously address its housing shortage and climate goals by implementing transit-oriented development (TOD) and 'missing middle housing' reforms. The document highlights the link between scarce affordable housing and suburban sprawl, which increases car dependence and greenhouse gas emissions.
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Document type: Policy brief
Urban Land Use Reform
This report by RMI examines how reforming urban land use policies in the United States can mitigate climate change, increase housing supply, and reduce ecological harm by moving away from car-centric, single-family zoning.
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Document type: Report
Clean Energy 101: Geothermal Heat Pumps - RMI
This RMI fact sheet explains the technology, benefits, and market opportunities for geothermal heat pumps (also known as ground-source heat pumps) in the United States. It highlights their efficiency in both hot and cold climates, their role in reducing building emissions, and the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on lowering installation costs.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Embodied Carbon 101: Building Materials - RMI
This fact sheet by RMI explains the concept of embodied carbon in building materials, detailing how it is calculated, strategies for its reduction, and the role of policy and industry in decarbonizing construction.
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Document type: Fact sheet
TOP STATE ENERGY POLICIES TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS
This report by Energy Innovation and RMI evaluates the impact of five key state-level energy policies on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across six U.S. states using the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS). The analysis demonstrates that a coordinated policy approach can significantly reduce emissions, create jobs, and improve public health outcomes.
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Document type: Report
Coal Cost Crossover 3.0
The report 'Coal Cost Crossover 3.0' analyzes the economic viability of existing coal-fired power plants in the United States compared to new renewable energy alternatives. Using 2021 data and accounting for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the study finds that nearly all coal plants are more expensive to operate than replacing them with wind or solar, particularly when resources are sited locally to leverage existing grid interconnections and energy community tax credits.
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Document type: Report
Using the State Energy Policy Simulator to Support Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Planning
This fact sheet describes the Energy Policy Simulator (EPS), an open-source tool developed by RMI and Energy Innovation to help states estimate the impacts of climate and energy policies. It specifically outlines how the EPS can be used by state governments to meet the requirements of the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG) program, including GHG inventory, emissions projections, and benefits analysis.
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Document type: Fact sheet
IMPLEMENTING THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: A ROADMAP FOR FEDERAL AND STATE BUILDINGS POLICY
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.
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Document type: Report
The Fossil Fuel Lobbyist List
A November 2022 report by Global Energy Monitor (GEM) based on a 50-state survey reveals that major U.S. companies in the technology, banking, and insurance sectors frequently employ state-level lobbyists who also represent the fossil fuel industry. The report highlights a contradiction between these companies' public net-zero climate goals and their reliance on 'multi-client lobbyists' who promote continued fossil fuel dependence.
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Document type: Report
IMPLEMENTING THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT: A ROADMAP FOR STATE ELECTRICITY POLICY
This report by Energy Innovation provides a guide for state policymakers to leverage the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) of 2022 to accelerate the transition to clean electricity. It details the mechanics of clean energy tax credits, reinvestment financing for fossil infrastructure, and transmission provisions, while analyzing independent modeling of the IRA's potential to reduce U.S. electricity sector emissions and lower household energy costs by 2030.
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Document type: Report
Five Steps to Electrify Your Home: From Heat Pumps to Solar Panels and Induction Stoves
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.
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Document type: Guide
How Local Governments Can Advance Community Solar for Low- and Moderate-Income Households
This guide from the World Resources Institute outlines strategies for U.S. local governments to expand community solar access for low- and moderate-income (LMI) households, leveraging new federal incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act and various municipal-level interventions.
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Document type: Guide
How to Protect Forest Carbon in a Fire-Prone Future
This policy brief by the World Resources Institute examines the impact of high-severity wildfires on forest carbon sequestration in the United States. It argues that historical fire suppression and climate change have created a dangerous feedback loop of severe fires that release stored carbon and permanently damage the ability of forests to recover. The document advocates for scaled-up 'fuel load treatments,' the development of markets for thinned biomass, and federal policy reforms to protect the land carbon sink and support rural communities.
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Document type: Policy brief
Clean Energy 101: Heat Pumps
This guide explains the technology, efficiency, and types of heat pumps, highlighting their ability to provide both heating and cooling while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality compared to traditional fossil fuel systems.
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Document type: Guide
Regulatory Process Design for Decarbonization, Equity, and Innovation
This RMI report provides recommendations for modernizing the regulatory processes of state public utilities commissions (PUCs) in the United States to accelerate the transition to a decarbonized and equitable electric grid. It identifies four primary areas for reform: setting clear proceeding objectives, expanding stakeholder roles in solution development, reducing information asymmetry through data transparency, and initiating new inclusive processes such as regulatory sandboxes and updated benefit-cost analysis frameworks.
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Document type: Report
Five Steps for Utilities to Foster Authentic Community Engagement
This guide by RMI outlines five strategic steps for electric utilities to implement authentic community engagement to ensure an equitable clean energy transition, particularly in US states where legislation mandates equitable decarbonization.
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Document type: Guide