Building Decarbonization

Aaron Hockley

The Clean Energy Transition Institute kicked off 2022 with Operation 2030: Scaling Building Decarbonization in Washington State to identify the time-critical strategic decisions and actions that Washington must take in the 2020s to meet its transformational building decarbonization targets by 2050.

The buildings sector includes residential buildings (houses and apartments) as well as commercial buildings (offices, malls, stores, schools, hospitals, hotels, warehouses, restaurants, and places of worship and public assembly). Emissions in this sector largely result from the use of natural gas and electricity and can be addressed through a range of decarbonization strategies, including electrification and energy efficiency.  

Not counting the emissions associated with the production of electricity used in the sector, residential and commercial buildings account for approximately 14% of total Northwest emissions. Building emissions account for the following proportion of each of the four Northwest states individually: Idaho-19%; Montana-11%; Oregon-13%; and Washington-14%. (For additional analysis of the region’s emissions data, please consult our Northwest Clean Energy Atlas).

Data Source: https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/state-ghg-emissions-and-removals (data for Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington)

Building Decarbonization Projects

ONGoing

Residential Energy Workforce Gap Analysis

CETI is working on a project with Kinetic West, BW Research Partnership, and Uncommon Bridges to conduct a residential energy workforce gap analysis for a contract with the Washington State Department of Commerce. This work is ongoing.
Learn More
Open concept renovation at residential house in Toronto, Ontario. On the floor are visible tools and wood supply.
ongoing

SCALE 2030

To meet 2050 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limits Washington state must scale equitable building decarbonization at pace by 2030. This level of market transformation will require systemic change and large-scale mobilization not in place with current policies, programs, or incentives. The Clean Energy Transition Institute (CETI) and 2050 Institute have been working on this challenge since 2021.
Learn More
january 2022

Operation 2030: Scaling Building Decarbonization in Washington State

CETI launched Operation 2030 in partnership with the 2050 Institute to identify the time-critical strategic decisions and actions that Washington must take in the 2020s to meet its transformational building decarbonization targets by 2050.
Learn More