Buildings Don't Decarbonize Themselves, People Do

About the Series

'Buildings Don’t Decarbonize Themselves, People Do’ is a webinar series highlighting how the social and behavioral sciences are essential to achieving building decarbonization goals by providing real, on-the-ground examples of ways that social and behavioral insights can be used to address the complexities of building decarbonization. The series is ongoing and will include at least three sessions.

Session 1: 'Human Insights 101: What do the behavioral and social sciences have to do with building decarbonization?'

This first webinar in the series was held on July 21, 2026. It provided a broad view of behavioral science theories and methods and their relevance to building decarbonization. The session also dug into residential electrification decision making and how behavioral science can enhance electrification efforts across the customer journey. CETI Research Director Dr. Stacia Dreyer moderated the discussion with presentations from Dr. Reuven Sussman (Director of the Behavior, Health and Human Dimensions Program - ACEEE) and Dr. Beth Karlin (Founder and CEO - See Change Institute).

You can watch the recording below. Slide decks from panelist presentations can be found here.

Session 2: 'The Human Side of Heat Pumps: Behavioral Insights for Customers and Contractors'

The second session in this series, 'The Human Side of Heat Pumps: Behavioral Insights for Customers and Contractors,' took place on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. The session provided two parallel perspectives on the heat pump journey–that of a customer and a contractor. Four core questions were answered from both perspectives based on social and behavioral science research informed by the technical specificities of heat pumps. The questions included:
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1) What are heat pumps and why should I care?
2) Will they work in my/this house?
3) What will it cost/how much should I charge?
4) How do I get one?

CETI Research Director Dr. Stacia Dreyer moderated the discussion with presentations from Dr. Sarah Outcault (Market Transformation Research Director at the UC Davis Energy and Efficiency Institute and Western Cooling Efficiency Center) and Dr. Jen Loomis (Market Research & Evaluation Senior Manager at Resource Innovations/California Market Transformation Administrator).

You can watch the recording below. Slide decks from panelist presentations can be found here.