PNNL

Abstract

Buildings account for one-third of total global energy use, and that share is growing as incomes rise and populations urbanize. As the global footprint of buildings expands, we have a choice to lock in energy efficiency and low emissions. Under the Paris Agreement, building energy efficiency plays a central role in national strategies to achieve emission reductions under the Paris Agreement. Fifty-five countries have included building energy efficiency in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), with many of them specifying building energy codes. However, achieving the potential of building energy codes (and other energy efficiency policies) requires effective implementation systems. Herein lies one of the major challenges of reducing emissions through buildings. Most codes are implemented at the local level, while national governments typically develop the codes and NDCs. Our central research question focuses on identifying the gaps that countries and cities are experiencing in implementing building energy codes, and whether coordination with national governments is helping to fill these gaps.