First federal blueprint to decarbonize U.S. buildings sector released

The Biden Administration recently released “Decarbonizing the U.S. Economy by 2050: A National Blueprint for the Buildings Sector,” a comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from buildings by 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050.

The Blueprint is the first sector-wide strategy for building decarbonization developed by the federal government. It outlines ways to reduce energy in homes, schools, and workplaces.

To reach the emissions reduction targets for the buildings sector, the Blueprint sets four strategic objectives:  

• Increasing building energy efficiency
• Accelerating onsite emissions reductions
• Transforming the interactions between buildings and the electricity grid
• Minimizing the emissions from producing, transporting, installing, and disposing of building materials  

Each objective has specific performance targets and market, policy, and technology milestones to reach by 2035 and 2050. Meeting these targets will require accelerated deployment of a wide range of decarbonization and energy efficiency technologies. The Blueprint outlines coordinated federal actions that can increase the speed and scale of solutions deployments. Those actions include funding research and development to develop lower-cost technologies, expanding markets for low-carbon technologies, providing direct funding and financing, and supporting the development and implementation of emissions-reducing building codes and appliance standards.

The Department of Energy, a key player in the administration’s decarbonization drive, is focused on building innovations in three pivotal areas: building upgrades, efficient electrification, and smart controls.