Tackling the climate crisis on a global scale can seem like a daunting, if not impossible, challenge. However, retrofitting existing building stock represents one of the most effective and attainable ways to lower energy demand and carbon emissions, since buildings account for up to 30 percent of all energy consumption.
Deep energy renovations of buildings are critical if cities want to tackle their climate emissions on a large scale. Energy renovation could provide up to 55 percent of the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions needed to meet 2030 targets, aligning cities with a 1.5 degrees Celsius (34.7 degrees Fahrenheit) trajectory—the aim of the Paris Climate Agreement.