From more frequent and intense natural disasters to growing electricity demand and costs, climate-related challenges are on the rise for everyone. Meeting these extraordinary challenges head-on requires an all-hands-on-deck effort to transform our energy future and lower dependence on fossil fuels. At the heart of this challenge lies an opportunity to improve the places where most people spend 90 percent of our time—our buildings.

In the United States, buildings consume more energy than most countries do as a whole. Powering, heating, and cooling our businesses and homes accounts for 40 percent of all energy use and a similar percent of greenhouse gas emissions. In some cities, buildings account for over 70 percent of carbon emissions. These facts make it easy to see why the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals includes an ambitious target of doubling the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency by 2030.

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(Alliance to Save Energy)