Energy Transitions Commission

🚨Out now!🚨  Our new report, Achieving Zero-Carbon Buildings: Electric, Efficient and Flexible, draws a complete picture of the buildings sector’s emissions and energy use and describes how a combination of electric, efficient, and flexible solutions can decarbonise buildings, improve standards of living, and reduce energy bills if supported by ambitious policy. The global #buildings sector currently contributes a third of greenhouse gas emissions (12.3 GtCO2 in 2022). This comes from the use of fossil fuels for heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and powering appliances, as well as the construction of residential and commercial buildings.  There is not a one-size-fits-all solution for decarbonisation, as different solutions work for different building types, countries, and climates, but three key priorities stand out for creating a zero-carbon dioxide emissions buildings sector: Electrification must replace fossil fuels: decarbonising heat and cooking is essential, supported by a transition to decarbonised electricity generation. Dramatically improving energy efficiency: of heating and cooling technologies, by designing buildings with techniques to “passively” retain or dissipate heat, and avoiding wasteful use of heating and cooling through smart building management and consumer choices.  Constructing efficient and low-carbon buildings: by decarbonising production of building materials (e.g., steel, cement, concrete), using fewer materials in construction, and better utilising existing buildings by extending lifetimes or creating shared spaces.  Our analysis explores these key challenges, from heating decarbonisation and increasing access to affordable cooling, to decarbonising commercial buildings and managing the new build opportunity.    Read the full report for more: https://lnkd.in/eXVJ8Bj5 Shout-out to Hannah Audino for leading the report, and to Ita Kettleborough, Mike Hemsley, Jonny Xiao, Andrea Bath for their invaluable support. #ZeroCarbonBuildings

❄️ 🏢 Tree planting, painting roofs white, the use of awnings or roofs for shade and using the right materials which do not absorb as much heat can provide cost-effective cooling in city districts. "Just introducing shading when you build a new district of a city & making sure they're well-shaded through the planting of a few trees or external shading on buildings will be far more cost-effective than using an AC - it won't increase your heat or energy bills, it will just make you cooler from the off." Mike Hemsley (Deputy Director, ETC) on using “passive cooling” techniques for better building and city design in an interview with TRT World. In combination with efficient air conditioning, it can help manage the challenge of rising use of cooling technology as global temperatures increase due to climate change. 📺 Watch the full video: https://lnkd.in/etwfnig5 📚 Dive into our insights: https://lnkd.in/eUsvuwdE

⚡ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 - 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟱𝟬, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟱–𝟮𝟬% 𝗯𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟯𝟬.  As annual electricity requirements for buildings in 2050 could be 2.5-3 times higher than today, managing total electricity demand – especially demand at peak times – via efficiency and flexibility is essential to support a clean energy system when the wind isn’t blowing or the sun isn’t shining.  Buildings can themselves be assets to a clean energy system and provide “demand side flexibility” through insulation which enables homes to be pre-heated, rooftop solar PV and batteries, water storage, and smart energy management systems.  Combined with improving the efficiency of heat pumps, AC, lighting and appliances, this could reduce annual electricity demand for buildings by 50% in 2050.  Priority actions for key actors include: • 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀   • 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹/𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 & 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱-𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆  • 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀 & 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲-𝗼𝗳-𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗳𝘀  Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eUsvuwdE 

🏢 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟭𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 – 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝘄-𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻, 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹.  While there is no one-size-fits all solution due to the heterogeneity of commercial buildings, the energy transition can move faster for commercial buildings, compared to residential.  This is because efficient and low-carbon commercial buildings will enable the private sector to realise cost savings from more efficient technologies, de-risk their assets against future carbon/energy regulation and meet their own net-zero commitments. Our report calls for immediate bans on the installation of new gas/oil boilers in new buildings and by 2030 in existing buildings. In many countries, these are already cost-effective but, in some places, may require additional policy support e.g., rebalancing gas & electricity prices. Key priorities include: • Setting requirements to ensure renovations improve the energy efficiency of buildings   • Strong regulation of new building design & construction, including minimum energy intensity standards differentiated by type of commercial building   • Voluntary commitments from real estate developers, property developers & financial institutions Dive into the analysis: https://lnkd.in/eUsvuwdE 

"86% of the customers with heat pumps said the heat pump performed with flying colours." Greg Jackson CEO of Octopus Energy on heat pump performance during a cold snap in the UK with temperatures well below 0° repeatedly for several nights. 📺 Watch Greg explain why heat pumps are winning against gas boilers: https://lnkd.in/eVCYTdBE 📚 Download our analysis diving into the heating decarbonisation challenge: https://lnkd.in/eUsvuwdE

⚡Is the current policy/investment environment aligned to triple the world’s installed renewable energy generation capacity to at least 11,000 GW by 2030? What is the role of zero and low-emission technologies in keeping warming to well below 2°C? ETC Deputy Director Mike Hemsley chaired a discussion exploring these questions & more on "Accelerating the energy transition" at Chatham House's Climate and Energy Summit 2025. Speakers included: • HE Leila Benali, PhD. (Minister of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, Morocco) • Jane Dennett-Thorpe FEI (Decarbonisation & Energy Transition lead, Ofgem) • Ben Parsons (Partner, Oaklin) • Sanjeet Sanghera (Head of Strategic Futures, Strategy & Policy, National Energy System Operator) • Alex Schoch (Vice President and Group Director, Flexibility & Electrification, Octopus Energy) The technologies are in place, it’s time for governments and industry to take action now to accelerate the energy transition. Check out our analysis: https://lnkd.in/dSbskeH Chatham House Events

Delivering on ambitious net-zero emissions goals by 2050 requires the expansion of clean energy infrastructure at an unprecedented speed and scale. Worley and Princeton University's Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment's From Ambition to Reality reports highlight the urgent need to rethink infrastructure delivery practices to achieve global climate targets. As part of this research effort, Princeton have developed an annual Net Zero Stakeholder Survey to establish quantitative data on current and planned delivery practices globally. Discuss progress of the clean energy transition in Lunch & Learn webinars this week hosted by Andlinger Center's Chris Greig and Elke Weber. 🗓️ Happening now! Europe webinar Mon March 24 at 7 am ET / 12 pm CET   📌 North America webinar Mon March 24 at 12 pm ET / 5 pm CET   📌 Asia Pacific webinar Tues March 25 at 7 pm ET / Weds March 26 at 10 am AEDT   Sign up here: acee.princeton.edu/events/ Explore the survey: https://lnkd.in/ezkZydeH

"The good news we have is there's a lot of cost effective technologies that consumers and people can embrace in order to accelerate buildings decarbonisation. But the interesting thing about the buildings story again is it's different depending on where we are in the world." Mike Hemsley (Deputy Director, ETC) on how the path to decarbonising the buildings sector varies across regions depending on technologies and policies. In an exclusive interview, Mike & Reagan Des Vignes (Executive Producer & Host of “Just 2 Degrees”) at TRT World⁩ explore amongst several topics: • The biggest barriers to reducing buildings emissions • How different regions tackle heating and cooling challenges • The role of cost-effective clean energy solutions like solar power and batteries 📺 Watch the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/etwfnig5 📚 Read the report on #ZeroCarbonBuildings: https://lnkd.in/eUsvuwdE

Our latest report, Achieving Zero-Carbon Buildings: Electric, Efficient and Flexible, draws a complete picture of the buildings sector’s emissions and energy use and describes how a combination of electric, efficient, and flexible solutions can decarbonise buildings, improve standards of living, and reduce energy bills if supported by ambitious policy.  Achieving zero-carbon buildings is entirely feasible. However, it relies on concerted action from policymakers and actors from across the whole value chain: • 💡𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀 e.g., banning fossil fuel boilers in new builds from 2025 and their sale from 2035 in high income countries + China   • ⚡𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻, 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 & 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 such as carbon pricing, rebalancing gas & electricity prices and banning the use of refrigerants with high global warming potential   • 🍃𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 & 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗲-𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 through regulations to set ambitious limits for operational energy efficiency and development of frameworks to measure whole-life carbon   • 🏢𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘆 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 incl. minimum energy performance standards for heat pumps, AC, appliances & lighting, and commitments to retrofit least energy efficient buildings by 2035   • 🏡𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀 via e.g., low-cost finance for retrofits & clean tech, and investments in improving energy efficiency of social housing  Read more on #ZeroCarbonBuildings: https://lnkd.in/eUsvuwdE  Dervilla Mitchell DBE (Arup); Matt Bullivant (Athora); Sam Ramadori Nicolas Bossé (BrainBox AI); Oliver Rapf (BPIE - Buildings Performance Institute Europe ); Ana Maria Carreño Colin Taylor (CLASP); Peter Graham (Global Buildings Performance Network (GBPN)); Sophie Attali, Lucas Boehlé, Brian Motherway, Melanie Slade Fabian Voswinkel (International Energy Agency (IEA); Tamsin Lishman, Wouter Thijssen Matthew Trewhella (Kensa); Greg Jackson (Octopus Energy); Louise Sunderland (Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP)); Andrew Sutton (Sero); Vincent Minier (Schneider Electric) Jose La Loggia (Trane); Alice Bond, Audrey Nugent, Dr Stephen Richardson (World Green Building Council) Roxana Slavcheva (World Resources Institute) 

How can we deliver a rapid and large-scale replacement of fossil fuel boilers?   In addition to investing in a low-carbon electricity grid and skills/training, street-by-street approaches will play a key role. These focus on developing a deep understanding of low housing stock to enable local authorities to identify areas suitable for coordinated switching via heat networks, networked heat pumps or mass heat pump adoption.   For instance, Kensa’s successful retrofit of 273 social housing flats in Thurrock, England, demonstrates the potential of networked ground source heat pumps to deliver a rapid and entire community-based transition in two of the most challenging segments of the market – low-income households and blocks of flats with limited space.   The compact heat pumps were able to achieve efficiencies of around 300%, meaning resident's energy bills fell by as much as 66%, even though energy consumption for many households actually rose, lifting them out of energy poverty. The project was delivered by Kensa and financed by Thurrock Council, supported with £3.2 million from the government's Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. More from Tamsin Lishman, CEO of Kensa ⬇️ Download the full analysis: https://lnkd.in/eUsvuwdE