The International Energy Agency (IEA) published its first comprehensive roadmap to net-zero emissions by 2050.
Many governments use IEA’s modeling and conclusions as input for policy decisions. Much of the document’s focus is on energy generation and a transition to cleaner forms of transportation, but building efficiency is also included.
The net zero vision would have emissions from buildings drop by 40% by 2030 and more than 95% by 2050. That goal would require that by 2030, about 20% of the existing building stock worldwide be retrofitted and all new buildings comply with zero‐carbon‐ready building standards. A zero‐carbon‐ready building is defined as highly energy efficient using either renewable energy directly or from an energy supply that will be fully decarbonized by 2050.
The roadmap also calls for minimum energy performance standards and replacement schemes for low‐efficiency appliances to be introduced or strengthened in the 2020s in all countries. By the mid‐2030s, nearly all household appliances sold worldwide should be as efficient as the most efficient models available today.
Related Stories
Codes and Standards | Sep 21, 2020
No ease of lumber price spikes in sight
Wildfires strike Northwest timber industry in wake of Covid-19 shutdowns.
Codes and Standards | Sep 17, 2020
Spate of energy code appeals could hamper efficiency progress
Construction and fossil fuel interests oppose portions of latest model energy code.
Codes and Standards | Sep 16, 2020
Heat pumps are the future for hot water
Sustainability policies will drive trend.
Codes and Standards | Sep 15, 2020
Taller timber buildings approved in National Fire Protection Association code
Ensures compatibility with the International Building Code.
Codes and Standards | Sep 14, 2020
Relocation of neighborhoods, the next step in U.S. flood strategy, is underway
Repeated rebuilding after successive floods now seen as bad policy.
Codes and Standards | Sep 10, 2020
Fannie Mae programs provide incentives for multifamily solar
Affordable housing projects can find PV installations to be cost-effective.
Codes and Standards | Sep 9, 2020
Corporate pledges accelerate net-zero building movement
World Green Building Council drives goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Codes and Standards | Sep 8, 2020
Study will examine elevator airflow amid COVID-19 pandemic
Researchers to investigate risk of airborne transmission.
Codes and Standards | Sep 4, 2020
Updated selection, application guide for plastic glazed skylights, sloped glazing released
Part of suite of skylight documents by Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance.
Codes and Standards | Sep 3, 2020
Turner Construction takes strong stand against racism
Shuts down work sites for anti-bias training.
