"The Biden administration unveiled on Tuesday the first-ever national plan for decarbonizing the nation’s residential and commercial buildings sector.

The plan calls for a 90% reduction in carbon emissions from buildings by 2050. Those cuts are essential because commercial and residential buildings account for more than a third of the US’ greenhouse gas emissions.

If executed, the Energy Department said the emissions reductions will save consumers more than $100 billion in yearly energy costs. As an intermediate goal, the blueprint also seeks to reduce building emissions 65% by 2035.

The blueprint includes policy levers such as energy efficiency, more on-site emissions reductions, a transformation in the way buildings interact with the energy grid, and emissions cuts in the production, transportation, installation, and disposal of building materials."

Stephen Lee reports for Bloomberg Environment April 2, 2024. [2]