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Sectors : Building and Energy Efficiency

Buildings are a major and rapidly growing source of greenhouse gas emissions accounting for more than 40 percent of global energy used, and as much as one third of global greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions are directly linked to decisions in our daily lives: how we power our homes and office directly affects how much greenhouse gases we emit. Yet, today, the building sector is largely missing out from the carbon market due to a scarcity of methodologies, undefined baselines, poor access to capital, and unequal benefit sharing.  There is vast potential to adopt better building and energy efficiency measures, and employ renewable energy sources to inexpensively lower emissions with strong social benefits.

Climate Focus is working to bring the benefits of carbon finance to the building and energy efficiency sectors. We are engaged in projects on the ground where we work with project developers to develop suitable methodologies and bring carbon finance to individual projects. We also work with policy makers and legislators, informing the discussion about how carbon finance instruments can best accommodate the sector and pioneer novel approaches, particularly Programmes of Activities  and sectoral strategies. 

Climate Focus is supporting energy efficiency projects and research in the building sector across three continents. We are convinced that the future carbon market has to create incentives for emission reductions at a much larger scale than it does today.

We provide carbon asset development and transaction services for building and energy efficiency projects of all sorts. Our services include:

• Originating carbon projects
• Assessing feasibility
• Developing project idea notes and project design documents
• Supporting validation, registration and issuance of carbon credits
• Conducting due diligences
• Supporting the contracting emission reductions

Our recent assignments include:

• In the US, we are helping the Maine State Housing Authority monetize carbon emission reductions from weatherization of low income houses. Link to the project : Weatherizing Maine’s Homes

• In China, we are exploring the use of Programme of Activities, sectoral approaches and domestic trading for increasing energy efficiency of buildings in collaboration with the Chinese Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development (MOHURD) and supported by the German Ministry for Environment. Link to the Article Building trade in China  or  link to the project: Chinese Building Efficiency

• In Estonia and Ukraine, we are developing PoAs and Green Investment Schemes to support the use of bank loans for energy modernization activities.