A new study revealed that U.S. emissions from the built environment have increased by 3% in the last decade - a trend that looks set to continue. Research by 3Keel and Kingspan found that reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from buildings are reversing in the U.S. According to the report, the nation’s building stock is “far off track for reaching net zero by 2050, and without major intervention is unlikely to align with such a trajectory in the coming years”. The report stated that over the next twenty years the U.S. must reduce building emissions by an additional 73% to align with the country’s net zero scenario.
The research pointed to retrofitting, the modification of existing structures to improve energy efficiency and decrease energy demand, as a needed intervention to reduce GHG emissions generated by the country’s aging building stock. The average age of U.S. commercial buildings in 2022 was approximately 53 years and as of 2021, the average age of residential homes was approximately 40 years.