The European Union (EU) has made a commitment to achieve net‐zero carbon emissions
by 2050. Reaching this goal requires concerted action and effort across multiple industries
and sectors, including the buildings sector, which accounts for roughly one-third of Europe’s
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The EU Renovation Wave, launched in October 2020,
points the way to a decarbonised and clean-energy system by retrofitting old buildings and
constructing new sustainable buildings. To this end, the European Commission has activated
relevant legislation and a series of directives and programmes to address every component
of the buildings sector.

On the other side of the Atlantic, the buildings sector also contributes about a third of overall
greenhouse gas emissions in the United States (US). Buildings-related emissions in the US,
however, are by far the highest in the G20 on a per-capita basis. Like the EU, the US has
pledged to achieve net‐zero carbon emissions by 2050, and achieving energy efficiency and
decarbonisation of buildings is already a top priority in many states and local jurisdictions.
The EU and the US are each taking important steps to achieve their respective goals, but can
accelerate progress through the mutual exchange of best practises, policies, business models
and technology development.

The purpose of this paper is to inform EU audiences on the status of recovery measures in the U.S. – existing and planned – that can move the country towards meeting its climate commitments.

This paper also highlights case studies that were presented through the related US-EU webinar series in order to further flesh out key subtopics related to decarbonizing buildings in the US.