Residential & Commercial

Direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the residential and commercial sectors account for about 12 percent of total U.S. emissions.

In the residential sector, most direct emissions come from heating and cooking; in the commercial sector, most direct emissions come from direct fossil fuel combustion, landfills, wastewater treatment facilities, and other sources. In addition, the residential and commercial sectors are large end users of electricity. When GHG emissions from electricity use—primarily in buildings—are distributed among end-use sectors, the residential and commercial sectors account for about 35 percent of total U.S. emissions. Major end uses of electricity include the heating and cooling of buildings, lighting, cooking, and the use of appliances.

GHG emissions data can be reported either by economic sector, which includes electric power generation as a separate sector, or by end-use sector, which combines the emissions from electricity generation and the economic sector where the electricity is used. Since the residential and commercial sectors are large consumers of electricity, it is appropriate to address both direct emissions and emissions from the sectors' electricity sources.

Our work at C2ES focuses on all types of commercial and residential building topics, including policy and low-carbon building technologies. We track state and federal building and efficiency policies, blog about building-related energy issues, and create and maintain a current online resource of building technologies.

Tracking Policy – Our state maps provide useful overviews of state policies supporting energy-related building codes and standards, such as Commercial Building Energy Codes. We also track and analyze policy at the national level, including what is happening in Congress and the Executive Branch.

Research – We produce research, including reports, white papers, and briefs, on climate and clean energy issues. 

Climate Compass Blog – On our blog we inlclude posts related to the residential and commercial sectors. See our blog posts.

Climate Techbook  – The Residential & Commercial section of the Climate Techbook provides an overview of these sectors and decriptions of technologies related to improving building energy efficiency. Below is a list of all the buildings-related Techbook factsheets.

Recommended Resources

ENERGY STAR®

• Green Buildings and Energy  Efficiency

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

• Buildings
• Buildings Energy Data Book

U.S. Energy Information Administration

• Residential Energy Consumption Survey

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

• Building Green

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

U.S. Green Building Council

Related Business Environmental Leadership Council (BELC) Companies