The building sector is the largest contributor to climate change in Connecticut.

2024 Build Better CT Policy Platform

Without meaningful legislative action now, we could end up spending millions of dollars on new and renovated buildings that lock in decades of wasted energy, air pollution, and avoidable greenhouse gas emissions.

Better Building Benefits

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Reduce Energy and Healthcare Costs

Improve Health and Comfort

Address Environmental Justice

Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Priority Policies

Energy Transparency

Disclose home energy efficiency data and estimated annual energy costs to home buyers and renters.

New Construction Codes

Enact a statewide Stretch Code that can be voluntarily adopted by Municipalities and Update the CT High Performance Building Standards

Energy Efficiency Funding

Invest more money in the successful Energize CT energy efficiency programs to benefit environmental justice communities

FACT SHEET

Buy Clean

Enact state procurement guidelines that require using building and construction materials with a smaller climate footprint.

Policy Themes

Energy Efficiency

Lock in energy savings, reduce pollution, increase health and comfort

Beneficial Electrification

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and improve health.

Embodied Carbon Reduction

Reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with building materials and construction

Connecticut has some of the highest energy costs in the nation and an aging and inefficient building stock. One of the most cost-effective ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is through energy efficiency.

Energy efficiency makes our state more resilient by reducing demands on the electric grid, reducing air pollution, energy burden, and the need for energy assistance. In addition to providing long-term economic stability, energy efficient buildings are also more healthy and comfortable.

Combusting fossil fuels inside of buildings causes indoor air pollution. In homes, this can produce air pollution at levels up to 10x beyond the thresholds set by the EPA for healthy outdoor air, and is estimated to be responsible for billions of health impact costs every year in the State of Connecticut.

The combination of efficient heat pumps and our current electrical grid results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions than using the most efficient gas furnace, and the energy from electric heating and cooking appliances can be offset with clean renewable energy with solar panels onsite or an increasingly clean electric grid.

Embodied carbon associated with the materials and construction of our built environment is a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The most devastating effects of climate change cannot be avoided without addressing and reducing embodied carbon.

Strategies such as reducing the amount of concrete and steel used on a project and substituting low-carbon alternatives such as low-carbon concrete, mass timber, and other plant-based materials can not only reduce embodied carbon, but encourage the use of materials that sequester carbon.

Fast Facts

Energy use in buildings is responsible for almost half of Connecticut’s greenhouse gas emissions.

A recent study found that better home energy-efficiency scores led to lower mortgage defaults.

Energy-efficiency has the potential to reduce health impacts and save lives.

Home energy transparency policies increase investment in energy efficiency.

Each $1 invested in Connecticut’s energy-efficiency fund returns almost $2.35 in lifetime savings.

Fast Facts

Building fossil fuel use accounted for about 32.7% of Connecticut’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2018.

Air pollution from burning fuels in Connecticut buildings led to an estimated 318 early deaths and $3.567 billion in health impact costs in 2017.

Electric heat pumps are typically 300% efficient vs a max of 95% for high-efficiency fossil fuel equipment because they move heat instead of generating heat.

A recent study showed that 12.7% of childhood asthma is attributable to gas stove use.

Fast Facts

Embodied carbon accounts for approximately 23% of global greenhouse emissions, mostly related to concrete and steel.

There are concrete technologies available now that can reduce or eliminate the GHG emissions associated with concrete production.

Wood is a low carbon option for structures, and if forested sustainably, it can even sequester carbon.

Many other jurisdictions have enacted Buy Clean legislation that requires the local or state government to procure low-embodied carbon building materials.