Buildings
16% of 37 billion tonnes per year
Decarbonisation Pathway| 8 Sectorsmore details
| Sector | Emissions today | Decarbonisation pathway |
|---|---|---|
| Heating & cooling | Very high — space heating is the dominant end-use, overwhelmingly gas and oil boilers in existing stock; cooling is already electric but growing fast as climate warms, with refrigerant F-gases an additional GHG concern | Heat pumps are the solution for both and are commercially mature; retrofit of existing stock is the bottleneck, not technology; F-gas refrigerant transition (away from HFCs) runs in parallel |
| Water heating | High — gas-dominated in most markets | Faster mover than space heating — shorter replacement cycles and lower capital cost accelerate the switch to heat pump water heaters |
| Cooking | Moderate — gas dominant in commercial kitchens and many households | Electrifying steadily — induction is mature and often preferred on performance; regulation driving faster transition in some markets |
| Lighting & appliances | Moderate in aggregate — largely electric already | Largely solved — LED transition well advanced; appliance efficiency standards driving steady improvement |
| Commercial | High — offices, retail, hotels, hospitals; large floor areas and 24-hour operation in some cases | Active transition — commercial PPAs, building energy codes, and net zero commitments from large corporates driving investment; retrofit of existing stock the main challenge |
| Residential | Very high in aggregate — largest sub-category by number of assets | Slow at scale — millions of individual decisions, high upfront costs, split incentive problem between landlords and tenants; policy the key unlock |
| Building insullation | Significant — poorly insulated buildings increase heating and cooling demand | Steady improvement — insulation, double glazing, and passive design reduce demand before generation or fuel source matters; the efficiency layer that determines how much electrification is needed |
| Construction | High — steel, cement and materials in new buildings; excluded from operational emissions but significant over lifecycle | Early stage — low-carbon materials, mass timber, and embodied carbon accounting beginning to enter mainstream procurement |
Cooling
Conry Tech
FeaturedAustralia
Reduce the energy used for cooling buildings by 50% by miniaturising the HVAC system and bringing it closer to where it is needed. Ron Conry has revolutionised air-con once before so has deep domain expertise.
Founders
Homes
Amber Electric
FeaturedAustralia
As the role of grids shifts to connecting intermittent supply with moveable demand, firms that can use software and data to match the two will prosper.
Amber enables customers to access real-time wholesale energy prices. More importantly, SmartShift™ automates the charge & discharge of your battery (or EV) for maximum saving & return.
Founders
Aira
airahome.com ↗Sweden
Aira’s heat pumps are controlled by an app that, among other things, adjusts its activity based on the weather forecast, and learns when in the day a customer showers and how quickly their home heats up.
National Renewable Network
nrn.com.au ↗Australia
Upgrade your property to renewable energy at no cost.