Homes and Buildings

Buildings account for more than a third of all energy used in the United States. Major sources of energy waste in buildings include drafty doors and windows, poorly insulated attics and basements, outdated appliances, inefficient heating and cooling systems, and buildings never designed with efficiency in mind.

Energy bills are among the largest household expenses Americans face. Inefficient homes make them worse, especially for renters and lower-income households, who often live in the oldest, leakiest housing stock and spend the highest share of their income on energy. For example, a quarter of households nationally spend at least 6% of their income on household energy, while that number is 15% for low-income households, and can be much higher in some metro areas. 

At the same time, the policy tools that have made buildings more efficient over decades—appliance and equipment standards, building energy codes, federal weatherization programs—are under growing pressure. Protecting and strengthening these tools while expanding access for the households that need them most is at the core of ACEEE’s mission.

ACEEE’s buildings work combines independent research, direct policy engagement, and hands-on technical assistance. We work with states and cities to adopt and implement updated building energy codes, supporting the transition toward zero-energy and electric-ready construction. We track progress on building policies across the country and give local leaders the benchmarks and recommendations they need to improve. We engage in policy advocacy to protect and maximize federal funding for home energy upgrades, weatherization, and electrification programs. And we work directly with state energy offices and utility program administrators to improve the design and reach of retrofit and incentive programs with a particular focus on getting those investments to the households that need them most.

Buildings are also increasingly important to the grid itself. Smart technologies, such as flexible appliances, can shift energy use in response to grid conditions—reducing peak demand, supporting reliability, and enabling deeper integration of renewable energy. As large energy consumers like data centers and their loads surge, ACEEE will help ensure that those facilities are designed and operated as efficiently as possible and that other buildings respond to free up grid capacity, lowering utility bills for everyone.

ACEEE works across the full policy landscape. From the standards that set the baseline for how efficient appliances and equipment must be, to the building codes that shape new construction, to the retrofit programs that help existing homes and buildings catch up. Our work spans residential and commercial buildings, new construction and existing stock, and reaches from federal policy to local government and utility programs that serve individual customers.