Oregon Joint Task Force on Resilient Efficient Buildings
Climate Mitigation Modelling
A bipartisan task force identifies a cost-effective pathway to decarbonize Oregon’s buildings
Client
State of Oregon, Legislative Policy and Research Office
Population
4,237,256
Schedule
2022 – 2023
The Problem
Oregon State’s Senate passed a bill to convene the Resilient, Efficient Buildings (ReBuilding) Task Force to make policy recommendations to decarbonize building. The Task Force needed to evaluate the costs and effects of potential building policies, and decide which ones to recommend.
The Problem
What is the best way for Oregon to decarbonize its buildings?
1B ft2
projected increase in residential floor space by 2050
34%
of Oregon’s emissions generated by buildings
The Solution
SSG worked with the REBuilding Task Force to model scenarios based on possible policy approaches for reducing building emissions. Supported by SSG’s analysis, the cross-sector Task Force played a pivotal role in developing four senate and one house bill to decarbonize buildings. All of them passed.
Potential policies were evaluated in relation to their impact on greenhouse gas emissions, cost, public health and air quality, climate resilience, household energy costs, jobs, and the social cost of carbon.
SSG’s analysis showed that energy-efficient building retrofits could reduce peak electricity demand, which would enable buildings to transition to electric heat pumps, rather than relying on heat from natural gas.
The Outcome
SSG’s analysis identified:
<1%
share of Oregon’s GDP required to implement policies
91k
MMbtu reduction in annual energy consumption
$343M
in avoided healthcare costs related to air pollution
*for the most ambitious combination of policies identified by the REBuilding Task Force.
Outcome
Key Takeaways
How we build is how we live, and it’s clear that Oregon needs a better foundation.
Kate Lieber
Oregon State Senator
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