Presentation Title:

Why Invest In a Decarbonization Master Plan?

Track C: Decarbonization and Electrification Strategies

Session C1: Building Decarbonization

Day 1 - March 11, 2026  2:00 pm

Speaker(s):

Abstract:

Many public entities and corporations have committed to greenhouse gas emission reduction targets and many are finding it difficult to tackle such an immense and complex undertaking. It feels overwhelming and it is hard to know where to begin. What you need is a plan.

A Decarbonization Master Plan will allow you to address carbon emissions while achieving multiple other beneficial outcomes:
– Address deferred maintenance
– Coincide with known capital improvement projects
– Reduce operating and maintenance costs
– Increase resiliency
– Improve building comfort
– Avoid reactive decision making

In the last 5 years, our team has created comprehensive Decarbonization Master Plans for over 22 million square feet of complex facilities across North America, including the Washington State Capitol Campus in Olympia, multiple Providence Hospitals, Eagle County in Colorado, and international pharmaceutical manufacturers Sanofi and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

This experience has taught us the following keys to a successful Decarbonization Master Plan:
– Require a detailed, practical plan that identifies specific projects with costs, savings, and an implementation timeline. High-level generalities are not useful for decision-making.
– Base the plan on data, energy modeling, and a holistic understanding of the facilities.
– Reduce heating loads and implement energy efficiency before replacement with electrified systems. This helps reduce first costs and avoid increased utility bills from switching from natural gas to electricity.
– Focus on phased implementation over time that is synergistic with other capital improvement needs. Front load high-impact projects to generate momentum & begin taking advantage of energy & GHG savings immediately.
– Take advantage of energy savings, grants, and tax incentives to buy down the first costs.

Results of this Process:
– A tailored, practical roadmap that details specific projects and phased dates for implementation required to meet your organization’s GHG reduction goals.
– Financial modeling for funding the investment over time, including a comparison between unavoidable equipment costs and climate-driven upgrade options to understand the true cost of decarbonization.

Next we will present real-world results and examples, as well as average costs per square foot for different building types and different regions.

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