Can innovation in buildings help shift our trajectory towards decarbonisation?

The buildings sector is the driver of about a fifth of Australia’s emissions. This includes both direct emissions, and indirect emissions from electricity.

While the sector has the potential to reduce emissions by 69 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, it is on track for just an 11 per cent reduction. There are already feasible opportunities to address this. Technological breakthroughs could also initiate further reductions in emissions. 

This summary report highlights that:

• There is already significant potential for emissions reduction in buildings – innovations can help accelerate the transition
• Any delay risks ‘locking-in’ emissions for the duration of building or equipment lifetime
• We must incorporate the potential for innovations to disrupt industries or create new markets into planning in order to best capture opportunities and understand risks
• Innovation is not quick and easy, the more time to develop and test ideas, the quicker they will be market ready and cost effective.

The summary report provides a taste of the decarbonisation potential across the built environment. Our Decarbonisation Futures report explores emerging technologies across the whole economy.