Using Building Physics Simulations to Help City Governments Meet Their Carbon Emissions Reduction Goals

Buildings account for approximately 40% of global carbon dioxide emissions. To meet Paris Agreement goals, rapid decarbonization across all sectors, including the built environment, is necessary. Many cities around the world have thus declared that their building stocks will have net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Aside from a handful of the largest cities globally, few have identified how to physically achieve these goals. We have developed a freely available workflow that uses building physics simulations to test technology pathways cities can implement to achieve their goals. The workflow is built around a web app, UBEM.io, that is designed to help policymakers bridge the gap between emissions targets and actionable implementation strategies to reduce emissions in the built environment. The tool relies on heat balance equations to test different energy efficiency upgrades and rooftop solar photovoltaic generation potential across hundreds to thousands of buildings at once. UBEM.io has been piloted with 20 cities around the world, delivering actionable insight to policymakers in communities with populations ranging from five thousand to five million. This presentation will focus on how UBEM.io has made building physics simulations a key tool in combatting climate change for cities around the world and at home in New England. We will share case studies of successful collaborations with policymakers, ways the tool can help ensure a socially equitable energy transition, and critical lessons learned.