HomebuildersCAN

A community of practice to measure and reduce embodied carbon in home construction, powered by RMI

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Buildings | Apr 1, 2024

HomebuildersCAN: Embodied Carbon for Homebuilders—Made Easy

HomebuildersCAN aims to help the industry to understand, measure, and reduce embodied carbon in residential homes while maintaining profitability and performance.

New Case Studies: Learn From Other Builders Who Have Successfully Reduced the Embodied Carbon of Their Homes

Visit our ‘Resources’ page to see our latest collection of case studies and learn about key strategies and lessons learned on how builders have increased the climate performance of their homes.

Missed the launch Event?

Catch up by watching the recording for an overview of the program.

Watch the webinar

HomebuildersCAN supports members across three key areas

Increased home performance. Profitable practices. Building sector alignment. The program is designed with flexibility to support homebuilders in each of these areas no matter where they are in their embodied carbon journey, from those just learning about what embodied carbon is to those with built example-demonstrating reductions. As a member, you'll work alongside experts and leading practitioners to:

Increase
performance

Increase embodied carbon performance and share your successes

Learn how to measure embodied carbon using standards and tools
Identify and analyze embodied carbon hotspots and reduction opportunities
Develop reporting strategies that demonstrate embodied carbon improvements
Highlight your commitments and turn them into relatable stories
Let buyers know about high-value features

Profitable
practices

Adopt and scale profitable low-carbon building practices

Discover emerging low-carbon materials and advanced construction techniques
Access leading building decarbonization research and resources
Consult with experts for prototypes and demonstration projects
Create data and reports suitable for sustainability reporting
Display commitments recognized and valued by investors and clients

Sector
alignment

Advocate for alignment across the residential building sector

Develop approaches for integrating embodied carbon into energy efficiency and green building rating programs
Standardize approaches and reporting for integrating embodied carbon into incentive programs, regulator needs, and sustainability reporting
Advocate for the inclusion of embodied carbon performance in financing mechanisms like green mortgages

why focus on embodied carbon?

Emissions from materials for new homes in the United States is equivalent to the total emissions from entire countries (RMI Report 'Hidden Climate Impact of Residential Construction').

kgCO₂e/m²

Average Embodied Carbon of New Homes (Cradle to Gate)

billion ft²

Square Foot
Built Annually

MtCO₂e

Annual Embodied Carbon from New Home Construction

Denmark

Bahrain

Ireland

Entire Country Emissions
Mt CO2 emissions in 2017

Using less material and choosing materials wisely can significantly reduce the embodied carbon of a home, often without raising costs. Homebuilders can take immediate steps to achieve 30 to 50 percent emissions reductions with commercially available, affordable, and code-compliant building materials and by targeting just a few key material categories: concrete, insulation, cladding, and interior surfaces.