According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, more than half (51%) of the energy used in U.S. homes is directly spent on just two end uses, heating and air-conditioning. As such, producing a comfortable temperature within your living space creates one of the biggest carbon footprints of our modern living environment.

But it’s not all doom and gloom. At the 2020 Spring Leadership Meetings for the National Association of Home Builders, Ed Mazria, architect and founder of Architecture 2030, says there is reason to hope for the future of the built environment. He reports that between 2005 and 2019, building energy use decreased 1.7%, despite the addition of 47 billion square feet of floor space. This “de-coupling” of carbon dioxide emissions and activity growth can be attributed to careful planning and thoughtful design of new buildings that rely on building science principles, provide energy-efficiency improvements and incorporate renewable energy technologies.