GAO-25-107931 Sustainable Building Technologies
Science, Technology Assessment,
and Analytics
SCIENCE & TECH SPOTLIGHT:
SUSTAINABLE BUILDING
TECHNOLOGIES
GAO-25-107931, February 2025
WHY THIS MATTERS
There are over 130 million buildings in the U.S., and owners
spend more than $370 billion annually on energy, the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) reported in 2024. It also
reported that buildings use 40 percent of the total energy
used in the U.S. In 2022, buildings accounted for over 30
percent of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. Sustainable building
technologies may reduce energy use, costs, and emissions.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
» Sustainable building technologies can deliver benefits but
may raise construction costs.
» Savings over a building's life are hard to estimate, and
initial owners may not recoup their higher up-front costs.
» Policymakers and industry have used funding incentives
to develop some technologies.
THE TECHNOLOGIES
What are they? Sustainable building technologies include solar
panels, energy efficient windows, and low emission materials.
They aim to reduce energy use, water use, and greenhouse gas
emissions in construction and operations. They may be applied
to new and existing buildings, both commercial and residential.
They can lessen climate effects and improve resilience to
severe weather, such as hurricanes and extreme heat events.
How do they work? Multiple sustainable building technologies
are often combined in new or renovated buildings to maximize
energy and water savings. For example, a building may combine
energy from solar panels, automated heat and water controls,
and windows that automatically adjust heat transmission at
higher temperatures to reduce energy use. Catch basins can
collect rainwater for building cooling and landscape needs,
which reduces water usage, reduces costs, and controls
potentially damaging storm runoff. Building owners’ decisions to
install any technology are usually based on (1) estimates of
initial costs and future savings over the time they plan to own
the building or the building’s lifespan (e.g. 50 years), and (2)
local building code requirements.
Further, owners may choose to reduce their associated CO
2
emissions by using certain construction materials. For example,
strengthened timber is now being used in some commercial
construction projects as a low-CO
2
alternative to reinforced
concrete.
F
igure 1. Examples of Sustainable Building Technologies in Use
