What is Resource Efficient Decarbonization?
Resource Efficient Decarbonization (RED) is a stepwise, rational approach to reducing and eliminating emissions in buildings and neighborhoods.
This strategy includes analyzing overall energy needs, identifying existing thermal energy resources, and deploying infrastructure and equipment to reduce energy usage while transitioning buildings to clean heating and cooling over time.
RED can be applied to a single building, but is even more effective at reducing emissions and maximizing the efficiency of clean technologies when used to create a network. Thermal energy networks are a key strategy to achieve RED goals through shared infrastructure, making decarbonization more efficient and affordable for all parties.
By offering a logical, phased approach and leveraging local thermal resources, RED can help homeowners, businesses, developers, and local leaders get started on a decarbonization project that can grow over time to meet their goals.
The chart below shows the resource efficient decarbonization process as a series of steps.
➜ First, reduce your energy load by improving your building envelope and optimizing your temperature controls.
➜ Next, begin to recover wasted heat from nearby thermal sources, such as ventilation or wastewater.
➜ Then, electrify as much of your thermal input as possible by replacing your existing fossil fuel sources with electric technologies.
➜ Finally, replace or remove any remaining equipment with high-efficiency electric equipment to reach full electrification and decarbonization.
