The R20 (Regions of Climate Action) developed this Guide to inform government officials about the significant economic, environmental, and social benefits associated with resource efficient buildings – and more importantly, to encourage governments to take action to create and promote building efficiency in their communities. As a result, the Guide is designed to serve as a roadmap for government action. It highlights the spectrum of important actions that governments can take to create greater building efficiency within their jurisdictions.

The Guide is organized into the following three sections which represent the broad categories of actions that governments can take:

1. Implementing energy and water efficiency retrofit projects within existing government buildings;

2. Designing and constructing new government buildings that maximize resource efficiency and building performance (“green” buildings); and

3. Promulgating policies and incentives that promote building efficiency throughout a jurisdiction, in the private sector.

While all of these actions could be taken by governments around the world, the appropriate mix of policies and projects, as well as, the order in which these actions might be taken will vary based on specific jurisdictional conditions and cultures. For example, in some areas of the world, it may be useful for governments to “lead by example” by implementing government projects before promulgating policies that require or incentivize others to take new actions. In other areas, it may be possible to begin with widespread government policies  and regulations, and then demonstrate the success of these policies through projects afterwards. Government officials will need to consider the types of actions and implementation order that best meet their community’s needs.

While the R20 works with state and provincial level governments globally, local and municipal level governments, as well as national level governments will also find the Guide useful, as the challenges, strategies, solutions, and benefits are relevant for all levels of government. As a  result, the Guide contains project examples and success stories that demonstrate how  different levels of government have improved building efficiency within their jurisdictions.