WASHINGTON (May 24, 2018)— World Resources Institute (WRI) announced a $2 million grant from the Global Environmental Facility to scale up the efforts of the Building Efficiency Accelerator (BEA) in its second phase. The funding will help the Accelerator – one of Sustainable Energy for All’s initiatives to support specific sector-based energy efficiency – scale up national engagement from local cities, deepen partnerships with existing cities, and expand the network to new cities.

“This generous grant will help make urban economies stronger, citizens healthier, and the planet safer. We are proud of the tremendous accomplishments of the Building Efficiency Accelerator in encouraging action that helps avoid emitting the equivalent of 8.3 million tons of CO2 and save over $1 billion in energy costs, but there is more to be done,” said Dr. Andrew Steer, President & CEO of the World Resources Institute. “With this support from the GEF, WRI and our partners will expand our engagement, provide more targeted assistance, and scale up the work to help even more cities prevent emissions and save businesses and people money.”

One-third of the world’s energy is consumed by buildings, and the vast majority of buildings are deeply inefficient. The BEA is a partnership of businesses, NGOs and multilaterals assisting local governments to take action to improve their buildings. Between 2015 and 2017, the BEA reached 253 cities, and garnered 47 commitments on building efficiency action in 25 cities. In the next two years, the BEA aims to double its network of committed cities, support local policy implementation, and organize stakeholders in three or more countries in support of national policy reform.

“Improving energy efficiency in buildings is a proven way to drive down emissions and generate cost savings for consumers and businesses,” said Naoko Ishii, CEO and Chairperson for the Global Environment Facility (GEF). “The GEF is proud to support the Building Efficiency Accelerator. It is delivering results that benefit people in developing countries and supports the necessary transition to low-carbon urban infrastructure.”

The Building Efficiency Accelerator is coordinated by World Resources Institute, and constitutes a partnership of more than 40 associations, multilateral organizations, service providers, and companies.

For more information, visit www.buildingefficiencyaccelerator.org.