Buildings are a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions through lifetime energy use. The UN Environment Global Status Report (2018) stated that building construction and operations accounted for 36% of global energy use and 40% of the energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. Energy upgrades or zero-emission new home builds can support the mitigation of climate change. Furthermore, the move to a low-carbon economy will put increasing demand on electricity grids, which suffer from access, maintenance, and redundancy issues in reserve communities. Buildings constructed to use less energy are an important step for a healthy planet.