Apartments Offer Unexpected Climate Benefit

Why this is here: Residents of a typical downtown high-rise emit one-third as much greenhouse gas as someone living in a detached house in the suburbs.

Sightline Institute released a report showing new apartment buildings in the United States are inherently better for the planet than single-family homes. The report finds roughly 68% of apartments built since 1970 utilize electric heating, allowing them to readily integrate renewable energy sources like rooftop solar. This is largely due to the lower upfront costs of electrical wiring compared to installing gas lines, a trend dating back decades.

Apartments also require less energy overall because residents share walls and typically have smaller living spaces. Residents of downtown high-rises emit one-third the greenhouse gases of those in detached suburban houses. Heat pumps, increasingly common in new apartments—present in 18% of Northwest structures since 2010—further improve efficiency, and new designs simplify installation.

However, the report notes that zoning laws often restrict apartment construction to a very small percentage of residential land, even in cities known for progressive policies. Addressing these barriers remains crucial to fully realize the climate benefits of denser housing, and retrofitting existing buildings is also necessary. The work to create more sustainable and accessible housing continues.