BCC Webinar: Lessons from the Field: Key Themes and Strategies in Decarbonization Planning

This meeting was a special Earth Day edition of Mazzetti's Bending the Climate Curve Learning Series, where Christina Vernon-Sanborn and John Utech presented lessons learned from decarbonization planning in healthcare systems. They discussed four key levers for successful decarbonization: time, readiness, resources, and technology, explaining how different levels of decarbonization studies (high-level, campus-level, and building-level) require varying amounts of time and data. The presenters shared insights from three completed decarbonization studies, including cost estimates ranging from $105 to $120 per square foot for decarbonization premiums, and emphasized the importance of engaging stakeholders, building organizational buy-in, and developing defensible cost estimates. They also covered various technology options including central utility plants, process steam loads, district energy, and on-site generation, while highlighting the need to consider these systems as interconnected rather than isolated solutions.