In a quiet neighborhood of Salt Lake City, a two-story building quietly hums with innovation. It’s not just the headquarters of Utah Clean Energy—it’s a glimpse into the state’s decarbonized future. Officially inaugurated last summer, the Climate Innovation Center is designed to be more than an office space. It’s a living, breathing example of how energy-efficient, zero-emission buildings can function—and inspire change.

Utah Clean Energy, a nonprofit long recognized for its efforts in advocating sustainable policy, has now created a headquarters that directly reflects its mission. Built to serve as both a "teaching tool and living laboratory," the building demonstrates in real time how a commercial space can operate without reliance on fossil fuels.

“The building is meant to be a model of how we can eliminate emissions from operating the building,” said Kevin Emerson, director of building efficiency and decarbonization at Utah Clean Energy, during a public open house held Friday. “So there’s zero emissions that come from running the building. It’s all electric and all solar powered.”

Equipped with about 39 kilowatts of solar panels, the building doesn’t just generate its own energy—it also fuels electric vehicles and supports the broader power grid. A 90-kilowatt-hour battery inside the facility enables energy storage for use at all hours, day and night. This system is part of Rocky Mountain Power’s Wattsmart Batteries program, which rewards participants who feed stored energy back into the grid.

“We think it’s important for our building to be kind of a flexible, interactive, kind of extension of the grid,” Emerson said. “And because ultimately, we want that to be a standard practice, where batteries are located across the electric grid to incorporate more effectively all the renewable energy that you will keep adding.”

No natural gas is used anywhere on the premises. Water systems employ conservation technologies, and even a washer-dryer unit tucked in the janitor’s closet uses a heat pump. The building’s exterior garden features drought-resistant, pollinator-friendly native plants, further reinforcing the center’s environmental mission.

The Climate Innovation Center also serves as a real-world classroom. On Friday, it welcomed a group of climate advocates and technology enthusiasts eager to learn about building electrification, air quality, and sustainable construction practices.

During a tour, Emerson pointed out how meticulous the construction team had been in choosing low-carbon materials, from tile to countertops. Rather than tearing everything down, the organization preserved key components of the site’s former structure and even reused wood from its old office.

According to the nonprofit Architecture 2030, buildings account for roughly 40% of global carbon emissions, encompassing both their operational footprint and construction-related emissions like mining and transport. That statistic, Emerson emphasized, shaped the center’s entire retrofitting strategy.

“One of the goals that Utah Clean Energy has is to help all the folks involved in construction across the state realize that building zero emissions as a standard practice is possible,” Emerson added. “And that’s our vision, is that zero emission buildings become a standard practice here in Utah that supports energy affordability.”

Much of the building’s performance comes from airtight construction and insulation. A specialized mechanical system—called a variable refrigerant flow heat pump—maintains comfortable temperatures in both summer and winter. Contractors went to great lengths to ensure the HVAC systems and envelope insulation were both energy-efficient and durable.

Looking ahead, Utah Clean Energy plans to secure third-party certifications for the building, including zero energy validation—for the lack of emissions in its operation—and zero carbon certification, which verifies the embodied carbon reductions from building materials and retrofitting choices.

To scale this vision across the state and beyond, Utah Clean Energy has launched a website, climateinnovationcenter.org, featuring detailed documentation of every design and construction choice. The aim is to provide a roadmap for other organizations, developers, and contractors interested in low-carbon building design.

As Emerson put it, the hope is that buildings like this can lead the way in reducing pollution, curbing emissions, and creating cleaner air for future generations.

“Hopefully,” he said, “more buildings become a big part of solutions for climate and better air quality days in Utah.”

Originally reported by Alixel Cabrea in Utah News Dispatch.