Canada Invests in Deep Energy Retrofits for Residential Units

TORONTO, Feb. 23, 2022 /CNW/ - Clean air, middle-class jobs and more money in Canadians' pockets: helping people upgrade their homes to be more energy-efficient fights climate change and creates good jobs, all while making sure homeowners save on their monthly bills.

Today, Julie Dabrusin, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced an investment of more than $4.4 million to the Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) to enable energy efficiency in the residential sector in municipalities across Canada.

The project will fund deep energy retrofits in houses and low-rise multi-unit residential buildings to demonstrate the various approaches that can be used to achieve net-zero-energy–ready performance in residential units. Net-zero-energy–ready buildings are designed and constructed to high performance levels that could produce at least as much energy as they consume on an annual basis, with the addition of renewable power generation.

CHBA will focus on finding the most cost–effective solutions for up to 150 residential units to help find optimum approaches to net-zero home retrofits and inform the development of energy codes for existing homes, targeting multiple building archetypes in various climate zones and varying business models.

Federal funding is provided through Natural Resources Canada's Green Infrastructure – Energy Efficient Buildings Program. This program supports the development and implementation of building codes for existing buildings and new net-zero-energy–ready buildings through research, development and demonstration projects.

Through programs such as this, the federal government is creating sustainable jobs, building a clean energy future and charting a path toward net-zero emissions by 2050.

Quotes

"Upgrading our homes to be more energy-efficient will get us a long way to our climate targets, help Canadians save money on energy costs and create good jobs in our communities. Our government is pleased to help homeowners across Canada cut pollution from their households."

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Natural Resources

"Climate change is measured globally but felt locally. The CHBA's project is looking to demonstrate the best ways to retrofit homes to net-zero-energy–ready performance levels, to reduce both costs and renovation time. In turn, this will inspire energy-efficient changes throughout Canada's construction industry while supporting jobs and lowering emissions on our road to net zero by 2050." 

Julie Dabrusin
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Natural Resources
and to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change

"The Canadian Home Builders' Association and our members are continually pursuing innovation to meet the evolving needs of the industry and consumers in both new construction and renovation. Our Net Zero Home Energy labelling program, for both new and existing homes, is leading the way, as we provide Net Zero houses for Canadians, all while finding better ways to reach these high levels of energy performance. Cost remains a barrier to make Net Zero a reality for every home, so projects like this are helping us find the best solutions, improve technologies and build capacity across the industry to help to reach Canada's 2050 goals."

Kevin Lee
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Home Builders' Association

Quick Facts

• Buildings and homes contribute approximately 18 percent of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions.

Related Links

• Green Infrastructure – Energy Efficient Buildings Program
• Towards Cost-Effective Net-Zero Energy Ready Residential Renovations
• Canadian Home Builders' Association
• CHBA Net Zero Renovations

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SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Natural Resources Canada, Media Relations, 343-292-6100, [email protected]; Ian Cameron, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister of Natural Resources, 613-447-3488, [email protected]