Coalition seeks federal plan on energy efficient buildings

A number of architecture, energy and environmental stakeholders are calling on the federal government to create a national plan to improve the energy efficiency of Canadian buildings to help the country reduce greenhouse gases and reach its climate change objectives.

Total energy consumption of buildings accounts for nearly one-quarter of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada (RAIC) and the 10 other organizations that penned a letter addressed to Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr and Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna.

Most of these emissions come from energy used in heating, cooling, lighting and powering appliances, according to the U.S. Green Building Council. Environment and Climate Change Canada said that our varied climate contributes to our relatively higher energy use for heating and cooling in buildings, compared with other industrialized countries.

“In order for Canada to achieve its 2030 climate target under the Paris agreement and its longerterm de-carbonization goals, we must significantly reduce emissions of existing buildings and ensure that new buildings are designed for ultra-low emissions,” the organizations wrote in a letter sent out earlier this month.

In signing the Paris agreement, Canada has committed to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent from 2005 levels, by 2030.

The Liberals have made climate change a priority, and leaders in the Canadian building and energy scene want them to lead by example and work to improve the efficiency of federally owned or occupied buildings.

The organizations have provided the government with a list of 14 recommendations for improving the energy efficiency of Canadian buildings, including the reduction of emissions from existing buildings, ensuring that nearly all new construction has net-zero energy emissions, improving energy efficiency standards and providing funding for private investment in energy efficiency and carbon reduction.