A recent investment of more than $4.4 million to the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) will 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. These 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.

“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,” said Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources.

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.

“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,” said Kevin Lee, CEO of CHBA.

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“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.”

Buildings and homes contribute approximately 18 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions.

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