Government of Canada Invests in Healthier, Energy-efficient Homes and Buildings for Canadians

January 24, 2018 — Ottawa — Natural Resources Canada

Energy efficiency is hard to see, but we feel the benefits in our homes, neighbourhoods, environment, economy and wallets. A clean energy future includes federal investments in innovation to drive economic growth, reduce environmental impact and create new, clean technology jobs for Canadians.

Today, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, announced a $182-million investment to increase energy efficiency and address climate change by improving how our homes and buildings are designed, renovated and constructed.
The funding, which is part of the Green Infrastructure Fund, will support:

• research, development and demonstration of solutions supporting the adoption of high-efficiency building codes;
• a program to help industry find and test cost-effective, technical solutions for high-performance buildings;
• the development of new energy standards for new and existing homes and buildings; and
• the expansion of energy-labelling programs to provide Canadians with better information on energy use in their businesses and homes, empowering them to make smart choices on energy use.

Of the investment, $48.4 million will fund research, development and demonstration of energy-efficient buildings. We are looking for innovative partners as the Government of Canada develops and puts in place new building codes to improve energy efficiency in Canada. Proposals are now being accepted for research, development and demonstration projects.

Buildings and homes contribute approximately 17 percent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. The Government of Canada is working with provinces, territories and industry on energy code development, data sharing, research and development, and market transformation strategies for the building sector. This initiative builds on the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change (PCF) and Canada’s Buildings Strategy, developed in partnership with the provinces and territories and through broad consultations with Canadians, key experts and industry stakeholders. Over one-third of estimated greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the PCF are from energy efficiency measures.

Through Canada’s national energy dialogue, Generation Energy, Canadians made it clear that the transition to energy-efficient buildings is necessary for Canada’s low-carbon future. Through the combined efforts of federal, provincial and territorial governments, we continue to support green infrastructure projects that will create jobs, advance Canada’s clean future and help us realize our collective domestic and international climate change goals.