April 27, 2022 Toronto, Ontario Natural Resources Canada
Improving energy efficiency in our communities is an important part of our toolkit to fight climate change. It will help us exceed our climate goals, lower emissions where people live and work, and provide opportunities for Canadians to be part of building a clean and prosperous future that leaves no one behind.
Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, announced a $5-million investment to fully fund the Deep Retrofit Challenge, which will enable energy efficiency in buildings across the City of Toronto. Approximately 10-16 deep energy retrofit projects will be supported in multi-unit residential and commercial buildings, such as the installation of heat pumps in mid-rise apartments. The Deep Retrofit Challenge will reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50 percent in each sub-project, improve the quality of living for residents and contribute to the nationwide development of new and retrofitted green buildings.
In addition to financial support, through the design, construction, and verification phases of the process, Toronto building owners will receive technical guidance to achieve net-zero-energy-ready performance in buildings.
Net-zero-energy-ready buildings are designed and constructed to high performance levels, and with the addition of clean power generation, are capable of producing at least as much energy as they consume on an annual basis.
Federal funding is being provided through Natural Resources Canada's Green Infrastructure - Energy Efficient Buildings Program. This program supports improvements to the design, renovation and construction of our homes and buildings. The government is advancing the development and implementation of building codes for existing buildings and new net-zero-energy-ready buildings through research, development and demonstration projects, in Toronto and across the nation.
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.
