Sustainable Buildings Canada (SBC) Selected by Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) to Lead Major National & Provincial Sustainability Programs

TORONTO, Oct. 1, 2024 /CNW/ – In celebration of Energy Efficiency Day, Sustainable Buildings Canada (SBC) is thrilled to announce its selection by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to lead two pivotal multi-year projects aimed at significantly enhancing sustainability within Canada’s built environment. These projects focus on both new construction and existing affordable housing. For new construction, the Codes Acceleration Project will support Building Officials in accelerating the adoption of higher Tier Building Codes in several regions across the country. For existing affordable housing, SBC’s EnergySPRING program focuses on supporting Ontario’s Social Housing and Indigenous Communities undertake scalable, deep-energy retrofits within their low-rise multi-unit residential buildings.

These projects will drive meaningful progress in creating a more sustainable and energy-efficient future for all Canadians. SBC’s Executive Director Michael Singleton notes, “Codes Acceleration advances eco-system development, awareness, and capacity building on high-performance sustainable national building codes. EnergySPRING scales Social & Indigenous Housing Provider’s ability and supply-chain capacity to deliver low-carbon deep retrofits. Both programs, Codes Acceleration and EnergySPRING, are enabling true market transformation towards sustainable resilient homes in Canada.”

Advancing Codes Acceleration

SBC will spearhead the Codes Acceleration initiative, a comprehensive program designed to support regional Building Officials across Canada as these officials work to implement and support builders to adopt higher Tiers of the latest National Energy Codes for both single family homes and commercial buildings. Through a series of workshops, SBC will demonstrate practical, high-performance solutions that meet the higher Code Tier energy requirements. The workshops combine leading Integrated Design Processes (IDP), real-world technology applications, and regional considerations, thus ensuring that the highest energy-related Tiers can be understood and embraced by Canadian Code Officials.

This initiative, made possible by funding from NRCan’s Codes Acceleration Fund, aims to facilitate the widespread adoption of the National Building Code (NBC) and National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB) across Canada, ensuring that even the highest energy performance tiers are seen as achievable with current designs and technologies. The virtual workshops are already underway for 2024, and SBC encourages all interested Codes officials, and market actors to reach out for participation details.

EnergySPRING: Transforming Ontario’s Social Housing & Indigenous Communities

The EnergySPRING Market Transformation Program adapts the globally proven Energiesprong model for a made-in-Ontario solution to drive deep-energy retrofits within Ontario’s Social Housing and Indigenous communities. While focused on improving resiliency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and enhancing the overall quality of housing, EnergySPRING projects will address pressing electrification, housing, affordability, extreme weather, and workforce challenges associated with existing low-rise housing in underserved communities.

Guided by the EnergySPRING Market Transformation Advisory Group (EMTAG), the program will engage market actors across Ontario to develop a sustainable market and supply-chain ecosystem for scaling deep-energy retrofits. Through IDP sessions with Municipal Social and Indigenous housing providers, engagement with key market actors, and the provision of practical resources, EnergySPRING will support the transformation of affordable low-rise housing communities, making them energy-efficient, electrified, and adapted for the future. “We are pleased to join EMTAG (EnergySPRING Market Transformation Advisory Group) to share national decarbonization insights, engage the housing eco-system, and/or support EnergySPRING with complementary research such as our Canadian Climate Retrofit Mission and Energy Efficiency in Rental Housing reports.” says Corey Diamond, Executive Director of Efficiency Canada.

Sustainable Buildings Canada’s Commitment

Established in 2002, Sustainable Buildings Canada (SBC) has been at the forefront promoting sustainable practices within Canada’s building sectors. As a national non-profit organization, SBC is dedicated to driving innovation and fostering collaboration to achieve a more sustainable built environment.

“We are honoured to have been selected by NRCan to lead these transformative projects,” said Mr. Singleton, who further notes, “both the Codes Acceleration initiative and the EnergySPRING program are critical to advancing sustainability in Canada. These projects not only align with our mission but also present an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of Canadians”

www.SBCanada.org

For further details on the upcoming workshops, please visit https://sbcanada.org/codes-acceleration-workshops/, or to connect with the EnergySPRING program, please visit https://SBCanada.org/energyspring/

SOURCE Sustainable Buildings Canada