CaGBC report looks at decarbonization strategies for buildings
If Canada is to achieve its climate targets for 2030 and 2050, building owners and operators will need to upgrade, retrofit and decarbonize hundreds of millions of square metres of space.
A study released by the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) earlier this month estimates that retrofits of large buildings can reduce building-sector emissions by up to 21.2 million tonnes of CO2e by 2030.
Decarbonizing Canada’s Large Buildings: A Pathway Forward goes on to clarify the cost of building retrofits, and the potential energy savings and carbon reductions. All of the 50 types of buildings profiled in the report are able to achieve deep carbon reductions, and many can do so today.
“For Canada to achieve its climate targets, it will be critical for owners and operators to decarbonize hundreds of millions of square metres of buildings leading up to 2030 and 2050,” says CaGBC president and CEO Thomas Mueller. “Decarbonizing Canada’s Large Buildings provides building owners with a roadmap to upgrade equipment, improve management practices, undertake deep retrofits, and use clean renewable energy to get to low-carbon performance.”
The study provides recommendations to help each building type reach decarbonization. To do so, the report says, owners will have to reduce or replace fossil fuel used for space heating and domestic hot water, implement energy-demand reduction measures, and install renewable energy systems.
The most cost-effective way is to complete deep carbon retrofits and upgrades as part of the normal building renewal cycles. For high-impact retrofits like enclosure and heating system upgrades, however, planning ahead is essential. Owners might have one opportunity over the next 30 years to align deep carbon retrofits with the building’s renewal plan. This should serve as a call to action for building owners to leverage the study’s findings and systematically develop transition plans for each of their assets.
Overall, most building types will achieve a positive rate of return when deep carbon retrofits are carefully timed with regular building renewals. Nearly all office buildings can get to net zero carbon operations today and achieve a positive business case. For all buildings, the business case will only get stronger as the cost of carbon rises, and technologies are more readily available at a lower cost.
Canada’s large buildings include more than 100,000 institutional commercial, and industrial buildings larger than 25,000 square feet and over 1.2 million residential units in buildings over five storeys. The CaGBC says decarbonizing them will require government support at all levels. For example, multi-unit residential buildings and schools, will require targeted government policies and strategic investments to decarbonize cost-effectively. Governments must also step in and step up by developing or strengthening mechanisms to encourage retrofits, such as mandatory building performance requirements, incentives, rebates and supporting programs, as well as by investing in low-carbon skills training, and encouraging sound procurement pathways.