Municipal Guide to Net Zero Energy Ready Buildings Codes

Author/Contributor: Efficiency Canada, Carleton University, LC3

Alberta Context: Alberta municipalities do not have the ability to vary building codes, but this guide provides alternative routes to influence and incentivize the construction of higher energy efficiency in new buildings.

Summary: 

Canada’s recently released national model building codes are tiered. They provide a path that sees building performance improved with each tier. The top tier is the net-zero energy ready (NZER) standard, which is a building that can produce as much energy as it consumes annually once a renewable energy source is added. NZER buildings are typically 80% more energy efficient than a typical new building.

This guide explains:

• Tiered codes
• Advantages of adopting an ambitious tier
• How municipalities can use the new codes to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050 

1. 10, source: Efficiency Canada, The Municipal Guide to Net-Zero Energy Ready Building Codes (2022) 

Canada’s climate plan aims for all new buildings to be NZER by 2030. Polling by Abacus Data for Efficiency Canada shows that NZER building codes are supported or strongly supported by 60-77% of Canadians in all regions. All provinces have public support in adopting the latest model codes.

1. 11, source: Efficiency Canada, The Municipal Guide to Net-Zero Energy Ready Building Codes (2022) 

Read the full report here.