Calgary, AB — The Pembina Institute is pleased to announce its collaboration with the Alberta Ecotrust Retrofit Accelerator, a new retrofit program designed to bring affordable, energy-efficient solutions to support Alberta’s building owners and managers of multi-unit residential and commercial buildings, as well as municipalities, universities, schools and hospitals.
In collaboration with industry experts, practitioners, owners, tenants, utilities and governments, Pembina will undertake research and capacity building to support the decarbonization and adaptation needed to ready Alberta’s building stock for climate resiliency.
Alberta’s housing sector is at a critical crossroads with rising energy costs, increasing extreme weather events and aging infrastructure, owners and tenants are facing increasing pressures. Alberta’s experienced construction industry uniquely positions it to lead the nation in energy-efficient retrofits, cutting costs for owners and renters while making homes healthier, safer, and resilient.
In addition to research and capacity building, the Alberta Ecotrust Retrofit Accelerator program will deliver practical, hands-on support through concierge services that include energy coaching, development plans tailored to individual building requirements, supports for energy assessments, and guidance along the retrofit process. These service offerings will be matched with supply focused programs including public discovery sessions provided through the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and a trade ally network hosted by Alberta Energy Efficiency Alliance. This work is funded by Natural Resources Canada under the Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative.
Deep retrofits go beyond standard upgrades and take a whole-building approach to optimizing a building to reduce its emissions, energy consumption, and operating costs. The majority of Alberta’s apartments and condos are more than 20 years old and we have a once-in a-generation opportunity to improve health, safety and resilience against worsening extreme weather events while ensuring heating and cooling is affordable.
Visit the program website for up-to-date information and to get in touch with a coach.
Quotes
“Deep retrofits are a practical solution that ensure Canadian homes and buildings are reliable, climate-safe, and affordable to heat and cool. This new program will ensure the impacts of power outages and extreme temperatures are minimized by making homes and buildings energy efficient, while unlocking economic opportunity and affordability for all Albertans.”
— Betsy Agar, Buildings program director, Pembina Institute
“Commercial and residential buildings are significant contributors to carbon emissions across Canada, accounting for 40 and 60 per cent of emissions in Calgary and Edmonton alone. We need to prioritize reducing emissions from buildings and Alberta Ecotrust is here to make deep retrofits more attainable, improving energy efficiency and reducing operating costs.”
— Deeti Makkar, Senior Program Manager with Alberta Ecotrust
Program highlights
The Alberta Ecotrust Retrofit Accelerator program provides free coaching services to help building owners and managers undertake sustainable upgrades to their buildings by:
- Providing day-to-day assistance throughout retrofit planning, design, and implementation.
- Developing retrofit plans tailored to unique needs, barriers, and budgets.
- Identifying ways to integrate retrofits into a building’s regular upkeep schedule.
- Uncovering the benefits and potential cost-savings associated with retrofits.
- Exploring various funding, financing, and grant options.
- Providing partial funding for studies like energy assessments and business case development.
Quick facts
- 80% of the buildings that will exist in 2050 are already built.
- 40-60% of Calgary’s total emissions come from the buildings sector.
- With Alberta aiming to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, there is an urgent need to ensure that existing buildings are retrofitted to reduce carbon emissions.
- To meet Alberta's 2050 net zero emission goals, we need to retrofit approximately 63,500 homes, 4-6% of the housing stock, each year.
- Between 15-20% of households in Alberta are experiencing energy poverty.
- Investing $2.5 billion per year in residential and commercial retrofits could stimulate $5.8 billion in GDP growth and create 24,000 good, long-term jobs in communities throughout Alberta.
- Deep retrofits reduce energy consumption by at least 50% and/or up to 80 to 100% of greenhouse gas emissions.
Contact
Sarah Snowdon
Senior Comms Lead, Pembina Institute
416-838-3423
Background
Blog: Protecting Albertans from wildfire smoke
Report: Healthy Buildings in a Changing Climate: Improving health with multi-unit residential building retrofits
Blog: Split incentive or common ground? Rethinking tenant and building owner perspectives on deep retrofits for equitable climate solutions?
Report: Better Buildings for All: Relieving energy poverty through deep retrofits
Report: Reframed Initiative: Outcomes and analysis: A study of six best-in-class deep retrofit schematic designs
Report: Canada's Renovation Wave report: A plan for jobs and climate
