Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault announced a $900-million action plan Wednesday to help households make green renovations to their homes. Ottawa wants to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, but also their resilience to climate change.
“With the forest fires, floods and heat waves of recent years, we realized that we needed to make our buildings not only more energy efficient, but also more resilient to climate change,” said Minister Guilbeault. Mr. Guilbeault described the two main objectives of the Canadian Green Building Strategy, which he presented at a press conference Wednesday morning at the Maison du développement durable.
The building sector currently accounts for 13% of Canada’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, making it the third largest source, behind the hydrocarbon industry and the transportation sector. As such, 96% of GHG emissions from this sector come from water and space heating. Currently, many buildings are still heated by oil and natural gas, two energy sources that are high in GHG emissions.
The federal government is betting that improving the energy efficiency of buildings will help Canada meet its GHG emission reduction targets. Ottawa has committed to reducing its emissions by 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, and to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The federal government also wants to help households reduce their energy bills. The average Canadian household heating cost is $2,200 per year.
More details will follow.
To see in video