Building a sustainable future for Canada

Construction Business | November 12, 2024
Terry Bergen, CTech, CCCA, LEED® AP, FCSC | Managing Principal
Duncan Rowe, BASc, MEng, P.ENG., LEED® AP, BECxP, CPHD | Principal

Are we on track to meet net zero goals by 2050?

Canada has set a bold goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, yet many are questioning whether we’re on track to meet these goals—especially within the engineering sectors. This is especially the case in British Columbia and Ontario, where developers grapple with the dual challenges of reducing emissions and meeting the demand for resilient infrastructure and affordable housing.

Competing Priorities in Construction

In B.C., the CleanBC plan outlines a clear path towards making new buildings net-zero energy-ready by 2030. This means the built environment constructed after 2030 will be efficient enough to meet most or all of its energy needs by renewable on-site energy generation if needed. However, these goals can sometimes clash with the urgent need for better infrastructure and affordable housing, especially if net-zero buildings are perceived as having higher upfront costs.

While energy-efficient buildings can be built at the same cost as traditional methods, developers face challenges that hinder cost-effective net-zero-ready construction. Achieving net-zero goals requires navigating various regulations and frameworks that are often misaligned, complicating the process. These challenges include municipal development requirements that increase costs, decrease operational efficiency, and raise embodied carbon levels. Additionally, customer preferences for certain styles and aesthetics may conflict with sustainable design principles.

Achieving Canada’s 2050 goal is complicated by the fact that most existing buildings do not meet modern performance standards. To tackle this challenge, deep energy retrofits must become commonplace, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of existing buildings by 80 per cent. These retrofits must achieve high-performance goals while often maintaining current building operations. This requires collaboration between owners, engineers, architects, and contractors to create innovative retrofit programs that include various system upgrades.

To achieve the goal Canada needs to retrofit roughly 1 to 3 per cent of our existing building stock each year to net zero while we are currently on track to do much less than 1 per cent.

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