HARD TARGETS
Canada’s Emissions Reduction Expectations for Buildings The emissions output of Canada’s building stock has regressed against targets for economy-wide reductions. The 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan, released in late March 2022, outlines a multi-sectoral approach for curbing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 40 to 45% compared to 2005 levels. However, in 2019 (the most recent year for which numbers are available), the volume of emissions from buildings was more than 8% higher — at 91 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e) versus 84 MtCO2e in 2005. The reduction plan — a requirement under the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act — projects GHG emissions from buildings could drop to 53 MtCO2e by 2030, representing a 37% decrease from 2005 and a 41% decline from 2019. That’s based on the presumed potential for reductions that should be achievable through climate action measures that are now in place or to be rolled out over the life of the plan. Complementary investment and actions from the private sector and provincial/territorial and local governments could conceivably drive emissions even lower, as could the emergence and acceleration of new technologies, financing mechanisms and changes in consumer behaviour. However, the reduction plan emphasizes that projections for the seven sectors identified as major sources of GHG emissions “are not sectoral targets; they are projected sectoral contributions”, while noting that “labour availability, technology and infrastructure requirements” are also key factors in the pace of progress. The following excerpt from the reduction plan discusses the challenges and opportunities that the buildings sector presents, along with the government’s strategy for tackling them – Editor BUILDINGS ACCOUNTED for 12% of Canada’s direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in 2019, or 91 megatonnes (Mt). Offsite generation of electricity for use in buildings brings the total to around 17%. This percentage could increase further if accounting for embodied carbon from the manufacturing of building materials such as concrete and steel. More than 85% of buildings sector emissions come from space and water heating due to the use of fossil fuel equipment such as natural gas furnaces, and 6 July 2022 | Canadian Property Management
extra energy demand to heat and cool buildings with insufficient envelope performance. Remaining emissions come from electricity used to power appliances, lighting and auxiliary equipment. Much of the technology needed to decarbonize the buildings sector exists today. For example, electrification of heating by switching from fossil fuels (e.g. oil, natural gas) to electric heat pumps is an economic and viable option in most parts of Canada, particularly as electrical grids expand capacity and decarbonize in parallel.
EXISTING AND MISSING INGREDIENTS Energy efficiency measures such as upgrading the building envelope with improved insulation, replacing windows and doors or air-sealing are also essential for decarbonization. Combined with fuel switching, energy efficiency can lower heating and cooling loads, minimize demand on the electricity grid, help control energy costs and reduce the cost of heating with low-carbon technologies. The market uptake for some of these technologies has been slow. (See story, page
