This report is focused on the low-rise residential building stock in Canada— buildings up to three storeys above ground, not taller multi-unit buildings. We reviewed the ~188,000 retrofits documented with the EnerGuide system across Canada from 2020, 2021, and 2022 to evaluate Canada’s progress towards GHG reduction goals and identify opportunities for acceleration.
Our examination of the EnerGuide data shows that building envelope improvements are being neglected, resulting in the use of more energy than is desirable or necessary. The design and incentive structure of the Greener Homes program is inadvertently moving homeowners away from envelope upgrades, which have declined significantly since the program was introduced, in favour of heat pump and solar installations. To accelerate and deepen energy retrofits across Canada, this report includes recommendations to improve the Greener Homes incentive program.
This report was developed with support from the following funders:
Funders & Supporters
The French translation of this resource is available here.