Ontario Construction News staff writer
The federal government says it will invest more than $2,445,000 in a Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) project to enable seven housing builders to construct net-zero energy and net-zero energy ready residential buildings in Ontario as well as British Columbia, Alberta and SaskatchewanÂ
A statement from Natural Resources Canada minister Seamus O’Regan says that buildings and homes contribute approximately 17 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions. Net-zero energy buildings are designed and constructed to produce at least as much energy as they consume on an annual basis.
“More energy-efficient homes means less emissions in our atmosphere and more money in the pockets of Canadians,” O’Regan said in the statement.”It’s a win-win. That’s how we’ll get to net-zero emissions by 2050, with partners like the Canadian Home Builders’ Association.”
CHBA president Kevin Lee said there is a need to find new solutions, technologies and approaches, to give large numbers of Canadians the option of living in homes that are more efficient than the current building code, without impacting affordability.
“This partnership between the residential construction industry and the federal government to facilitate information-sharing and research among industry leaders who are voluntarily striving to build low-rise multi-family residential buildings to net-zero energy levels using pre-fabrication is an important step in getting us closer to that goal,” Lee said.