CMHC Advancing Building Retrofits

Advancing Building Retrofits

The Energy Efficient Tower Renewal Implementation Program

More than 800,000 apartment suites in Canada are currently in need of retrofits to meet today’s standards for healthy, comfortable, and resilient housing. Yet our retrofit industry remains nascent. What’s getting in the way of progress?

According to a recent Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) research project, the most common barriers limiting deep retrofit uptake in aging residential towers are: • risk avoidance by owners; • absence of regulatory requirements to undertake retrofits; • an unsatisfactory return on investment on many deep energy retrofit measures, especially those tied specifically to greenhouse gas emission reductions; • and expensive retrofit design solutions due to lack of off-the-shelf products. With those barriers in mind, the Energy Efficient Tower Renewal implementation Program aims to provide an overview of the replicable steps available to the industry while promoting cost-effective, Canadian-made solutions in the following three areas: thermal bridging; ventilation systems; and, non-combustible building envelopes.

Understanding that advancing the building sector toward deep energy retrofits is a process that requires system-wide movement; therefore, limitation in areas like supportive financing, industry upskilling and regulatory change need to be addressed. The ultimate goal is to move market acceptance beyond the early adopters (i.e. those who are ideologicallydriven and/or choose to undertake deep retrofits as a result of an organizational mandate) to the industry majority whose participation is influenced by the broader market and regulatory framework.

Promoting “made in Canada” products

CHMC’s research determined that there may be significant opportunities and a strategic business case for advancing made-inCanada, high-performance retrofit products. It also asserts that the federal government—

including CMHC, Natural Resources Canada, National Research Council, The Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)—can play a key role in areas such as codes and enforcement, promoting and communicating, and funding new technologies and products specifically for aging apartment towers.

As part of the research, industry stakeholders were engaged to identify ways of transforming the Canadian retrofit market. Questions posed focused on two primary challenges:

Challenge 1: How do we enable faster, cheaper and more cost-effective holistic retrofits in multi-unit residential buildings? What technical solutions can help to accelerate retrofits in the Canadian market through products, materials, knowledge and training? What policy solutions will support and transform the retrofit market and guide this acceleration, such as building code updates, research and design programs, training requirements and certifications, or data collection? Challenge 2: How can we ensure successful tower retrofits in occupied buildings in a way that is efficient and effective for builders and respectful for tenants? What resources and training do constructors need to execute high performance envelope refurbishments and systems upgrades with minimal resident

UPDATE ON THE RAPID HOUSING INITIATIVE

The Government of Canada’s $2.5 billion Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI) continues to invest in housing projects intended to help alleviate homelessness while creating thousands of jobs in the housing and construction sector. In late January, Prime Minister Trudeau announced that over 10,000 new affordable housing units will be created through the RHI, exceeding the initial goal of 7,500 new units. A third of the units will support women and children, and another third will assist Indigenous Peoples.

“We know that finding a safe and affordable place to live is a challenge for many Canadians across the country,” said Prime Minister Trudeau at a press conference. “Through the Rapid Housing Initiative, we are building more housing units, increasing affordable housing, and working to end chronic homelessness. As we build a better future for everyone, we will continue working to improve access to housing, particularly for our most vulnerable, while putting home ownership back in reach for all Canadians.”

The RHI is delivered by CMHC under the National Housing Strategy (NHS). Launched in 2017, Canada’s NHS is an ambitious, 10-year plan to invest over $72 billion in much-needed housing development. It provides capital contributions (upon signing a funding agreement with CMHC) under two streams— Cities Stream and Projects Stream — to expedite the delivery of affordable housing units.

“As I’ve said many times before – everyone in Canada deserves a safe and affordable place to call home,” added The Hon. Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion and Minister responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. “The Rapid Housing Initiative will support those who need it most by quickly providing more than 10,000 new affordable housing units to vulnerable families. This is just one of the many ways our government’s National Housing Strategy continues to support Canadians from coast to coast to coast. Today’s results represent a historic step in our work to ensure that no Canadian is left behind.”

Advancing building retrofits benefits everyone in the following ways: • It helps improve our affordable housing supply • It helps improve housing quality and climate resilience • It creates job growth and Canadian industry development • It’s our duty in the face of climate change

disruption? What planning, consideration, and specialized workforce is required to work efficiently in occupied buildings in a way that is respectful of tenants? What technology, materials or other construction techniques and innovations can make retrofits quicker, faster and cheaper?

If you are an apartment owner or manager seeking information on deep energy retrofits and Canadian-made products and services, please visit: https://assets.cmhc-schl.gc.ca