This monthly e-publication provides you with updates on the efforts of the CHBA Net Zero Council (NZC) including announcements of opportunities to get engaged, and information on related events and news. Back issues are posted here. We invite CHBA members to submit content for upcoming issues by emailing us.
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In this issue:
- Welcome New Net Zero Council Member!
- Blog Post: The Future of Housing: Canada's Top 5 Net Zero Production Homes
- Additional Building Envelope Performance Target Finalized
- Changes to Qualified Net Zero EA and SO Eligibility and Designation Maintenance Criteria
- Upcoming Net Zero Training + Rebates Available!
- CSA F280 Whole-house Design Heat Loss and Gain Calculations: Understanding and implementing efficient design principles
- Call-out for Net Zero testimonials for cross-Canada tour!
- CHBA at Retrofit Canada Conference
- CHBA Net Zero Renovation taking on Embodied Carbon!
- Watercolour: An all-electric Net Zero Ready development
- CMHC Housing Research Awards
- Net Zero Solutions Video Library
- Demonstrate your Leadership: 3 Seats on the Council Still Available!
- News from the Net
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Welcome New Net Zero Council Member!
We’re proud to welcome the Building Efficiency Technology Access Centre (BETAC), based at Red River College (RRC) Polytechnic, as a new Net Zero Council Academia Member. BETAC supports research, testing, and innovation in building technologies, focusing on residential homes, heat pumps, and high-performance buildings, to improve energy efficiency, indoor comfort, and sustainability. Learn more about BETAC at www.rrc.ca/betac. Interested in joining the Council? There are 3 Bronze Sponsor seats still available. Learn more and find a complete list of members at www.chba.ca/nzc.
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Blog Post: The Future of Housing: Canada's Top 5 Net Zero Production Homes
In this blog post, we’re showcasing the winner and finalists for Best Production Net Zero Home in the 2025 award competition. Every year, builders across the country repeatedly raise the bar in energy efficient home design with these Net Zero projects – so check out this blog post to get inspiration for your next project!
Be sure to share using @CHBANetZero and #CHBANetZero so that more homeowners and homebuyers will learn about Net Zero Homes!
Visit our website here to read more of our Net Zero blog posts. You can also find and share all our Net Zero blog posts (geared towards consumers) via our four social media accounts; LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X.
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Additional Building Envelope Performance Target Finalized
On May 26 the Net Zero Technical Committee approved changes to the Net Zero Home Labelling Program Technical Requirement section 2.2.2 Energy Efficiency Targets. The revision, which takes effect immediately, now indicates that two separate envelope metrics can be used for compliance; Gross Space Heat Loss, which is the new option, or Annual Space Heating Energy Consumption, which was the original requirement. Details can be found in Program Bulletin 10 which was published on June 19 and can be found on the CHBA website here.
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Changes to Qualified Net Zero EA and SO Eligibility and Designation Maintenance Criteria
To better ensure that those who achieve the CHBA Qualified Net Zero Energy Advisor (EA) and CHBA Qualified Net Zero Service Organization (SO) designations are highly experienced, and that they continue to meet the designation maintenance criteria, CHBA staff have been working with the key stakeholders including program participants to make changes to the designation eligibility and maintenance criteria. The changes, which take effect June 30, can be found in Program Bulletin 11 which was published on June 27 and can be found on the CHBA website here.
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Upcoming Net Zero Training + Rebates Available!
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CSA F280 Whole-house Design Heat Loss and Gain Calculations: Understanding and implementing efficient design principles
AUG 12 | 10:30-5:00 ET | ZOOM
If you’re an Energy Advisor who wants to gain the ability to perform precise whole-house heat loss and heat gain calculations in the retrofit market, providing essential calculations that HVAC professionals can use to size heat pumps accurately, visit cacea.ca/events to learn more about this session.
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Call-out for Net Zero testimonials for cross-Canada tour!
This fall the "Towards Net Zero Renos" project team will be delivering workshops in participating municipalities across Canada. These sessions will showcase local projects along with roadmaps towards deep energy retrofits and CHBA Net Zero Renovations that meet the increasing demand for multi-solution home upgrades. For our educational material in the workshops, we’re seeking builder, renovator and homeowner testimonials on the value of new and renovated Net Zero Homes. Please send your testimonials to netzero@chba.ca and stay tuned for the workshop schedule coming in our August edition of Net Zero News.
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CHBA at Retrofit Canada Conference
CHBA’s Director, Initiatives, Net Zero Housing, Lynne J Strickland was successful in landing a significant slot in the Residential Retrofits stream at this year’s Retrofit Canada Conference held June 9-10 in Toronto this year. With over 650 attendees, this conference was host to policy, program, industry, and government attendees. The well-received panel discussion “Scaling Deep Energy Retrofits: Municipal Strategies and Lessons from the DER Toolkit Initiative” heard from our “Towards Cost-Effective Net Zero Energy Ready Residential Renovations” project lead and Municipal representatives from Calgary, Edmonton, and Saskatoon as well as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Learn more about the event here.
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CHBA Net Zero Renovation taking on Embodied Carbon!
Enrolled in the Towards Net Zero Renovations initiative, Deep Green Developments was celebrated by the Carbon Leadership Forum’s Embodied Carbon Awards, winning the Small Buildings Category with their home project “1908 to Net-Zero”. Check out Episode 3 of their educational series focused on low carbon options for their new foundation under the existing house and meet their CHBA project team in Episodes 1 & 2.
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Watercolour: An all-electric Net Zero Ready development
Built by CHBA and Net Zero Council member, Land Ark Homes, this video highlights their journey to building an all-electric Net Zero Ready development in Westport, ON.
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CMHC Housing Research Awards
APPLICATION DEADLINE: SEP 12 @ 4:00 PM ET
The Housing Research Awards celebrate research excellence and provide funding to support exceptional work that advances Canada’s National Housing Strategy. Apply for funding that recognizes your innovative and impactful housing research, training, knowledge mobilization and outreach. Learn more about the 3 awards here.
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Net Zero Solutions Video Library
CHBA's new Net Zero Solutions video library offers solution providers with exposure to builders and renovators looking for Net Zero Solutions for their projects. By consolidating essential information and best practices, and offering valuable insight, this new webpage empowers our members to showcase their mechanical, envelope, energy, or other innovations. If you would like the opportunity to add your company’s video, please visit our website to learn more.
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Demonstrate your Leadership: 3 Seats Still Available!
in the Net Zero Council and be part of the leadership group working together to accelerate the voluntary adoption of Net Zero Homes in Canada. Currently there are 3 Bronze Sponsor seats still available. Visit chba.ca/nzc to learn about the benefits of Membership and Sponsorship and review the Terms of Reference before submitting an application form to sonja.winkelmann@chba.ca.
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- PEI Updates Net Zero and efficiencyPEI rebates. Rebate programs in PEI are being updated to prioritize actions that most effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and electricity use. On top of the above performance-based rebates, an additional rebate of $1000 would be available for CHBA Net Zero or Net Zero Ready new home builds.
- Province offers homeowners incentive to switch to heat pumps. The provincial government is offering to foot most of the bill for Manitobans looking to make their homes more energy efficient using heat pumps. Learn more at Efficiency Manitoba.
- Alberta’s new reclamation rules make it too expensive to build solar or wind — let me explain. The Alberta government’s updated Code of Practice imposes the highest reclamation security costs in North America for renewable energy projects — a move that industry experts warn could derail billions in investment, stall development, and shift Canada’s clean energy momentum to more competitive provinces.
- British Columbia power grid under pressure—here’s how the province plans to fix it fast. Amid surging energy demand and climate-driven supply shocks, British Columbia launches dual initiatives to expand reliable electricity sources and scale up energy efficiency as part of a broader clean energy overhaul.
- How Far Will Carney’s $26B Prefab Promise Get Us In A Housing Crisis? Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to provide $25 billion in debt financing and $1 billion in equity financing “to innovative Canadian prefabricated homebuilders.”
- Mattamy Homes founder Peter Gilgan to start prefab housing factory in Ontario. Real estate developer Peter Gilgan plans to start a home-building factory in the Toronto area, the billionaire’s second attempt to create a prefabricated homes business as the federal government looks to boost construction of new homes.
- These sleek, sustainable homes are breaking the stereotype for prefab construction.
- How robots are taking prefabricated housing construction to a new level for this Vancouver company. Intelligent City is fine tuning automation and robotics to speed up and standardize the prefabrication of mass timber buildings as its contribution to solving Canada's housing crisis.
- First-in-Canada report shows how healthcare cost savings can unlock the future of sustainable buildings. Sustainable building upgrades are key to protecting the health and safety of Albertans. Poor-quality housing — characterized by inadequate insulation, poor ventilation, and outdated heating and cooling systems — can harm respiratory, cardiovascular, and mental health.
- Heat waves are getting more dangerous with climate change — and we may still be underestimating them. “Climate models are likely understating the relationship between climate change and persistent summer weather extremes today and under predicting the potential for future increases in such extremes,”
- Over 300 Flights Cancelled and Delayed Across Canada and More Face New Disruptions Due to Severe Weather. Severe weather triggered widespread travel chaos across Canada.
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Ottawa, ON K1P 5J3
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