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:
- Last call for entries for the Net Zero Home Awards
- Take Advantage of the RBC® Green Home Mortgage
- Training Rebates: $400 per course!
- Upcoming Net Zero Training
- NEW Net Zero E-Learning Courses Now Available!
- WEBINAR - Heating & Cooling: Right Sizing for Comfort
- NEW Residential Deep Energy Retrofit Certificate
- Ci Live: Net Zero Design Build Workshop
- Blog Post - Why Airtightness Matters
- Open 24/7/365: Promote Your Net Zero Solutions in our Virtual Expo Hall!
- News from the Net
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CALL FOR ENTRIES NOW OPEN: Net Zero Home Awards
DEADLINE: DEC 4 @ 6 PM ET
Canada's premiere awards competition for new homes, renovations, community development, and residential marketing, the 2026 CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence is now open for entries! Each year, hundreds of projects are submitted from rural areas and large cities, and from small family-run businesses and larger developers. Categories feature a range of awards for many different types of projects, including BEST CUSTOM OR RENOVATED NET ZERO HOME, and BEST PRODUCTION NET ZERO HOME. Homes entered into the Net Zero Home categories must be labelled through CHBA's Net Zero Home Labelling Program. Learn more by attending the entrant info session, which you can catch on either November 4 or November 14. Check out our award webpage and register for the info sessions here.
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Take advantage of the RBC Green Home Mortgage
Launched in December 2023, CHBA member RBC introduced their Green Home Mortgage. This program was created to provide financing for new, pre-construction homes located in certified energy-efficient developments across Canada, including CHBA’s Net Zero and Net Zero Ready Homes. An RBC Green Home Mortgage aims to make owning an energy-efficient home accessible, with lower mortgage payments combined with the potentially reduced operating costs of the home itself. It comes with the option to extend the amortization period to up to 35 years (compared to a traditional mortgage with a 30-year amortization). Combined with CMHC’s and SAGEN’s 25% mortgage insurance premium rebates, this could assist buyers in overcoming the initial cost barrier of buying a Net Zero/Ready Home. Learn more here.
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Training Rebates: $400 per course!
We’re excited to offer training rebates and discounts to help prepare the industry for future building codes. Instructor-led courses are delivered by CHBA Qualified Net Zero Service Organizations and new e-learning options are available 24/7/365 through CHBA. Funding provided by NRCan through CHBA’s Enabling Tiered Codes – Implementation and Market Preparedness project. Learn more and register here.
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Upcoming Net Zero Training
For current information on all Net Zero training courses, visit our website here.
NET ZERO MARKET ADVANTAGE $400 discount
CHBA | e-learning | 24/7/365
ADVANCED BUILDING SCIENCE Eligible for $400 rebate
CHBA | e-learning | 24/7/365
Green Canada Home Advisors | Online | Jan 6
ENERQUALITY | Online | Jan 13 & 14
NET ZERO BUILDER Members eligible for $400 rebate
CHBA | e-learning | 24/7/365
Green Canada Home Advisors | Online | Jan 10
ENERQUALITY | Online | Jan 27 & 28
NET ZERO RENOVATOR Members eligible for $400 rebate
Green Canada Home Advisors | Online | Jan 17
ENERQUALITY | Online | Feb 11 & 12
NET ZERO FOR BUILDING OFFICIALS $400 discount
CHBA | e-learning | 24/7/365
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NEW Net Zero E-Learning Courses Now Available! Take Advantage of the Rebates!
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of three more e-learning courses, designed to support your journey in building or renovating Net Zero Homes. Whether you're just starting out or looking to sharpen your edge, these self-paced, high-impact courses designed specifically for residential construction and renovation professionals are available 24/7/365. Learn more and register here.
- Net Zero Builder. Members eligible for $400 rebate
- NEW Net Zero Market Advantage. Limited-time introductory offer: 75% off!
- Net Zero Energy Advisor (Available in December). Members eligible for $750 rebate
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WEBINAR - Heating & Cooling: Right Sizing for Comfort
NOV 27 | 1:00-3:00 ET | ONLINE
Join CHBA and Building Knowledge Canada, our expert speakers, and dynamic panel in this "Renovating for High Performance" series. This session explores how high-performance heating and cooling equipment can dramatically enhance energy performance and indoor comfort in home retrofits. Learn practical strategies for right sizing mechanical equipment to avoid common comfort issues. Gain insights on how to determine if the ductwork is helping or hindering your heating and cooling solutions. Hosted by Lynne J Strickland of CHBA, this session features a jam-packed line-up of expert insights. Gord Cooke, Building Knowledge Canada, dives into this topic with Scott Ellis, Firehouse HVAC Designs and Cooper Le, MEA and Net Zero Energy Advisor, 4 Elements. We’ll then hear from Nathan Horton, 1Click Heating & Cooling, who has been leading industry in electrification of mechanical systems on existing panels. Renovators Adam Larson, Zu House and Meredith Hamstead, thinkBright Homes then respectively take us into the work of marrying mechanicals to enclosure and scaling the design process 10 houses at a time. Don’t miss out! Register here.
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NEW Residential Deep Energy Retrofit Certificate
SAIT, a Net Zero Council Academia Member, is now offering a Residential Deep Energy Retrofit Certificate that equips residential construction professionals with the skills to plan and execute comprehensive retrofits that reduce home energy consumption by 50% or more – and offers a foundational and complimentary knowledge base for renovators working toward their Net Zero Renovator designation.
The program begins with “Residential Building Science Fundamentals”, which covers essential building science principles, climate-resilient materials, indoor environmental quality, and carbon reduction strategies through 24 hours of instructor-led virtual sessions and online self-study over three weeks. The schedule for the Winter 2026 Cohort is:
- Residential Building Science Fundamentals | Jan 5-25 | 24 hrs Online
- Residential Deep Energy Retrofit Fundamentals | Feb 9-Mar 1 | 24 hrs Online
- Assessing Homes For Deep Energy Retrofits | Mar 9-29 | 24 hrs Online
- Deep Energy Retrofit Planning | Apr 13-May 3 | 24 hrs Online
- Successful Execution of Deep Energy Retrofits | May 25-29 | 40 hrs On-Campus
Tuition is 90% funded on a first-come, first-served basis for the first three courses of this certificate, with funding likely extending to courses 4 and 5, making this an exceptional opportunity to build in-demand expertise at minimal cost. Visit their website to learn more and register here. If you have any questions, please contact conedadvising@sait.ca.
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Ci Live: Net Zero Design Build Workshop
DEC 10-11 | DENVER, CO
Mark your calendars! This popular workshop is back again! This comprehensive program will equip you with the knowledge and skills to construct high-performance zero energy ready homes. Over two days, you’ll dive into the components of zero energy ready building, such as advanced wall systems, high-performance mechanical systems, and renewable energy integration. You’ll learn to select the most cost-effective materials and technologies to design, model, and construct homes that only use as much energy as they are able to produce over the course of each year. Learn more here.
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Blog Post - Why Airtightness Matters
When talking about building or renovating homes for energy efficiency and comfort, airtightness often tops the list of priorities, and for good reason. It’s not simply a technical detail, it’s a cornerstone of temperature and moisture control, durability, health, and reducing energy costs. Yet, many new buyers and homeowners – and even some builders and renovators – underestimate the importance of airtightness. In this blog, we’ll explore why airtightness is critical for all kinds of homes – including Net Zero Homes – and how it impacts everything from energy bills to indoor air quality.
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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Open 24/7/365: Promote Your Net Zero Solutions in our Virtual Expo Hall!
CHBA's Net Zero Virtual Expo Hall offers solution providers with 24/7/365 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. Learn more and apply here!
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Follow us on our LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and X accounts @CHBANetZero! See below for recent articles of interest.
- The world lost the climate gamble. Now it faces a dangerous new reality. Global warming and social instability increase together and translates to existential risks for billions of people.
- The 2025 State of the Climate Report is out, and its message is blunt: We are hurtling toward climate chaos.
- Climate Has Fallen Off Canadians' Radars. Here’s Why That Matters Now. Only 13% of Canadians list “climate change and the environment” among their top three issues.
- GTHA emissions rise again, gap widens despite proven solutions. The 2024 Carbon Emissions Inventory for the GTHA shows that carbon reduction efforts are not happening at the pace and scale needed to hit 2030 targets. Affordability and economic resilience dominate public priorities, but the good news is that climate action is economic action.
- Animals around the world, from household pets to livestock and wildlife, are seeing a rise in chronic, non-communicable diseases. Climate change is increasingly influencing the rise of chronic diseases in animals by creating the environmental conditions that stress animal bodies and disrupt their normal physiology. Heat waves, poor air quality and contaminated water are important factors that have contributed to disorders in marine species like fish, that are very important for human nutrition.
- Budget 2025’s new Climate Competitiveness Strategy: over $1 trillion in investment over the next five years, driving growth in nuclear, hydro, wind, energy storage, and grid infrastructure to make Canada a leader in the low-carbon economy.
- E.P.A. Retreats From Plans to End the Energy Star Program. The agency has faced blowback from business leaders and Republicans over plans to end the popular energy efficiency program.
- Ontario expands energy efficiency programs to eligible appliances. Programs, expansions part of existing commitment to spend $10.9 billion over 12 years on energy efficiency.
- Norway forgets about wind turbines — A flying kite producing 600 kW rewrites clean energy
- New ultra-black nanoneedles absorb 99.5% sunlight, boosting solar efficiency
- New national law [in South Korea] will turn large parking lots into solar power farms.
- Your Appliances Will Die—Don't Panic, Plan Ahead. Video: “A Heatty Whatty?”
- Say Goodbye to Toilet Paper: Its Modern Replacement Has Arrived, and It’s Smarter, Cleaner, and Eco-Friendly.
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The Canadian Home Builders' Association
141 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 500
Ottawa, ON K1P 5J3
communications@chba.ca
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