The Better Buildings Ottawa Strategy is the City’s plan for accelerating retrofits of existing industrial, commercial, institutional, and multi-unit residential buildings in order to reach net-zero carbon emission targets by 2050.
About Better Buildings Strategy
The City of Ottawa set community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets in their Climate Change Master Plan in January 2020. These targets include reaching net zero emissions by 2050, 96% reductions by 2040, 68% by 2030, and 43% by 2025.
Existing buildings are the single biggest source of carbon emissions in Ottawa, with large buildings contributing 22% of the GHG emissions in 2020. Most of these emissions come from burning fossil fuels for space heating. The Better Buildings Ottawa Strategy identifies how to encourage and regulate deep GHG reduction retrofits in commercial, institutional, and industrial (ICI) buildings as well as large multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs).
The Better Buildings Strategy focuses on both reducing heating demand as well as fuel switching to maximize the carbon and financial returns.
Background
5 Components of the Better Buildings Ottawa Strategy
Senior Government Engagement
Benchmarking
Marketing, Education +
Capacity Building
Economic Tools + Coordination
Regulating
Emissions Reductions
- 73% of ICI building heat load served by heat pumps
- 63% of water heating load served by electric water heaters
By 2050
- Retrofit 98% of small commercial buildings to achieve thermal savings of 60%; electrical savings of 30%
- Retrofit 95% of the large MURB and ICI building stock with average savings of 50% (combined thermal and electrical)
- 82,728 heat pumps installed in apartments (72%/28% air/ground)
By 2040
- Retrofit 27% of all small commercial buildings; achieve thermal savings of 60%; electrical savings of 30%.
- Retrofit 27% of the existing large institutional, commercial, and industrial building stock with average savings of 50% (combined thermal and electrical)
- Conservation efforts precede fuel switching to devices such as heat pumps or zero emission district energy.
- 44,322 heat pumps installed in apartments (72%/28% air/ground)
- 38% of ICI floor space is served by heat pumps
- 41% of water heating load served by electric water heaters
