Energy Efficiency

As Canada sets out to double electricity supply by 2050, energy experts say the national electricity strategy must give equal weight to demand-side measures such as behind-the-meter generation and energy efficiency.

The federal major projects agenda takes a starring role, electrification is solidified as the centrepiece of federal decarbonization goals, and heat pumps and building retrofits show up as part of a wider approach to affordability in a federal budget that combines past announcements and new funding to hammer away at...

Why home energy audits matter more than ever.

Two-term city councillor Pete Fry will take the helm of British Columbia’s biggest city and become the first Green Party mayor of a major Canadian municipality after Vancouver voters swept away the former ABC administration led by incumbent Ken Sim.

The program, which will make up to $10,000 available to households that make the switch to heat pumps, is being geared toward homeowners whose heating systems are broken or getting close to replacement.

50 years ago on Oct. 1, an analysis in the journal Foreign Affairs mapped out a “soft” energy path that would have drastically reduced energy demand, shifted economies off fossil and nuclear energy, handed households and communities more control over their energy future—and concluded in 2025, if it had been...

The federal government is urging data centre developers to commit to transparent and early engagement with communities, yet drafted the principles guiding that expansion behind closed doors—and without direct public consultation.

Building efficiency into Canada’s existing infrastructure would cut energy costs by over 60%, create hundreds of thousands of jobs, and deliver economic returns in all parts of the country faster than any other energy megaproject. The numbers make the case.

With the federal government kicking off a design competition to revitalize the Prime Minister’s residence at 24 Sussex Drive in Ottawa, a local architecture firm is already on record with a concept for a “radical rehabilitation” to make the building a showcase for heritage preservation and “zero-carbon sustainability performance.”

Even as she insists Meta’s massive new artificial intelligence data centre north of Edmonton won’t raise electricity prices, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is advising concerned Albertans to “lock in a price” on their power bills before the U.S.-based tech behemoth connects to the provincial grid.

Canadian businesses caught in Donald Trump’s trade war can find real savings in strategic energy management, says one energy efficiency policy expert. But he warns that federal funding for this work is set to expire in March 2027.

Heat pumps are becoming smaller and easier to install as new options hit the market in the form of minisplits and window-mounted options. But in the absence of government support, renters still face hurdles to get them into their homes.

The climate-friendly appliances are becoming the norm among U.S. home builders. Here are the factors driving the shift.