October 1 marked National Energy Efficiency Day. Across Canada, organizations shone a spotlight on one of the most powerful and often overlooked tools we have to strengthen our economy, create jobs, protect our climate, and make life more affordable for Canadians: energy efficiency.

At a time when middle-class Canadians are feeling the weight of rising costs—and when geopolitical tensions and trade uncertainties remind us how fragile global markets can be—prioritizing energy efficiency isn’t just an option. It’s a necessity.

Building Prosperity Through Climate Action

Too often, Canadians are told we face a false choice: prosperity or climate action. Energy efficiency proves that they are, in fact, absolutely compatible—lowering costs for households and businesses, strengthening the Canadian economy, and reducing emissions all at once.

According to a report published by ECO Canada, the energy efficiency sector generated $126.3-billion in operating revenues in 2023—a sharp uptick from the $82.6-billion estimated in their 2018 study. And according to a Natural Resources Canada report, efficiency improvements in 2021 alone avoided 48.5 megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions while improving national energy efficiency by 13.5 per cent—saving $27.2-billion in energy costs.

These are not abstract benefits: they show up in more competitive industries, in cleaner air, and in stronger communities, including my own riding. And because the benefits are so broad, energy efficiency stands out as a non-partisan, common-sense solution—one that should unite economic and environmental priorities instead of pitting them against each other. It’s about climate competitiveness.

But efficiency also requires structural change that lasts beyond election cycles. That’s why Canada joined 133 other nations in pledging to double the pace of energy efficiency improvements by 2030. It’s a global commitment—and one that must be lived out here at home, starting with one of the areas Canadians feel most acutely: housing.

Building Smarter, More Efficient Homes

Energy efficiency is also a powerful tool to tackle Canada’s housing crisis. With the government’s Build Canada Homes initiative now underway, we can’t keep building homes the same way we have for generations. We need to promote innovation and support modern methods of construction. Wherever possible, we need to prioritize the use of low-carbon, climate resilient, and net-zero approaches in our homebuilding and reduce the carbon footprint of projects.

And it’s not just about new homes. Most of the buildings that will stand in 2050 already exist today. Working at all levels of government, we need to engage and understand how we can make our existing buildings more energy efficient, lower bills, and cut emissions for generations to come. The best energy is the energy we don’t use—and studies show that every $1 invested in building retrofits can generate about $7 in GDP growth. That’s why energy efficiency in housing is not just climate policy—it’s smart economic policy that delivers affordability, jobs, and growth while cutting pollution.

The Canada Greener Homes Affordability Program is a first step towards this objective. It provides no-cost retrofits to homeowners and tenants. This program will be rolled out across the provinces and the territories, starting with Manitoba, which was announced a few weeks ago.

Efficiency: Made-in-Canada—for Canada

Energy efficiency is a homegrown Canadian resource built on Canadian technologies, expertise, and innovation. From smart thermostats to geothermal systems, from carbon-sequestering insultation to advanced heat pump systems, these solutions are largely designed, manufactured, and installed in Canada. They keep dollars circulating in our communities and strengthen the self-reliance we need in a volatile global economy.

It’s also a sector that employs 466,000 Canadians. With continued investment, it has the potential to create up to more than two million clean energy jobs in the coming years—spanning contractors, engineers, tradespeople, researchers, and clean technologists. These are the jobs of the future, and they’re being built—right here—today.

At the Heart of Canada’s Superpower Future

In a changing world, energy efficiency should not be treated as a side project or an afterthought. It’s the “first fuel” we must rely on to build a more prosperous, resilient, and competitive Canada, and the key to becoming the world’s next energy superpower.

On this National Energy Efficiency Day, let’s recognize the essential role efficiency plays in creating agreener, healthier, and more prosperous future. Canadians don’t have to choose between protecting the environment and growing our economy. With energy efficiency, we can, we must—and we will—do both.

Elected in 2025 as the Liberal MP for Honoré-Mercier, Que., Eric St-Pierre is a longtime climate advocate, co-founder of the new Liberal Environment and Climate Caucus, and member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development. He previously served for nearly a decade as the founding executive director of the Trottier Family Foundation. His op-ed originally appeared Oct. 1, 2025, at The Hill Times and is republished here with permission.