Low Carbon Solutions for Multi-Unit Residential Buildings
Abstract
Canadian policy is focusing on increasing energy efficiency for both new and existing buildings to help meet Canada's commitments to reducing carbon emissions in the next decade and beyond. Focusing on both new and existing buildings recognizes the widening gap between new building regulations and the performance of the existing building stock. Housing authorities, like BC Housing, are leading the market transformation for multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) to meet net-zero energy targets by 2032 for new construction and piloting deep energy retrofits.
There is growing evidence that embodied carbon is as important as operational emissions. Embodied carbon emissions are becoming a bigger portion of overall building emissions in British Columbia for new construction because of regulations targeting low-energy buildings and a low carbon-intensive gird. However, there are knowledge gaps on how to minimize embodied carbon for both new construction and existing MURBs including:
The optimal strategies to capture maximum energy efficiency gains and overall carbon emission reductions during manufacturing, construction, operation, and deconstruction,
How to reduce embodied carbon of the building envelope, and
How to accurately determine building embodied carbon in an efficient and consistent manner.
This publication focuses on building envelope design guidance, while also showing relative impact of the embodied carbon for the building structure. The aim is to demonstrate analysis with enough detail and transparency to provide practical guidance and illustrated solutions.
