BC’s Climate future could benefit from Net Zero buildings.
That was the message from the Pembina Institute, who recently conducted two reports outlining the importance of buildings that provide as much energy as they consume.
Pembina’s Karen Tam Wu says the mass construction of Net Zero buildings could take place in the next 15 years, but it should start with the government:
“We need to see the government leading the way by example. So mandating, for example, that all public sector buildings are Net- Zero or Ultra-Energy efficient by 2030”
She says some may be surprised to learn that current buildings can produce as much carbon pollution as 8 cars, or a printer running all day every day for 20 years.
Nationally, Implementing cost effective, energy efficient, measures could generate between $19 and $48 billion dollars to the Canadian GDP.
However, Tam Wu says current energy requirements in BC will not see any substantial movement in Net-Zero building creation until 2050.
