Toward Net-zero Homes and Communities Applicant Guide

• Program at a glance
• Glossary
• Abbreviations
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Program streams
• 3. Funding considerations
• 4. Eligibility criteria
  • 4.1 Eligible recipients
  • 4.2 Eligible activities
  • 4.3 Eligible expenditures
  • 4.4 Ineligible activities and expenditures
• 5. application process and requirements
  • 5.1 content of the application
  • 5.2 Application process
    • 5.2.1 Path 1
    • 5.2.2 Path 2
  • 5.3 Capacity building for residential energy efficiency projects in indigenous communities
  • 5.4 Equity, diversity, and inclusion (edi) considerations
    • 5.4.1 Community-centered projects
    • 5.4.2 Applying an anti-racist and anti-discriminatory lens
  • 5.5 Working in collaboration with indigenous communities
    • 5.5.1 Support for indigenous energy efficiency efforts
    • 5.5.2 Collaboration with indigenous populations
  • 5.6 Data collection and analysis
  • 5.7 Letters of support
  • 5.8 Schedule and deadlines
  • 5.9 Notifications and service standards
• 6. Contribution agreement
• 7. Reporting requirements
• 8. Privacy and confidentiality
• Annex A – Stream 1: addressing barriers to adoption of energy efficient technology
• Annex B – Stream 2: capacity building in support of net-zero energy ready codes
• Annex C – Stream 3: facilitating home energy labelling and disclosure to encourage deep energy retrofits
• Annex D – Application form
• Annex E – Is your project anti-racist and anti-discriminatory?

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is funding Projects and initiatives to support energy efficiency initiatives for the Canadian residential sector.

Who can apply?

Funding is open to a variety of Applicants including legal entities incorporated or registered in Canada, governmental organizations (excluding the Federal government), Indigenous communities or governments, other organizations and community and environmental groups. Please refer to eligibility criteria for a complete list.

Program streams

Applicants can apply to three streams:

• Addressing barriers to adoption of energy efficient technology (see Annex A)
  • We are seeking Projects that will identify strategies and technologies to reduce the amount of energy consumed in a home. These Projects may include new ideas to help manufacturers, distributors, sellers, installers, or purchasers of technologies learn about their benefits, make them more widely accessible in certain regions, demonstrate their efficiency, or make them more affordable.
• Capacity building in support of net-zero energy ready codes (see Annex B)
  • We are seeking proposals that will encourage provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous governments, or people in the workforce, such as building inspectors, energy advisors and tradespeople, to adopt policies and tools that will help them utilize the 2020 energy codes for buildings. The objective of these Projects should be to reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of new buildings.

• Facilitating home energy labelling and disclosure to encourage deep energy retrofits (see Annex C)
  • We are seeking creative Projects that facilitate access to information on home energy consumption and identify what information should be shared to encourage residents to reduce the energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of their home.

If you remain unsure as to which stream your Project is best suited to, or have any other inquiries, please contact: TowardNetZeroHomes-MaisonsNetteZero@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

How to apply?

Applicants are strongly encouraged to read the Applicant Guide and the Program Stream Annexes carefully. They provide a full description of the program, its objectives, and requirements for funding. Applicants must complete and submit the Application Form and provide any other necessary documents required to support their proposal.

For more details, see Application process and requirements.

The program includes 2 pathways to obtain funding.

• Path 1 — All Eligible Recipients must submit their proposals before September 21^st 23:59 Pacific Standard Time.
  • Up to 75% of the program’s total annual budget is reserved for this path.
• Path 2 — Indigenous organizations may also submit their applications after October 5^th 8:00 Pacific Standard Time.
  • Through this path, applications will be evaluated on a first come, first served basis.
  • Each application will be assessed individually.
  • A minimum of 25% of the program’s total annual budget is reserved for this path, including
    • A minimum of 10% of the program’s total annual budget for First Nations organizations;
    • A minimum of 10% of the program’s total annual budget for Inuit organizations; and,
    • A minimum of 5% of the program’s total annual budget for Métis organizations.

Applicant: Organization that has submitted a proposal.

Capacity Building: Projects that give residents additional resources, such as tools and knowledge; or that empower them to achieve a goal, like increased homes energy efficiency.

Communities: A group of people that interact with each other within mutually understood geographical limits. To be a community, this group needs to share interests that go beyond the individuals’. They must also share values, beliefs, and behaviors, and recognize their inclusion within the group. In this regard, a community can be a neighborhood or the subset of a neighborhood, or a group of people that share life experiences, like ethnic communities or communities bound by other interests (i.e., Ottawa’s 2SLGBTQQIA+ community, the Métis Nation of Ontario).

Contribution: Funding provided by Canada under a Contribution Agreement.

Diversity: Differences in race, place of origin, religion, immigration status, ethnic origin, ability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and age.

Energy Poverty: Households that spend 10% or more of their income on energy needs.

Equity: The removal of systemic barriers and biases enabling all individuals to have equal opportunities.

Homeowners: Residents that own at least one home.

Inclusion: The practice of ensuring that all individuals are valued, respected, and are equally supported.

Indigenous: Inuit, Métis, First Nation, urban Indigenous, Status Indian, and non-Status Indian individuals or any combination thereof.

Indigenous Organization: Organizations governed by Indigenous individuals. This includes but is not limited to incorporated for‑profit and not‑for‑profit Indigenous controlled organizations, Indigenous-controlled unincorporated associations, Indian Act Bands, and tribal councils and self-governing Indigenous entities.

Key Performance Indicators: Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound indicators that demonstrate immediate, intermediate, and ultimate increase of energy efficiency that may lead to the reduction of residential greenhouse emissions.

Market-actors: Individuals or organizations with financial interests linked to energy efficiency including, but not limited to, contractors, retailers, suppliers, manufacturers, and associations.

Neighborhood: A defined geographical space within a municipality.

Program: The Request for Proposal, associated funding, and activities.

Project: Proposal described by the applicant. Also called “initiative.”

Residents: Everyone residing in the country, not just citizens. Also referred to as “the public.”

Recipients: Legal entities including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, whom – upon successful negotiation – will enter into a Contribution Agreement and receive funding for their Project.

Stacking: The limit of total Canadian government funding (federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal) that is permitted under a Contribution Agreement.

Under-resourced: Individuals or groups that do not possess the necessary resources to access other goods or to the appropriate spaces in which these goods can be acquired. This term may be used to identify youth, women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized individuals, individuals who identify as 2SLGBTQQIA+, war veterans and more.

GHG: Greenhouse Gas

GST: Goods and Services Tax

HCD: Homes and Communities Division

HST: Harmonized Sales Tax

KPI: Key Performance Indicator

NRCan: Natural Resources Canada

OEE: Office of Energy Efficiency

PST: Provincial Sales Tax

RFP: Request for Proposals

Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Office of Energy Efficiency’s (OEE) is seeking proposals from eligible organizations (Applicants) for Projects that explore new ideas to improve the energy efficiency of homes and reduce residential greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2018, the Canadian residential sector accounted for about 66 metric-tons of CO² (including emissions from electricity production), with space and water heating generating about 85% of total end-use emissions. While home energy efficiency has improved by 51% between 1990 and 2017, 5.8% more energy is now used to power Canadian homes mainly because of an increase in the number of households, in the total living space per household, and in the use of air-conditioning. This Request for Proposals (RFP) will fund Projects that target strategic efforts to help Canadians reduce their residential energy consumption to achieve net-zero building greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 as indicated in the Department’s 2021 Mandate Letter and enshrined in the Canadian Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act. This includes

• Transitioning away from fossil-fuel home heating systems;
• Community-level net-zero homes initiatives;
• Requiring energy efficient homes evaluations at the time of sale;
• Deep retrofits of existing buildings through codes and incentives;
• Training programs and pilot initiatives for building codes; and
• Workforce readiness.

The objectives of the program are to

• Support the implementation of original and creative tools and methods to facilitate Canada’s “Just Transition” to net-zero residential building emissions by 2050;
• Support initiatives to empower all residents, including professionals and other levels of government, to contribute to Canada’s “Just Transition” to net-zero residential building emissions by 2050; and
• Support Indigenous, rural or remote, and under-resourced communities in their efforts to improve their energy efficiency and reduce their residential GHG emissions.

Applicants are invited to submit their Project through 1 of 3 streams.

1. Addressing barriers to adoption of energy efficient technologies: This stream will support original and creative Projects to overcome barriers to the adoption of energy efficient technologies that may reduce residential GHG emissions. This includes, but is not limited to, advanced envelope materials, assemblies and best practices, and electric heating and cooling equipment. See Annex A for more details.
2. Capacity building in support of net-zero energy ready codes: This stream will support capacity building Projects that facilitate the adoption and implementation of the National Building Code (NBC) 2020 and the National Energy Code for Buildings (NEBC) 2020, lay the groundwork for the adoption of upper code tiers, and share knowledge to encourage consistent national interpretation. See Annex B for more details.
3. Facilitating home energy labelling and disclosure to encourage deep energy retrofits: This stream will support Projects that (1) facilitate the labelling of homes and (2) use original and creative labelling and disclosure tools and methods to improve the energy efficiency of homes and decrease residential GHG emissions. See Annex C for more details.

The program’s total budget envelop is allocated as follows:

Funding will mostly be awarded for 1 or 2-year Projects. Funding for up to 4 years is also available for ambitious Projects that meet multiple objectives of the program (See introduction). The Stacking limits for the total funding from Canadian governments (federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal) is as follows.

• Up to one hundred percent (100%) of total project costs for:
  • Provincial, territorial, regional and municipal governments and their departments and agencies where applicable;
    • We encourage provincial and territorial governments to contribute some of their own funds to the Project to expand its reach and impact;
  • Indigenous governments or organizations (e.g. band councils, land claim organizations); and
  • Registered not-for-profit organizations.
• 75% of total project costs for other organizations.

Prior to signing the Contribution Agreement, the Recipient will be required to disclose all anticipated sources (Canadian and non-Canadian) of funding for the proposed Project, including approved in-kind funding, and clearly identifying contributions from other Canadian government sources (federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal).

The Recipient must comply with the Stacking limit at the time of signing the Contribution Agreement. At Project completion, if actual Total Government Assistance to a Recipient exceeds the eligible expenditures, NRCan will adjust its level of funding (and seek reimbursement, if necessary) so that the Stacking limit is not exceeded.

All applications must comply with the requirements indicated below. Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be evaluated.

4.1 Eligible recipients

Eligible Recipients are legal entities validly incorporated or registered in Canada including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations such as

• Electricity and gas utilities,
• Energy efficiency consulting firms,
• Companies,
• Industry associations,
• Research associations,
• Standards organizations,
• Indigenous groups,
• Community groups,
• Cooperatives,
• Advocacy groups,
• Canadian academic institutions, and
• Provincial, territorial, regional and municipal governments and their departments and agencies where applicable

The roles and responsibilities of Eligible Recipients will be established through a Contribution Agreement with Natural Resources Canada.

4.2 Eligible activities

Eligible activities must contribute to the improved energy efficiency of homes and increased understanding of the housing sector or energy-using products that affect energy consumption.

Eligible activities are:

• Support for the development and implementation processes for codes, standards, and/or rating systems;
• Development and/or dissemination of tools and/or information related to energy efficiency, including pilots for development and implementation of energy efficiency tools and standards, energy management practices and standards;
• Public outreach Projects designed to support deployment of energy efficiency activities (i.e., build public capacity, networks, and communities);
• Development, organization, and/or delivery of energy efficiency training, education, certification or outreach materials to end-users;
• Capacity building and training to support energy efficiency Projects, and/or to develop a base of energy efficiency skills and knowledge for the benefit of Indigenous communities;
• Activities to improve the energy efficiency of residential, commercial, institutional, community and industrial buildings;
• Events and activities that promote energy efficiency objectives outlined for the specific Stream(s);
• Studies and research in support of energy efficiency (e.g., energy audits, energy modelling, assessments, evaluations, benchmarking studies, energy management development studies, business cases, technical guides and reports, implementation roadmaps and best practices studies);
• Outreach Projects designed to support deployment of energy efficiency activities;
• Support for the deployment, monitoring and showcasing of energy efficient technologies and practices; and,
• Other activities that improve residential energy efficiency in Canada.

4.3 Eligible expenditures

Eligible Expenditures for an approved Project must be directly related to the implementation and conduct of a Project. They are:

• Salaries and benefits on the payroll of the Recipient, for the actual time spent by the employees on the Project;
• Professional, scientific, technical, management, data collection and contracting services;
• Travel expenditures, including meals and accommodation, based on National Joint Council Rates;
• Advertising, recruitment and training (including facilitator fees, costs of training development, promotion, deployment and evaluation);
• License fees, data purchases, certification costs, and permits;
• Capital expenditures – informatics hardware and software;
• Capital expenditures – retrofitting and upgrading of existing capital, purchase and installation of equipment;
• Material, supplies and equipment;
• Equipment rental;
• Rental of facilities, audio and visual services and other related costs (excluding hospitality and prizes) associated with delivering workshops, delivering training, conferences, meetings and special events;
• Overhead expenditures, provided that they are related to the conduct of the Project and can be attributed to it.
  • Overhead expenditures may be included in the total Project costs to a maximum of 15% of eligible expenditures; and,
• GST, PST or HST, net of any tax rebate to which the Recipient is entitled

4.4 Ineligible activities and expenditures

The following activities and expenditures are not eligible for funding and therefore, will not be considered in the calculation of the total eligible expenditures of the proposed Project. They include, but are not limited to:

• Costs incurred before the signing of the funding agreement or after the final claim date;
• Stand-alone Projects for feasibility studies or research;
• Stand-alone Projects for research and development of technologies;
• Provision of services that are the responsibility of other levels of government;
• Costs of ongoing activities for the organization;
• Stand-alone activities such as audiovisual production or website/smartphone application development and maintenance (a "stand-alone activity" would be considered as such when there is no program intervention with a target market/audience, etc.);
• Conferences and symposia;
• Workshops as stand-alone Projects;
• Capital costs such as the purchase of land, buildings, or vehicles;
• Renting charges for space and computer use when already owned by the recipient organization;
• Membership fees;
• Direct incentives to homeowners;
• Advertising;
• Expenditures for PST and GST, or the HST, where applicable, for which the Applicant is eligible for a rebate, or any other costs eligible for rebates; and
• Expenditures that have been reimbursed from other sources of funding, federal statutes, or funding programs.

Applicants must submit their documentation by email to TowardNetZeroHomes-MaisonsNetteZero@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca or by mail to the address below.

Natural Resources Canada
Mailroom Operations
Sir William Logan Building
580 Booth St.
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0E4
Attn: Mathieu Samson-Savage

Priority Courier items must be received by the Departmental Mail and Messenger Services (580 Booth) no later than 3:15 p.m. (EST) to meet the day’s deadline.

Mailed-in applications with an official date stamp are accepted.

5.1 Content of the application

All applications must include:

1. The completed Application Form (see Annex D);
2. Proof of eligibility;
3. Letters of support from partners, including applicable letters from community leadership and letters from appropriate authorities; and,
4. If applicable, supporting documentation such as blueprints, technical specs for equipment, photos, etc.

Applications must clearly identify

• The alignment between the Project’s objectives and the objectives of this program;
• The targeted funding stream (see program streams);
• The way the project will directly or indirectly increase the energy efficiency of homes;
• The eligibility of their activities and expenditures;
• Evidence that justify the need for the Project in the targeted geographical area;
• The Applicant’s management plan, including the available resources and technical expertise;
• A detailed communication plan that will allow Applicants to track progress and report back to NRCan; and,
• A detailed timeline of the Project including start and end dates, objectives, planned activities, budget, roles and responsibilities, milestones, indicators, and expected outcomes, including
  • Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound key performance indicators (KPI) directly related to improvements in energy efficiency that may lead to GHG reductions.

Priority will be given to proposals that describe

• What makes the Project original and creative;
• The potential to scale up the initiative and replicate it in other regions;
• The Applicant’s experience in residential energy efficiency and other activities in the proposal, specifically through similar programs or Projects;
• The Applicant’s capacity to work within the targeted communities and geographical area, including relevant Indigenous, rural or remote, and under-resourced communities;
• The role of all partners and networks essential to the successful implementation of the Project;
• The opportunities presented by the Project to build or join a network composed of organizations working in residential energy efficiency;
• The way the Applicant’s organization and the proposed Project is inclusive, anti-racist, and anti-discriminatory (see Annex E); and,
• The way the Project will support Indigenous energy efficiency efforts.

If any of the criteria above do not apply to your Project, please explain why.

5.2 Application process

Eligible Recipients may submit their proposal through two (2) paths.

5.2.1 Path 1

Through this path, all Eligible Recipients must submit their proposal before the application deadline. Upon receipt, applications must be complete. Applications or revisions received after the deadline will not be considered.

All applications will be evaluated using a standard evaluation grid. The selection of Recipients will take place after all applications are evaluated and compared.

Up to 75% of the total annual funds are reserved for this path.

5.2.2 Path 2

Indigenous organizations may also submit their application to Path 2 starting at 8:00 Pacific Standard Time on October 5^th.

To participate in this path, Applicants must select “Yes” to the question “Do you wish to submit the Project to Path 2 of the Application Process?” in the Application Form and send the completed form with all other relevant information by email at TowardNetZeroHomes-MaisonsNetteZero@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca or by mail with an official date stamp.

Applicants may verify their eligibility for this path at any time by communicating with program officials by email.

Proposals submitted to Path 2 are not subject to any deadlines. Applicants may submit their application until the program’s website indicated that all the program’s funds are allocated.

Eligible organizations may submit their application to both Path 1 and Path 2.

Path 2 applications will be evaluated on a first come, first served basis. Upon reception of the application, program officials will note the date and time of reception and evaluate each application in the order in which they were received. Unsuccessful Path 1 Applicants that wish to also take part in Path 2 will be transferred to Path 2 when all Path 1 Recipients are selected. The date of reception used for these applications will be the day of their transfer to Path 2.

Each Project will need to meet the program’s minimum requirements to be eligible for funding. If required, evaluators may communicate with Applicants upon the verification of the application’s due diligence to collect additional information. This verification ensures Applicants do not have to reapply after being disqualified because of missing details in their application. Following the due diligence assessment, applications will be individually evaluated, and Applicants will be informed whether the Project has been approved for funding.

Unsuccessful Applicants will be informed of the funding decisions along with detailed justifications for the decisions. They may review and resubmit their Project. Resubmitted Projects will be treated as new applications.

A minimum of 25% of the total annual program funding is reserved for Path 2. This includes,

• A minimum of 10% of the total annual program funds for Projects from First Nations organizations;
• A minimum of 10% of the total annual program funds for Projects from Inuit organizations; and,
• A minimum of 5% of the total annual program funds for Projects from Métis organizations.

Funding allocated to Indigenous organizations through Path 1 will not be deducted from the funds allocated in Path 2.

5.3 Capacity building for residential energy efficiency projects in indigenous communities

Indigenous organizations may have access to resources to support the development of residential energy efficiency projects. To inquire about these resources, please contact program officials by email at TowardNetZeroHomes-MaisonsNetteZero@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca.

5.4 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) considerations

We strongly encourage every application to include EDI considerations. These considerations may take many different forms. The goal should be to ensure that the Project is mindful of systems of discrimination, inclusive of under-represented and under-resourced people and communities, and respectful of the communities affected by the Project.

If you do not include EDI considerations in your Project, please explain why in the Application Form.

5.4.1 Community-centered projects

Priority will be given to community-centered Projects, particularly those that work with Indigenous, rural or remote, and under-resourced communities. These Projects should be conducted in collaboration with representatives from those communities and clearly detail the roles of these representatives will play. We want to know how the collaboration will function.

This approach recognizes the specific realities, needs and priorities of communities, including considerations such as higher Project costs and timelines in the North. It also prioritizes local ownership and offers significant opportunity for community economic development, well-being, energy sovereignty and self-determination.

5.4.2 Applying an anti-racist and anti-discriminatory lens

Annex E outlines a series of questions to be consider while creating a Project. Some of these questions may not apply to your Project. Please select the questions that are pertinent to your Project and explain what you are doing to ensure it does not reproduce systems of discrimination, racial or otherwise.

Each Project should at least apply this lens to the structure of the organization requesting the funding. Please reflect on the way your organization addresses systems of discrimination.

For Projects that include partnerships, please explain how the structure of these partnerships and the role of each partner will reduce or remove barriers for under-resourced individuals and groups.

Proposals do not need to address every barrier and system of discrimination. They should simply acknowledge their existence and highlight your past and future efforts to address them. Points will be awarded to Projects that outline concrete and feasible efforts.

5.5 Working in collaboration with indigenous communities

Given the Government of Canada’s commitment to a renewed relationship with Indigenous peoples, we ask all Applicants to be mindful of Indigenous realities while designing and implementation of their Project.

5.5.1 Support for indigenous energy efficiency efforts

Priority will be given to Projects that are mindful of efforts made by Indigenous groups to increase residential energy efficiency, lower GHG emissions from homes, and reach net-zero goals. In the Application Form, please explain how your Project will increase Indigenous peoples’ accessibility to energy efficiency. These efforts may be an explicitly stated objective of the Project or an indirect benefit.

Ideally, these efforts should be the result of partnerships with the appropriate groups.

If your Project cannot support such efforts, please explain why.

5.5.2 Collaboration with indigenous populations

Organizations working with Indigenous groups should obtain a formal letter of support from the appropriate Indigenous leaders before the application is submitted (see letters of support).

These Projects should also be mindful of the:

• Calls for Justice (PDF, 644 KB) from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
  • Particularly the Calls for Extractive and Development Industries – such as the call “[…] to consider the safety and security of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, as well as their equitable benefit from development, at all stages of Project planning, assessment, implementation, management, and monitoring.”
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including
  • The right to self-determination, cultural identity, free, prior, and informed consent, and protection from discrimination;
  • The right to culture, spiritual and religious traditions and customs;
  • The right to know and use language histories and oral traditions;
  • The right to create own media and not be discriminated against in matters related to work;
  • The right to develop and control traditional land and resources and for the conservation and protection of the environment, lands, and resources;
  • The right to identity to customs; and
  • The recognition, observance and enforcement of treaties and agreement.
• Recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (PDF, 299 KB), in particular
  • Recommendation 92 — We call upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources. This would include, but not be limited to, the following:
    • Commit to meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships, and obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples before proceeding with economic development Projects.
    • Ensure that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that Aboriginal communities gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development Projects.
    • Provide education for management and staff on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal-Crown relations. This will require skills-based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.

5.6 Data collection and analysis

It is an asset if the Applicant or one of its partners has the necessary experience, capacity, and expertise to conduct scientific research. We encourage you to collect data from the outset of your Project. Analysis should offer insight on the impacts of the work, and on the barriers and gaps encountered. Where relevant, proposals should explain how the results of the study will help improve energy efficiency and reduce residential GHGs.

5.7 Letters of support

Partnerships, including all other sources of funding, must be documented with letters of support and sent along with the Application Form. Each letter (maximum of 2 pages) must include the source of support, justification for the support, the nature of the support (cash, time of staff, etc.), period over which it will be supplied, and the dollar value of the contribution.

Letters of support for funding from another organization may be considered tentative. If the Project is funded, Applicants will need to send a confirmation of the availability of funds prior to signing the Contribution Agreement.

5.8 Schedule and deadlines

• Deadline to submit Path 1 applications: September 21, 2022, 11:59 PM PST
• Path 2 applications will open on October 5^th. They will be accepted until program funds are allocated.
• Selection of Recipients: Late Fall
• Contribution Agreement(s) in place: End of Fall
• Project end date: March 31^st of the last fiscal year of the project
• Reporting deadline: December 31^st of the project’s final calendar year

5.9 Notifications and service standards

Decision Service Standard Commitments are internal objectives set by NRCan. Timing is highly dependent on an Applicant's responsiveness to requests from the department for information. We target to meet the program's funding decision standards 90% of the time. For more information, see Service Standards for Transfer Payment Programs.

• All Applicants will receive written acknowledgement of the receipt of their proposal within 5 business days of the application deadline date.
• Recipients will be selected within 80 business days of the application deadline.
• Once Recipients are selected, all Applicants will receive a decision along with justifications.
• Applications will remain on file. Proposals that did not receive funding may be accepted later if funding becomes available.
• Recipients will receive a Contribution Agreement to sign within 30 business days.
• All payments will be administered according to the details of the Contribution Agreement.
  • Advance payments may be allowed where requested by the Recipient and based on an assessment of their need, risk levels and cash flow requirements.

Upon successful negotiation, Recipients and NRCan will enter into a Contribution Agreement. The Contribution Agreement will outline the rights, roles, and obligations of each party.

No liability, commitment or obligation exists on the part of NRCan to fund the Project of an Applicant until a written Contribution Agreement is signed by both parties. Any costs or expenses incurred or paid by the Applicant prior to the signature Contribution Agreement by both parties are the sole responsibility of the Applicant.

The program will track the progression of the Projects. Applications must therefore present a communication plan that identifies the various stages of the Project, monitors progress, and tracks performance.

As per the Contribution Agreement, standard reporting on activities and expenditures will be required. These reports will detail environmental, social, and economic benefits of the Project’s activities and include information on the financial and overall progress of the Project, including the way claims are spent.

Upon Project completion, Recipients will submit an “End of Project” report including:

• A financial report, signed by duly authorized officer of the organization (i.e., the Chief Financial Officer), that demonstrates how the contribution was spent, with a declaration as to the total amount of contributions or payments received from other sources in respect of the Project; and,
• A final narrative report to describe how Project activities have contributed to the achievement of the program’s objectives, a final assessment of its KPIs, and lessons learned.

This report must be submitted to NRCan by December 31st of the Project’s final calendar year.

The use and distribution of data collected under this program will comply with both the Privacy Act and the Access to Information Act.

Pursuant to the Privacy Act, the program will keep confidential any personal information it may collect, and will not disclose or transmit said information without the Applicant’s written consent.

Pursuant to the Access to Information Act, the program will protect from disclosure any information of a financial, commercial, scientific, or technical nature it collects from applicants, so long as the applicants treat said information as confidential in their own establishments.

The Application Form states that the Applicant’s name, Project partners’ names, Project title, non-confidential overview, and amount awarded will be public information if the proposal is selected for funding. All other information is treated as confidential unless otherwise indicated by the Applicant.

This stream will support original and creative Projects to overcome barriers to the adoption of energy efficient technologies that may reduce residential GHG emissions.

Funding under this stream may support:

• Initiatives to increase the expertise and the capacity of market-actors to make, market, install and service high efficiency and innovative technologies for
  • Space heating and cooling, including but not limited to cold climate high efficiency electric heat pumps and combined cooling, heating and power;
  • Fenestration, including but not limited to triple glazed windows and doors;
  • Water heating, including but not limited to heat pump or solar water heaters;
  • Heat loss prevention, including but not limited to advanced building envelopes, materials, membranes, assemblies or best practices;
  • Microgeneration, including but not limited to home solar electric systems or combined cooling, heating and power;
  • Energy management, including but not limited to thermal or electric storage; and,
  • Other home energy needs.
• Projects to make high efficiency home energy technologies more accessible to homeowners, landlords or tenants that may be less likely to adopt them;
• Community-level initiatives, like
  • District energy; and,
  • Energy-recovery Projects;
• Collaborations with provinces, territories and municipalities to design and implement strategies to encourage the adoption of high efficiency home energy technologies;
• Projects targeting high GHG emitting homes and communities, such as as those using oil or diesel, to encourage fuel switching or the installation of energy efficient systems.

Adoption of advanced technologies when retrofitting and/or developing energy efficient homes is key to the overall success of transforming the market and changing consumer behavior. Some key barriers identified in the 2018 report, Paving the Road to 2030 and Beyond: Market transformation road maps for energy efficient equipment in the building sector (PDF, 3.52 Mb) were affordability, availability, awareness, accessibility and acceptance.

Research has demonstrated that there is lack of consumer awareness when it comes to adoption of technologies, recognition of energy gains and long-term cost benefits. The people least likely to adopt energy efficiency home technologies in Canada tend to be from a lower income household, younger, women, and less engaged in climate change mitigation. Older homeowners have also been identified as a key demographic since they are least likely to adopt energy efficient technologies, like high efficiency air-source heat pumps. In all cases, lower household income seems to be the most significant barrier.

Proposals should highlight specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound key performance indicators that will be used to demonstrate immediate, intermediate, and ultimate outcomes. They should include energy efficiency considerations that may lead to the reduction of residential GHG emissions and may relate to the government’s commitments outlined in NRCan’s Mandate Letter, such as

• Deep retrofits of existing buildings through codes and incentives;
• Transitioning away from fossil-fuel home heating systems;
• Community-level net-zero homes initiatives ; and
• Workforce readiness.

This stream will support Projects that facilitate the adoption and implementation of the National Building Code (NBC) 2020’s section 9.36 (Energy Efficiency), lay the groundwork for adopting upper code tiers, and share knowledge to encourage consistent national interpretation. Projects that take a coordinated approach and include both NBC 2020 and the National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB) 2020 will be considered.

Funding under this stream may support:

• Projects addressing code adoption and implementation barriers, including:
  • Sharing of lessons learned by early adopters of high performance building codes;
  • Development of training materials and tools.
• Projects and collaborations of builders, designers, and trades to achieve the performance levels of upper tiers of the NBC and NEBC, if applicable, including:
  • Development of tools, best practices, training materials, and case studies linked to NBC 2020 tiers 2 through 5 and NEBC tiers 2 through 4, if applicable;
• Projects and collaborations of building officials to promote consistent interpretations of the NBC 2020 and NEBC 2020 requirements, including:
  • Tools and training materials, with national applicability;
  • Information exchange, such as the development of forums and platforms to engage discussions.

Regulations and Codes apply to everyone and are therefore influential. By setting the limits below which it is illegal to build, they are a critical lever to improve the energy performance of buildings.

NBC 2020 is the first Canadian national building code to include energy performance tiers and provide clear, long-term direction to industry to help them prepare for future targets. Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) are expected to select an initial tier based on their readiness and policy objectives to then increase the requirements over time. Upon the adoption of the codes, AHJs may therefore be implementing different energy performance tiers. In the long term, this approach should improve the overall capacity of the country to achieve the net-zero energy ready goals outlined in the NBC 2020 as jurisdictions gradually achieve higher tiers.

This stream focuses on the reduction and the elimination of barriers to the adoption of these codes. Selected Projects will address the needs of key stakeholders and provide opportunities to promote building code adoption across Canada. Several types of Projects are eligible for this stream including, but not limited to, efforts to increase compliance through the improvement of the accessibility of codes, support for the development of user guides and industry training materials, and support for the development of compliance tools.

Projects that target both NBC 2020 and NECB 2020 are encouraged.

Proposals should highlight specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound key performance indicators that will be used to demonstrate immediate, intermediate, and ultimate outcomes. They should include energy efficiency considerations that may lead to the reduction of residential GHG emissions and may relate to the government’s commitments outlined in NRCan’s Mandate Letter, such as

• Accelerating net-zero emissions new builds;
• Training programs and pilot initiatives for building codes; and
• Workforce readiness.

This stream will support Projects that (1) facilitate the labelling homes and (2) use original and creative labelling and disclosure tools and methods to decrease residential GHG emissions, such as

• The development of methods and tools to increase a region’s capacity to fully or partially evaluate homes (e.g. touchless audits; rapid approach),
  • Excludes Projects to train energy auditors;
• Original and creative approaches to generate and/or digitize home energy labels, like
  • Projects that use information technologies, such as the internet-of-things and non-fungible tokens, to monitor energy usage and GHG emissions of homes, establish a “Live Labeling System”, and disclose accurate information through a secure decentralized system;
  • The development of methods and tools adapted to the needs of Indigenous, rural or remote, or under-resourced communities and regions;
• Initiatives to mitigate the negative impacts of mandatory labelling and disclosure on individuals, particularly those from under-resourced communities, and market-actors, like real estate agents, home inspectors, mortgage lenders, etc.

Home energy labelling and disclosure helps to support a real estate market that values and incentivizes energy efficiency by making it visible to all players in the market, including consumers, realtors, builders, and lenders. It can provide consumers with the information they need to compare the energy efficiency and GHG performance of homes and informed decision-making when undertaking renovations and retrofits to suggest actions to improve home energy efficiency. It can also provide valuable performance measurement data to support incentive programs and progress towards GHG reduction targets.

To be effective, home energy labelling needs to become more ubiquitous across Canada. Solutions are required to increase its accessibility and uptake, especially in under-resourced communities and by certain market-actors, such as real estate agents.

Proposals should highlight specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound key performance indicators that will be used to demonstrate immediate, intermediate, and ultimate outcomes. They should include energy efficiency considerations that may lead to the reduction of residential GHG emissions and may relate to the government’s commitments outlined in NRCan’s Mandate Letter, such as

• Deep retrofits of existing buildings through codes and incentives;
• Community-level net-zero homes initiatives;
• Requiring energy efficient homes evaluations at the time of sale; and,
• Workforce readiness.

The Application Form is available on the program website.

The Application Form with the letters of support and other required documentation must be submitted in Microsoft Word or as a PDF by email at TowardNetZeroHomes-MaisonsNetteZero@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca or by mail.

Natural Resources Canada
Mailroom Operations
Sir William Logan Building
580 Booth St.
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0E4
Attn: Mathieu Samson-Savage

Electronic applications cannot exceed 25 MB.

To obtain a paper copy of the application form, please contact us at: TowardNetZeroHomes-MaisonsNetteZero@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca. The last day to request a paper copy is August 31^st, 2022. Path 1 applications must be received before the deadline.

To ensure that we are funding Projects that not only reduce residential GHG emissions but also contribute to a more equitable transition toward a net-zero future, we ask all Applicants to describe how their proposal is mindful of systemic barriers that generate unequal outcomes in society. While the usual focus of an anti-racist lens may be racial inequalities, you may also identify other forms of systemic discrimination linked to ethnicity, gender, ability, language, etc.

The goal of the guide is to help you identify ways in which you can help identify gaps, address systemic discrimination, and acknowledge how you may not address them. Please adapt it to the needs of your Project and include your conclusions in the Application Form (see Annex D).

Some Projects will be better suited for this guide than others. If your Project is not well suited, please explain why. All Applicants should, at least, explain how their organization and the partnerships associated to their proposal are mindful of systemic discrimination.

1. Is your organization mindful of systems of discrimination and inequality?
   1. What types of efforts have been put in place to address these systems?
      1. For example
         1. Is your organization mindful of the differences in opportunities faced by women or racialized people?
         2. Is your Board of Directors or management team inclusive of people that face systemic barriers?
2. What tools are you using to ensure inclusion, diversity and equity within your Project?
   1. Does your Project recognize that tools are not goals?
      1. If so, what are goals of these tools trying to achieve?
      2. If not, why are these tools also goals?
3. Does the Project acknowledge race and racism in its development and execution?
4. Does the Project acknowledge White Supremacy, racial and non-racial privileges?
5. Does your Project define, evaluate, and monitor success with intersectional considerations that account for more demographic variables than race?
6. Does the Project acknowledge that it exists inside an ecosystem?
   1. What systems of discrimination should be considered throughout your Project?
   2. If your Project is not addressing these systems, why not?
7. What is the demographic representation of the people in the Project’s decision-making positions of power?
8. What space will be created throughout the Project to engage in difficult and race-based conversations and considerations? What protections are in place for workers who need to start these conversations?
9. Are there clear and comprehensive mechanisms for addressing race-based conflict?

If your Project is not adapted to the use of an antiracist lens, please provide justification for why-not considering the questions above.

This document was adapted from Future Ancestors’ Generic Anti-Racist Lens of Analysis. Not all questions indicated above will be relevant to all aspects of your Project.