Building Envelope Technologies for Net-Zero Construction and Retrofit in Canada’s Residential and Commercial Sectors

Lead Proponent

Carleton University

Project Objectives

The objective of this project is to construct new large-scale building envelope research equipment, and use that infrastructure to conceive, prototype, evaluate and optimize technical innovations that cut heat loss in housing and buildings by 65% or more. This will also reduce costs associated with new Net-Zero Energy Ready and Deep Energy Retrofit construction.

Advances in super-thin insulation materials, prefabricated construction and panelized retrofits will be drawn upon to develop new building envelope systems for application in new constructions and retrofits.

Applications for new construction include wall systems that incorporate super-insulation to achieve Net-Zero and Net-Zero Ready performance, and that can be built in a factory for lower cost and greater durability during construction.

Applications for retrofits include panels that can be applied to existing homes and buildings without upgrading the existing structure or cladding that incorporate super-insulation to achieve Net-Zero and Net-Zero Ready performance, and that can be built in a factory at lowest possible cost.

Expected Results

The project will make available new insulation technologies to cut heat loss and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Canada’s homes and buildings, as well as innovative construction and renovation approaches to support Net-Zero Ready and Retrofit codes.

Building envelopes significantly impact energy use, utility costs and GHG emissions. Nearly two-thirds of the energy use in residential and commercial buildings is used for space heating, which is predominantly caused by heat transfer through the building envelope.