The ZEBx Podcast: Recent Episodes
ZEBx: The Zero Emissions Building Centre
We bring together people from across the building industry to identify solutions and opportunities in the zero emission buildings space.
In our podcasts we speak with people across the BC building industry and beyond, and learn how they navigate the barriers to advance the development of cost-effective, attractive, zero emission buildings at scale.
ZEBx is a centre designed to rapidly accelerate the knowledge, capacity and passion for zero emission buildings and is part of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre.
Season 4, Episode 8
Recorded on Sep 16, 2024
Overview
Building a strong business case for decarbonizing a commercial property requires a solid grasp of project costs, decarbonization strategies and cost recovery opportunities. In BC, where we have a very low-carbon electrical supply, a strong business case for serious emissions reductions depends on the right balance between electrification and energy conservation measures.
In the first Decarb Lunch after the 2024 summer break, SES Consulting and KingSett Capital dive into the basics of building a strong business case for decarbonization and how it’s being applied to a commercial building retrofit in Vancouver.
Thanks to the financial support of BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver, this event was free of charge.
Resources
Slides here
Speakers
Stephanie Poole, Principal, SES Consulting
Kit Milnes, Vice President Sustainability & Resilience, KingSett Capital
Hosts
Natalie Douglas, Program Manager, ZEBx
Damian Stathonikos, Director, BOMA
Jennifer Davis, Director, Decarb Accelerator Program, BOMA
Podcast Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
Season 4, Episode 7
Recorded on Jun 28, 2024
Overview
ZEBx’s second June 2024 Decarb Lunch finds us talking with the founder of Vernon-based non-profit HomeZero Collective and their Clean Energy Neighbourhoods pilot project. This initiative aims to make home retrofits faster, easier, and more affordable for neighbourhoods across the City of Vernon, BC and share lessons from their experience far beyond its borders.
If you’re interested in home retrofits, air source heat pumps, and ground source heat pumps (i.e., geo-exchange), check this one out. We hear from the program administrator and one of the homeowners participating in the retrofit, while also having one of the program’s mechanical consultants on hand for the question period.
Thanks to the financial support of BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver, this event was free of charge.
Resources
Slides here
Speakers
Amandeep Singh, Founder, HomeZero Collective
Home Zero home owner
Host
Natalie Douglas, ZEBx Program Manager, ZEIC
Mariko Michasiw, B2E Program Manager, ZEIC
Podcast Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
Season 4, Episode 6
Recorded on Jun 18, 2024
Overview
The 2024 Passive House Canada conference was held at the University of Victoria’s new, Passive House-certified student housing and dining complex consisting of the Cheko’nien House and Sngequ House.
For a few days, attendees experienced what it’s like to live and learn in two all-electric Passive House buildings. This complex is one of the winners of the CleanBC Net Zero Energy-Ready Challenge, and like all the other winning projects, ZEBx has produced a case study on this landmark development. This Decarb Lunch was cohosted with Passive House Canada CEO Chris Ballard and had presentations by Introba and RDH.
Thanks to the financial support of BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver, this event was free of charge.
Resources
Slides here
Speakers
Chris Doel, Senior Vice President at Introba
Torsten Ely, Senior Energy and Sustainability Analyst at RDH Building Science Inc.
Host
Roberto Pecora, Building Decarbonization Director, ZEIC
Chris Ballard, President and CEO, Passive House Canada
Podcast Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
Season 4, Episode 5
Recorded on May 27, 2024
Overview
To help bring the findings from the “Navigating Development with the Zero Carbon Step Code” case study to life, we hosted this Decarb Lunch webinar.
The presentation covered the following topics:
- Suitable combinations of mechanical and enclosure systems to meet energy and emissions requirements.
- Impact of changing codes on project capital costs.
- Effects of varying design scenarios on operational costs.
- How to quickly assess potential design changes and cost implications for reworking ongoing projects to meet different requirements
- Key considerations for developers in approaching net-zero energy and carbon developments.
The intention was to provide information which will better prepare developers to meet current and future policy requirements, reduce financial risks, minimize future retrofit burdens, and accelerate market transformation towards fully net-zero carbon construction.
Thanks to the financial support of BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver, this event was free of charge.
Resources
Slides here
Speakers
Heather Reid, Senior Director of Technical and Commercial Relations, Chard Development Ltd.
Anthony Quin, Director of Development, Chard Development Ltd.
Maddy Kennedy-Parrott, Building Science Engineer, RDH Building Science Inc.
Neil Norris, Building Science Specialist, RDH Building Science Inc.
Host
Natalie Douglas, Program Manager, ZEBx
Vincent Delfaud, Bosa (as part of his role as a ULI BC member/part of 3rd cohort of ULI’s Net Zero Imperative)
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
Season 4, Episode 4
Recorded on May 15, 2024
Overview
The 2021 western heat dome highlighted the absence of measures in BC’s building safety standards to reduce the risk of overheating. With the latest code update, things are changing.
For new Part 9 buildings, “an indoor air temperature of not more than 26°C in at least one living space in each dwelling unit” is now required by the BC Building Code. But what does this mean in practice?
ZEBx and the Building and Safety Standards Branch (BSSB) talked through and discussed the intentions of the regulation, its limitations, how to calculate/prove the 26C refuge room interior temperature. There were presentations and Q&A, as well as the shared resource of BSSB’s recent Information Bulletin.
Thanks to the financial support of BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver, this event was free of charge.
Resources
Slides here
Speakers
Scott Williams, Senior Codes Engineer, Building and Safety Standards Branch, Province of BC
Kevin Ramlu, Building Energy Manager, Township of Langley
Host
Natalie Douglas, Program Manager, ZEBx
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
Season 4, Episode 3
Recorded on Apr 26, 2024
Overview
We were joined by leaders from the City of Vancouver’s green and resilient buildings team as they introduce Energize Vancouver—the city's new online hub for information and resources on current and upcoming energy and carbon requirements for existing large commercial and multi-family buildings.
The City now requires the owners and managers of Vancouver's largest commercial buildings to report their properties’ energy and greenhouse gas intensity data. The deadline for the first round of reporting is June 1, 2024. The city's benchmarking requirements expand in 2024, then, starting in 2026, the City will require certain buildings to meet defined greenhouse gas intensity limits.
This webinar introduced the Energize Vancouver initiative and resource hub, and outlined the current reporting requirement. Bonus: We also welcome special guests from the City of Toronto and City of Montreal, both of which are similarly rolling out mandatory building performance benchmarking programs.
Thanks to the financial support of BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver, this event was free of charge.
Speakers
Gurmeet Ghera, Senior Green Building Planner, City of Vancouver
Devon Stopps, Senior Engineer – Public Energy Initiatives, Environment & Energy Division, City of Toronto
Valerie Anne Brouillard, Environmental and Climate Change Senior Engineer, Office of Ecological Transition and Resilience, City of Montréal
Host
Natalie Douglas, Program Manager, ZEBx
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
- ZEBx is a program of the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 4, Episode 2
Recorded on Mar 8, 2024
It’s widely recognized that addressing new buildings alone will not be enough to get us to our emissions reduction targets. Deep building retrofits are a crucial component of the decarbonization transition.
At our March 2024 Decarb Lunch we heard about two ongoing deep retrofit projects from the perspectives of a designer and an owner. Speakers were from Pembina, LHRA, Pacifica Housing, and Metro Vancouver Housing, and they gave key takeaways relating to process, procurement, retrofit bundling, and more. The core intentions and high-level learnings from the Reframed Initiative were discussed with an emphasis on those relevant to the industry at large.
This webinar is also offered as part of the Passive House Accelerator’s Reimagine Buildings ‘24 online conference of which ZEBx is a community partner. Please check out the conference agenda here
Thanks to the financial support of BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver, this January Decarb Lunch was free of charge.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Christopher Rowe, Principal at Low Hammond Rowe Architects Inc
Ian Scott, Director of Community Real Estate and Asset Strategies at Pacifica Housing
Ross Arbo, Housing Technician at Metro Vancouver Housing
Hosts:
Natalie Douglas, Program Manager, ZEBx
Betsy Agar, Director of the Buildings Program at Pembina Institute
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
- ZEBx is a program area of the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 4, Episode 1
Recorded on Jan 26, 2024
To ensure we are effectively decarbonizing the building sector, we need energy and GHG performance data. We also need to ensure that the building sector (especially non-profit housing providers), can utilize this data in a cost and time-effective manner to develop practical and effective decarbonization plans.
In our January Decarb Lunch webinar, hear about the systems that one local technology company (OPEN Technologies) has developed to address these issues of data tracking and decarbonization planning. RDH discussed how virtual solutions like OPENs help reallocate scarce expertise and project budgets for maximum effectiveness.
Thanks to the financial support of BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver, this January Decarb Lunch was free of charge.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Donovan Wollard, Chief Executive Officer, OPEN Technologies
Christian Cianfrone, Chief Decarbonization Officer, Open Technologies
Brittany Coughlin, Regional Director – Canada East, Energy & Sustainability Specialist, RDH
Hosts:
Natalie Douglas, Program Manager, ZEBx
Jade Hume, Division Manager of the Housing Maintenance and Capital Projects team, Metro Vancouver Housing
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
- ZEBx is part of the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 3, Episode 8
Recorded on Nov 24, 2023
When it comes to retrofitting a home, replacing a gas furnace or water heater with a heat pump will result in additional electrical load requirements. If adding electrified equipment to an existing electrical panel results in exceeding the existing panel capacity, these retrofits could result in additional costs to a homeowner. But, what if these costs could be avoided/reduced? A B2E article from March 2022 summarized research findings on this very topic.
The November Decarb Lunch featured presentations from two speakers on several pilot projects that are optimizing electrical capacity within homes. Thanks to the financial support of BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver, this event was free of charge.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Frank Crawford, Energy Efficiency Consultant
Tim Mosley, Sr Program Manager, Innovation and Delivery, BC Hydro
Hosts:
Melissa Williams, Climate Action Advisor, Technical Safety BC
Gord Durocher, Electrical Senior Safety Officer, Technical Safety BC
Mariko Michasiw, B2E Program Manager, ZEIC
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
- ZEBx is part of the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
ZEBx hosts this podcast. B2E, alongside ZEBx, CLF BC and NearZero are all part of the ZEIC family.
Overview:
This free B2E webinar featured four speakers from BC Hydro addressing concerns related to building electrification.
To meet national, provincial, and local climate targets, our buildings, transportation, and industry need to shift to low-carbon technologies and energy. In British Columbia, we have a unique advantage. 98% of our electricity is generated from clean and renewable sources. In all sectors, the switch from fossil fuels to clean electricity is a critical strategy to reduce the province's greenhouse gas emissions.
BC Hydro provides electricity to 95% of the province and has over five million customers. BC Hydro is taking action to prepare for the electricity needs of the future from the electrification of buildings, transportation, and industry. The speakers addressed some important questions related to building electrification:
- Is BC ready for electrification?
- How will BC Hydro meet our future electricity needs?
- Does the building industry have a role to play in helping BC Hydro meet the future electricity demand?
Resources:
Season 3, Episode 7
Recorded on Oct 17, 2023
BC’s green building community has been targeting operational emissions reductions for many years now – in both new and existing buildings. And we’re getting the swing of it, slowly but surely. But did you know that embodied emissions reductions are just as important? A key strategy to reduce embodied emissions is ensuring that we keep building materials out of landfills. To achieve this circular built environment, we can relocate buildings or we can disassemble them, reusing as many components as possible in a new building.
At this Decarb Lunch event, ZEBx and CLF BC were joined by Light House, author of A Blueprint for Change: Preventing Demolition Waste Through Home Relocation and Deconstruction, and the reigning champion of building deconstruction, Unbuilders.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Gil Yaron, Managing Director, Circular Innovation, Light House
Adam Corneil, CEO & Founder, Unbuilders
Hosts:
Natalie Douglas, Program Manager, ZEBx
Caroline Butchart, Program Manager CLF BC
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
- ZEBx is part of the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 3, Episode 6
Recorded on Sep 21, 2023
As governments begin focusing their emissions-reduction plans, policies and regulations on existing buildings, the market is responding. The demand for retrofit-related services and products is growing, but so is the supply. Efficiency Capital, Canada’s first Energy-as-a-Service company, provides up to 100% of the capital required by building owners to facilitate their energy efficiency upgrades, and does so through an innovative turnkey approach that is vendor and service agnostic, internationally certified, and meets the demands of small to mid-market asset owners as well as those of large commercial real estate investors, not-for-profits/affordable housing providers, and industry.
ZEBx was joined by Efficiency Capital and Woodgreen Community Services for this event. Thanks to the financial support of BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver, this event is free of charge!
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Erin Ellis, Director, Development, Efficiency Capital
Mwarigha, Vice President of Housing, Homelessness, Asset Sustainability & New Development, WoodGreen
Hosts:
Roberto Pecora, Director, ZEBx
Darla Simpson, Program Manager Retrofits, ZEBx
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
- ZEBx is part of the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 3, Episode 5
Recorded on Jun 28, 2023
As governments begin focusing their emissions-reduction plans, policies and regulations on existing buildings, the market is responding. The demand for retrofit-related services and products is growing, but so is the supply. Bondi Energy, headquartered in Toronto, is one of a handful of Canadian companies that provide the full range of services required to decarbonize a building’s heating system, typically with Daikin or Innova electric heat pumps. They take care of design, project management and installation and have decarbonized over 3,000 residential suites in multi-family buildings. And they now have an office in BC.
Bondi Energy was joined by Mat 4Site Engineers for this Jun 2023 Decarb Lunch, which was hosted with Darla Simpson, Program Manager Retrofits, ZEBx, alongside Roberto Pecora, Director, ZEBx.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Rinkesh Shah, Director, Mat 4Site
Belinda Gilbey, Co-Founder and President, Bondi Energy Corp
Hosts:
Roberto Pecora, Director, ZEBx
Darla Simpson, Program Manager Retrofits, ZEBx
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
- ZEBx is part of the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 3, Episode 4
Recorded on May 24, 2023
BC’s new Zero Carbon Step Code has arrived! As of this May 1 2023, municipalities across BC now have a new regulatory tool they can use to target emissions. Although it’s the finish line for the Province’s Building and Safety Standards Branch, it’s a starting line for the building industry. There will be some challenges to overcome on the road to achieving the highest step of the ZCSC by 2030.
For this Decarb Lunch, we invited the Province’s Building and Safety Standards Branch to present the ZCSC. We also invited a seasoned homebuilder of high-performance homes to elaborate on the challenges and potential solutions to reach the top step of the ZCSC.
The event was co-hosted the with the City of Victoria – the first municipality in BC to adopt the ZCSC (before it even came into effect) and to require buildings to meet the highest step no later than Nov 1, 2024.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Scott Williams, Senior Codes Engineer, Building and Safety Standards Branch
Joe Hart, Founder, Icon Homes Ltd | CHBA BC Past President
Hosts:
Roberto Pecora, Director, ZEBx
Derek de Candole, Community Energy Specialist, City of Victoria
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEIC
- ZEBx is part of the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 1, Episode 2
Recorded on May 16, 2023
Reducing emissions from existing buildings will make a bigger contribution to our 2030 and 2050 climate targets than eliminating emissions from new buildings. The City of Vancouver and Metro Vancouver have 2030 emissions targets for the building sector. In May 2022, Vancouver City Council approved a proposal to limit emissions from large, existing commercial buildings beginning in 2026 (preceded by measuring and reporting starting next year).
Using Greater Victoria 2030 District as a shining example, this second webinar in the series provided guidance on how to plan for decarbonization of commercial buildings. It doesn’t happen overnight, but with planning, performance data, time and some basic common sense, deep emissions reductions can be achieved cost-effectively. With presentations from the University of Victoria, Audette and Jawl Properties.
ZEBx thanks CleanBC, the Greater Victoria 2030 District, and cohost BOMA BC for making this a successful event.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Kevin Cant, Research Associate, University of Victoria
Matt Alfke, Account Executive, Audette
Karen Jawl, Director, Jawl Properties
Hosts:
Roberto Pecora, Director, ZEBx
Damian Stathonikos, President, BOMA BC
Cora Hallsworth, Director, Greater Victoria 2030 District, and Principal, CHRM Consulting
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
- ZEBx is part of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 1, Episode 1
Recorded on Mar 8, 2023
Reducing emissions from existing buildings will make a bigger contribution to our 2030 and 2050 climate targets than eliminating emissions from new buildings. The City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver and the Province all have 2030 emissions targets for the building sector, but so far, only the City of Vancouver is moving forward with regulating emissions from existing buildings. In May 2022, Vancouver City Council approved a proposal to limit emissions from large, existing residential and commercial buildings beginning next year.
This first, in a new four-part webinar series, provided guidance on how to plan for decarbonization. It doesn’t happen overnight, but with planning, performance data, time and some basic common sense, deep emissions reductions can be achieved cost-effectively. This event was co-hosted with BCNPHA.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
William Azaroff, CEO, Brightside Community Homes Foundation
Michaela Neuberger, Executive Director, Affine Climate Solutions
Jade Hume, Division Manager, Maintenance and Capital Projects, Metro Vancouver Housing
Adrian Lynch, Project Engineer, SS&SI Energy Management, Metro Vancouver Regional District
Hosts:
Roberto Pecora, Director, ZEBx
Ian Cullis, Director of Asset Management at BC Non-Profit Housing Association
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
- ZEBx is part of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 3, Episode 3
Recorded on Apr 28, 2023
Recent updates to the BC Building Code include the introduction of a voluntary Zero Carbon Step Code (ZCSC), effective May 1, 2023. Local governments will now have a straightforward way to regulate emissions from new buildings! To meet the highest tiers of the ZCSC, buildings can or will (depending on the tier) need to decarbonize their domestic hot water (DHW) systems using electrification. In large residential buildings, DHW systems can be centralized or decentralized. April’s Decarb Lunch will feature a presentation from Ecotope, a Seattle-based research and design company, on:
-Best practices for design and installation of large central DHW systems;
-Key considerations for equipment selection:
-Design differences for high- and low-rise residential; and,
-Examples of buildings with all-electric central hot water systems.
This webinar will also include a presentation from AME group on the mechanical design of a central hot water system for the ALT-Hastings Housing and Healing Centre project currently under construction. The 112-unit development will be Net Zero Carbon and will achieve the highest Step Code level 4. The 11-storey, 12,260 m2 (132,000 sqft) building includes permanent homes, supported housing, commercial space, and a Healing Centre.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Shawn Oram, Principal, Design and Engineering, Ecotope
Patrick Stewart, Principal, AME Group
Hosts:
Mariko Michasiw, B2E Program Manager, ZEBx
Ju Chan Kim, BC Housing
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
- ZEBx is part of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 3, Episode 2
Recorded on Mar 31, 2023
If you’ve been following ZEBx for the last few years, you might remember how we highlighted two developer/builders that each succeeded in building a climate-friendly (all-electric), Step 4, multi-family building for 30% less than an equivalent code-minimum building.
In our November 2022 Decarb Lunch, we circled back to Vidorra Developments to see how they’ve applied their growing expertise to their recent developments. Now it’s time to circle back to Highstreet Ventures to showcase their newest development, Skaha Shores in Penticton. It’s a two-building, 180-suite, all-electric residential development that meets the highest rank of the BC Energy Step Code. Join us as we hear about Skaha Shores and Highstreet’s journey to their status as BC’s most productive developer/builder of climate-friendly, climate-resilient and highly energy-efficient multi-family buildings.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Richard Outtrim, Principal, Building Performance and Sustainability, Reinbold Engineering Group
Mike Kristiansen, Preconstruction Manager, Highstreet Ventures Inc
Hosts:
Roberto Pecora, Director, ZEBx
Mariko Michasiw, B2E Program Manager, ZEBx
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
- ZEBx is part of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 1, Episode 6
Recorded on Mar 30, 2022
This final Deep Emissions Retrofit Dialogue dove into one of the three topics covered in our January 2022 Dialogue – Equity. As we decarbonize the existing building stock through a combination of deep emissions retrofits and energy conservation measures, we need to be mindful of how it will impact vulnerable segments of British Columbia’s population. This includes low-income households.
This event was a collaboration with B2E featuring the BC Non-Profit Housing Association.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Dialogues and Speakers:
Equity, Electrification and Home Energy Retrofits in BC
Presented by Dylan Heerema, Ecotrust Canada
Intersectional Approaches to Climate Solutions
Presented by Glenn Schatz, Bradford Parker and Valerie Shoates, BlocPower
A Just Transition in Vancouver
Presented by George Benson and Vanessa Sun, Vancouver Economic Commission
Hosts:
Mariko Michasiw, B2E Program Manager, ZEBx
Ian Cullis, Director, Asset Management, BC Non-Profit Housing Association
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
- ZEBx is part of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 3, Episode 1
Recorded on Jan 27, 2023
Cold winters in BC’s northern communities can make designing and building fully electric homes a challenge, but Northern Homecraft has risen to the occasion.
As described in this popular B2E article, they have proven that using heat pumps for high-performance homes is not some crazy concept, but a reliable, economical and climate-friendly way to keep homeowners comfortable year-round. These are the kinds of solutions that will allow homes in BC’s North to achieve the highest steps of the Province’s upcoming Carbon Pollution Standard.
B2E and BC Hydro presented this Decarb Lunch and featured presentations from Northern Homecraft and Ecolighten.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Shay Bulmer, Owner, Northern Homecraft
Rob Pope, Senior Consultant/Partner, Ecolighten
Hosts:
Bertine Stelzer, Program Manager, New Construction Market Transformation, BC Hydro
Mariko Michasiw, B2E Program Manager, ZEBx
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
- ZEBx is part of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 1, Episode 5Recorded on Feb 17, 2022The biggest source of future operational emissions from the building sector will come from existing, rather than new buildings. Retrofits which prioritize massive reductions in operational emissions are essential to address the climate crisis and will need to be scaled up dramatically over the next decade. In British Columbia, electrification is the most effective strategy to achieve deep, immediate, and real emissions reductions.
In this Deep Emissions Retrofit Dialogue, the fifth in a six-part series and a collaboration with B2E and HRAI, we focused on some electrification strategies that can be implemented relatively easily and quickly with technology that is readily available and well-proven.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Dialogues and Speakers:
The Case for Residential Hot Water Electrification
Presented by Peter Sundberg, City Green Solutions
Electrification Opportunities for Multi-Unit Residential Buildings
Presented by Sofia Marmolejo and John Foster, FRESCo
Solutions for Small Commercial Buildings
Presented by Christy Love, RDH
Hosts:
Mariko Michasiw, B2E Program Manager, ZEBx
Victoria Cross, BC Lead, HRAI
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
- ZEBx is part of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 2, Episode 9Recorded on Dec 1, 2022In October 2022, ZEBx released the sixth case study from the CleanBC Net-Zero Energy-Ready Challenge Winners series. Funded by CleanBC and managed by Integral Group, the program showcases ten exemplary buildings that aim for the highest levels of the BC Energy Step Code and beyond. But the OSO development isn’t just highly energy-efficient – it’s also climate-friendly and climate-resilient. Although the building ticks all the boxes, what we think is most special about this development is that the developer/builder, Vidorra Developments, has figured out a way to build these high-performance buildings for less than what it costs to build a code-minimum building.
ZEBx was joined by co-host Integral Group to hear about the OSO development and Vidorra’s journey to this unique status in the building industry.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Rod Nadeau, Managing Partner, Innovation Building Group
Phil Armstrong, Director of Planning and Development, Town of Golden
Caspar Viereckel, Building Official, Town of Golden
Hosts:
Lisa Westerhoff, Principal, Integral Group
Roberto Pecora, Director ZEBx
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
- ZEBx is part of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 1, Episode 4Recorded on Jan 20, 2022The biggest source of future operational emissions from the building sector will come from existing, rather than new buildings. Retrofits which prioritize massive reductions in operational emissions are essential to address the climate crisis and will need to be scaled up dramatically over the next decade. In British Columbia, electrification is the most effective strategy to achieve deep, immediate, and real emissions reductions.
This Deep Emissions Retrofit Dialogue was co-hosted with BC Hydro and was the fourth in a six-part series focused on deep emissions retrofits. The three presenters kicked off the dialogue with presentations focused on managing refrigerants, ensuring affordability for low-income households and BC Hydro’s integrated resource planning.ZEBx co-hosted this event with the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Dialogues and Speakers:
Managing Refrigerants as BC Scales up Deep Emissions Retrofits
Presented by Bhavin Degadwala and Justin TK Chin, Integral Group
Addressing the Affordability Impact of Deep Emissions Retrofits on Low-Income Households
Presented by Jordan Fisher, FRESCo Building Efficiency
BC Hydro’s Integrated Resource Plan: Flexible Resources for an Uncertain Future
Presented by Alex Tu, BC Hydro
Hosts:
Robyn Wark, Manager of Advanced Demand Side Management, BC Hydro
Roberto Pecora, Director ZEBx
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
Season 2, Episode 8Recorded on Oct 28, 2022ZEBx has showcased many high-performance buildings over the years, but with the addition of photovoltaics on the roof, Evolve takes the cake. It even combines heating, cooling and ventilation into one system – which is quite rare in residential buildings, but possible if aiming for ultra-energy efficiency. Despite its outstanding achievements, this project isn’t as unique as you might think… for UBC at least.
With the Skeena Residence at its Okanagan campus under its belt, and now this one, UBC is proving to be a leader in walking the talk. With a highly ambitious goal of net-zero emissions by 2035 (yes, you read that right), these are the kinds of buildings that will lead them to their goal. ZEBx and UBC’s Campus and Community Planning Group were joined at this Decarb Lunch by the architect, ZGF, and the builder, Peak Construction Group.
In the February 2021 Decarb Lunch, ZEBx featured this project while it was under construction. If you’re interested in learning more about the design features of the building, check out the slides from our past event.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Iain MacFayden, Principal, ZGF Architects
Doug Wilson, President, Peak Construction Group
Hosts:
John Madden, Director Sustainability and Engineering at UBC’s Campus and Community Planning Group
Roberto Pecora, Director ZEBx
- ZEBx is part of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 2, Episode 7Recorded on Sep 23, 2022Many households in British Columbia burn fossil fuels (mainly gas) in furnaces, fireplaces, boilers, domestic hot water heaters, and kitchen appliances. In order to meet climate targets set for 2030 and 2050, a swift shift to electric alternatives is needed.
Open Technologies’ and Vancity’s report Stuck: Why home electrification is lagging in British Columbia and what must be done to break the deadlock on residential carbon retrofits explores the homeowner journey from gas to electricity and the actions needed to accelerate a transition to low carbon homes. This webinar focused on both the homeowner and contractor experience in retrofitting to clean electric alternatives. You will hear from Open Technologies and two BC contractors who will share their insights on real-life challenges and solutions on the path to home decarbonization.
This event was hosted by B2E and the Home Performance Stakeholder Council (HPSC)
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Donovan Woollard, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Open Technologies
Heathe Thompson, Director at Combined Comfort Systems
Steve Warner, Owner/Manager at Rapid Cool Mechanical
Hosts:
Mariko Michasiw, B2E Program Manager at ZEBx
Greg Bloom, Manager of Industry Relations at HPSC
- ZEBx is part of the Metro Vancouver Zero Emissions Innovation Centre (ZEIC) -
Season 1, Episode 3 Recorded on Nov 24, 2021 he biggest source of future operational emissions from the building sector will come from existing, rather than new buildings. Retrofits which prioritize massive reductions in operational emissions are essential to address the climate crisis and will need to be scaled up dramatically over the next decade. In British Columbia, electrification is the most effective strategy to achieve deep, immediate, and real emissions reductions.
This Deep Emissions Retrofit Dialogue was the third in a six-part series focused on deep emissions retrofits. It was co-hosted with the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). The three presenters kicked off the session with presentations focused on HPSC’s Home Performance Contractor Network, the Canadian Green Retrofit Economy Study co-authored by CaGBC and the Delphi Group, and the Heat Pump Technology Attraction Study co-authored by Dunsky Energy + Climate and FRESCo.
ZEBx co-hosted this event with the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers and Dialogues:
Building a Network of Qualified Contractors
Presented by Greg Bloom, Home Performance Stakeholder Council (HPSC)
Canadian Green Retrofit Economy Study: Preliminary Findings
Presented by Ben Clark, Delphi Group
VEC Heat Pump Technology Attraction Study: Preliminary Findings
Presented by Stephanie Willis, Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors
Hosts:
Akua Schatz – Vice President, Market Engagement and Advocacy, CaGBC
Roberto Pecora, Director ZEBx
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
Season 1, Episode 2 Recorded on Oct 26, 2022 The biggest source of future operational emissions from the building sector will come from existing, rather than new buildings. Retrofits which target massive reductions in operational emissions are essential to address the climate crisis and will need to be scaled up dramatically over the next decade. In British Columbia, electrification is the most effective strategy to achieve significant, immediate, and real emissions reductions.
This event was the second in a six-part series focused on deep emissions retrofits. The presenters shared best practices for reducing emissions from homes, from both a building-specific and local government perspective.
ZEBx co-hosted this event with the Home Performance Stakeholders Council (HPSC).
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers and Dialogues:
Lessons Learned in Decarbonizing a Personal Residence
Presented by Gary Hamer, BC Hydro
Deep Emission Retrofits: Critical Mechanical Design Considerations
Presented by Rob Pope, Ecolighten Energy Solutions
Local Government Approaches to Enabling Home Retrofits in the Decade of Action
Presented by Maya Chorobik, Community Energy Association
Hosts:
Jovan Cheema - Managing Director of HPSC
Roberto Pecora, Director ZEBx
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production:
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
Season 1, Episode 1 Recorded on Sep 21, 2022 The biggest source of future operational emissions from the building sector will come from existing, rather than new buildings. Retrofits which target massive reductions in operational emissions are essential to address the climate crisis and will need to be scaled up dramatically over the next decade. In British Columbia, electrification is the most effective strategy to achieve significant emissions reductions. This event was the first in a six-part series focused on
deep emissions retrofits.
ZEBx co-hosted this event with the Building Owners and Managers Association of British Columbia (BOMA BC).
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers and Dialogues:
Decarbonization of a Commercial Domestic Hot Water System
Presented by Nicky Arthur, Colliers
Achieving Deep Emissions Reductions in a 1968 Office Tower
Presented by Kenric Lee, Golden Properties Ltd.
Deep Emissions Retrofit of a Multi-Unit Residential Building
Presented by Steven Fetterly, Impact Engineeering.
Hosts:
Damian Stathonikos – President, BOMA BC
Roberto Pecora, Director ZEBx
Podcast Recording, Editing and Production
Gordon Patrick Newell, Communications at ZEBx
Season 2, Episode 6 Recorded on Jun 24, 2022 The City of Vancouver is implementing a series of green building proposals that were recently approved by City Council. One set of proposals targets approvals streamlining, resiliency, energy consumption, operational emissions and embodied emissions in new developments with large buildings. Another targets energy and carbon reporting, as well as operational emissions limits for existing buildings over 50,000 square feet.
ZEBx co-hosted this event with UDI and the City of Vancouver presented these approved proposals that will become the most progressive green building regulations in the country.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Charling Li, Green Building Engineer at City of Vancouver
Micah Lang, Senior Green Building Planner at City of Vancouver was joined by Patrick Enright, City of Vancouver.
Hosts:
Jeff Fisher, Vice President and Senior Policy Advisor UDI Pacific Region
Roberto Pecora, Director ZEBx
Season 2, Episode 5 Recorded on May 19, 2022 The extreme heat experienced by parts of British Columbia in 2021 may have been unprecedented, but it certainly won’t be a once-in-a-lifetime event. New developments and building retrofits must take future climate conditions into consideration to ensure occupants remain safe in their residences. Cooling is part of this consideration, but can it be a path to a future where zero-emissions buildings are the norm? Can the need for resilient buildings translate into a need for all-electric buildings?
ZEBx was joined by the City of Vancouver at this online event focused on overheating, featuring speakers from the University of British Columbia and RDH Building Science. Together we explored the drivers for efficient electrification, strategies for active and passive cooling, policy tools to reduce the risk of overheating, and modelling best practices for a future climate.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Ralph Wells, Community Energy Manager, University of British Columbia
Christy Love – Senior Project Engineer at RDH Building Science (Victoria)
Hosts:
Charling Li, Green Building Engineer at City of Vancouver
Mariko Michasiw, B2E Program Manager at ZEBx
Season 2, Episode 4 Recorded on Apr 27, 2022 The 2022 BC Building Code is coming! And with it comes a minimum step code requirement for most new buildings. Airtightness is a critical part of this requirement and builders play a central role in making it happen. Of the 40+ high-performance homes in ZEBx’s NearZero Emission Building program, two have achieved an airtightness of less than 0.3 ACH, twice as good as the minimum requirement for Passive House!
ZEBx and BCIT were joined by Econ Group and Kingdom Builders and we learned how they pulled off this feat in a very simple and cost-effective way.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Marcel Studer – Principal, Econ Group
Paul Lilley – Principal / Owner, Kingdom Builders
Hosts:
Mary McWilliam – Project Leader, Net Zero Energy Construction, BCIT
Roberto Pecora – Director, ZEBx
Season 2, Episode 3 Recorded on Mar 31, 2022 The SFU Parcel 21 development is one of the CleanBC Net-Zero Energy-Ready Challenge winners. This basically means that the project has already carved path to the Province’s 2032 energy-efficiency target for large buildings. ZEBx is partnering with SFU’s School of Sustainable Energy Engineering to present some valuable take-aways for the building industry. You’ll hear from both the architectural firm and the builder of this very unique, low-carbon project, including how they tackled some serious cost escalations.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Tara van Voorst Vader – Project Manager, PEAK CONSTRUCTION GROUP
Matthew Woodruff – Principal, LOCAL PRACTICE ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
Graham Girard – Project Architect, LOCAL PRACTICE ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN
Hosts:
Mehran Ahmadi – Associate Director and Lecturer, SFU School of Sustainable Energy Engineering
Roberto Pecora – Director, ZEBx
Season 2, Episode 2 Recorded on Feb 25, 2022 This event was an official collaboration with the Vancouver Economic Commission.
The Energy Step Code Capacity Study provides a glimpse into the building industry’s future and the bridges we need to build to get there. In some areas, we’re in pretty good shape for the upcoming 2027 and 2032 code minimum requirements. In others, less so.
ZEBx and VEC presented the key findings and recommendations of this study, including how a high-performance homebuilder focuses on training to keep her team competitive and ready for change.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Helen Goodland- Principal. Head of Research & Innovation at Scius Advisory, The Energy Step Code Capacity Study: Gearing Up for Net Zero Buildings
Meredith Hamstead – Co-founder of thinkBright Homes Ltd, How Training Provides A Competitive Edge for Homebuilders
Hosts:
George Benson – Manager, Economic Transformation, VEC
Michaela Neuberger – Director of Operations, ZEBx
Season 2, Episode 1 Recorded on Jan 28, 2022 This event was an official collaboration with the Carbon Leadership Forum – Vancouver (CLF Vancouver).
As we move up the BC Energy Step Code ladder while cutting back on operational emissions, we can’t lose sight of embodied carbon when selecting the components and materials for new buildings. Without considering embodied carbon, more energy-efficient homes could still contribute to global warming – with most of the impact occurring before the homeowner moves in! To help you make the right choices, ZEBx and CLF Vancouver are collaborating on this Decarb Lunch focused on the lessons learned from a study of 34 step code homes.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Speakers:
Natalie Douglas, Climate Change Planning Assistant, Embodied Carbon Pilot Coordinator, Development Services, City of Nelson BC
Chris Magwood, Director of Programs, Research & Policy, Endeavour Centre
Hosts:
Zahra Teshnizi, Co-Chair, CLF Vancouver
Roberto Pecora, Director, ZEBx
Season 1, Episode 6 Recorded on Oct 29, 2021 Achieving a net-zero-energy level of performance is a challenge in areas with a relatively low solar energy yield, like Vancouver. When Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation turned to Local Practice Architecture + Design to assess their performance target for an affordable housing project, the goalposts shifted. Joining ZEBx were BC Housing, Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation and Local Practice Architecture and Design for a compelling story on the evolution of a performance target – from good to great.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
This event was a collaboration with BC Housing with speakers from Local Practice Architecture + Design and Cornerstone Architects, and Metro Vancouver Housing.
Season 1, Episode 5 Recorded on Jul 22, 2021 In our June Decarb Lunch, we presented ZEBx’s in-depth analysis of construction costs for high-performance multi-unit residential buildings in BC. Of the seven buildings in the study, two all-electric, Step 4 buildings were constructed for well under the average cost of similar code-minimum residential buildings in the area. Both buildings were constructed by developer/builders: Vidorra Developments and Highstreet Ventures. How did they achieve this impressive result? Was it the fact that they are developer/builders? Do they have some special recipe for constructability or cost-effective high-performance building development?
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
This was a collaboration with the Pacific Region UDI with speakers from Innovation Building Group Inc and Highstreet Ventures Inc.
Season 1, Episode 4 Recorded on Jun 25, 2021 When the Step Code was introduced, some concerns were raised regarding the expected additional cost to build more energy- efficient buildings. At the time, some studies were undertaken to estimate the additional cost. As opposed to estimating what a high-efficiency building is likely to cost, ZEBx, in partnership with BTY Group and seven builders from across BC, has completed a cost analysis of seven high-performance, wood-framed, mid-rise, multi-unit residential buildings that were designed to meet Step 4 of the Energy Step Code or the Passive House standard. The results of the study may surprise you!
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
This event was a collaboration with the Urban Development Institute and RDH Building Science.
Season 1, Episode 3 Recorded on May 28, 2021 The Province’s CleanBC Plan charts a course for net-zero energy-ready homes by 2032. That’s Step 5 of the BC Energy Step Code for Part 9 buildings. Between now and then, the CleanBC Plan sets Step 3 as a minimum requirement by 2022 and Step 4 by 2027. If clients are concerned about future-proofing the value of their new home, they may ask about the difference in cost between a code-minimum home and one that meets the 2027 or 2032 requirements.
How does a builder approximate this difference? NRCan’s Cost Benefit Analysis Tool (CBAT) is a powerful and free Excel-based costing tool that can help the Part 9 building community approximate the cost of high-performance homes of the future. Join ZEBx and HAVAN on Friday, May 28 as we present the CBAT along with some real-world insight into how it’s been used.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
What is the Cost Benefit Analysis Tool (CBAT)
CBAT (Cost Benefit Analysis Tool) is a costing tool aimed at part 9 new construction builds. CBAT combines energy modeling and costing in an easy to use tool that offers insights into the cost of energy efficiency. The tool is excel-based and allows builders and energy advisors (EAs) to identify cost-effective technologies and envelope packages that meet the goals of their project, and satisfy building codes and desired performance targets. CBAT includes a costing database that can be used for cost calculations as is, or customized to reflect local prices. Optimal solutions can include: lowest cost to build, lowest cost to operate, lowest total cost of ownership, lowest operational carbon and more.
Request the CBAT tool direct from BC Housing: technicalresearch@bchousing.org.
This event was a ZEBx collaboration with the HAVAN and featured speakers from CanmetENERGY, Natural Resources Canada and the E3 ECO GROUP INC.
Season 1, Episode 2 Recorded on Apr 30, 2021 Society is facing a climate crisis. Over 30 municipalities in British Columbia have declared a climate emergency so far and some have begun taking significant steps to address the climate crisis. The most effective way to address this climate crisis is to focus on greenhouse gas emissions. But which type? In the buildings sector, embodied emissions are the now. Operational emissions are the maybe later. With this in mind, some municipalities are beginning to buckle down on embodied emissions.
Leading this charge is the City of Vancouver, with plans to set increasingly stringent embodied emissions targets, starting next year, so that by 2030, the embodied emissions from new buildings will be reduced by 40% compared to buildings built in 2018. What this means for you is simple: quantifying embodied emissions in new buildings will become the norm in very short order. Join ZEBx for our next Decarb Lunch; We’ll be focusing on some of the different lifecycle assessment tools available today, and embodied emissions results for high-performance Part 9 and Part 3 buildings of the future.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Join ZEBx and CLF Vancouver with speakers from UBC Sustainability, Campus as a Living Lab, and a UBC and McMaster University PhD candidate.
Season 1, Episode 1 Recorded on Mar 26, 2021 What’s it like to work on your first multi-unit residential Passive House building? Does it get easier on your second? How about your fifth?
The Peak is a 6 storey multi-unit residential building under construction in Vancouver that’s aiming to meet the Passive House standard.
Not only does the project boast a variety of novel design solutions to meet stringent high-performance requirements, but the team composition also favours a variety of different perspectives. From a seasoned general contractor embarking on their first Passive House project to an architectural firm with more Passive House projects under their belt than any other in BC, both project team members will present valuable lessons learned from their journey together based on their different points of view.
View the slide deck here to accompany this podcast
Join ZEBx and Passive House Canada with speakers from Bold Construction and Cornerstone Architects.