Fiera Real Estate Canada, owner of Richmond's Airport Executive Park, aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, installing electric heat pumps to replace outdated gas-fired heating systems. This initiative aligns with national targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in buildings.
The 13 office buildings in Richmond, B.C.’s Airport Executive Park – a business park located on 35 acres of green space – date back to a time when climate change and carbon footprints weren’t part of mainstream discussions and long-term environmental control programs.
The company’s net-zero ambitions are emblematic of the significant commitments national building owners are making that will help Canada reach its target of net-zero building emissions by 2050. And while 25 years from today may seem like a long time, experts warn Canada isn’t making progress fast enough to achieve its goal.
“It’s hard to see how we’re going to achieve the interim standards for the building sector by 2030, and if we don’t reach them, the climb to 2050 is going to be a lot harder,” says Thomas Mueller, president and chief executive officer of the Canada Green Building Council , which supports the building industry’s transition to green structures and sets national standards for zero-carbon buildings.
These upgrades require major structural changes and are why most building owners are conducting feasibility studies and putting refits into their 10-year plans, says Tonya Lagrasta, vice-president and head of ESG at commercial real estate services company Colliers Canada. However, she says: “The price tags for things like window replacements can have owners of older buildings falling off their chairs.
However, a challenge is that several provinces and cities have building codes that include specifications that vary from the federal standards. “It is a real hodgepodge of standards across the country and that is contributing to confusion,” says Terry Bergen, Victoria-based managing principal of RJC Engineers, a building science consultancy.
In the case of Airport Executive Park, the heating systems were several decades old and in need of replacement. While the newly installed systems are less than a year old, the expectation is that annual energy cost savings for all the property’s buildings will be as much as 50 per cent.
Net-Zero Emissions Electric Heat Pumps Green Building Sustainability Climate Change
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Richmond ramp closed due to fatal DVP collisionThe off ramp to Richmond Street/Eastern Avenue on the southbound Don Valley Parkway is currently closed as police investigate a fatal collision.
Read more »
Police identify driver of school bus who left scene after hitting elderly woman in Richmond HillPolice say that an elderly woman is in critical condition in hospital after she was struck by a school bus that subsequently fled the scene in Richmond Hill on Tuesday afternoon.
Read more »
Video appears to show suspects using Molotov cocktails to start fire in Richmond Hill cinemaPolice have released new video footage that appears to show two suspects using Molotov cocktails to start a fire inside a Richmond Hill cinema while movie-goers were still inside.
Read more »
Richmond residents frustrated by roundabout constructionRoundabouts are designed to keep traffic flowing, but residents in the village of Richmond are fed up with the ongoing construction of a new roundabout in the community and the delays it is causing.
Read more »
Police ID driver of school bus who was wanted in Richmond Hill hit-and-runPolice say that they have identified the driver of a school bus who fled the scene after hitting an elderly woman in Richmond Hill on Tuesday afternoon.
Read more »
'You've got to keep hope': Richmond father shares transplant journey in TV seriesSuki Mangat aims to inspire organ donation awareness in Canada.
Read more »