A)    At a federal level, reserved: NRCAN - Abla Hanna, Director General of the Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada
B)    At a provincial level
C)    At a city level - Sean Pander, Manager, Green and Resilient Buildings Branch, City of Vancouver

•    What trends are happening across the industrial, commercial, and residential real estate sectors? 
•    What impact will the retrofit accelerator program have for owner operators and the industry as a whole? 
•    What role are energy companies, tenants and the investment community playing?  
•    How are commercial building owners incorporating deep retrofits as part of building system upgrades and portfolio-wide asset management and what types of values can it deliver to different parties?
•    What policies, incentives, capacity building, market development efforts and financing approaches are necessary to overcome long paybacks and advance a solid business case for deep retrofits? 
•    Will climate resilience be the tipping point between shallow and deep retrofits? 
 

This case study will help to dispel the myth that older buildings cannot be decarbonised to 75% or more. The session will include a strategic review of how the opportunities were identified, how the financing and buy-in were secured, and an update on the current project stage.  In addition, Kingsett will give a short overview of what’s next in their portfolio.

The focus of this project deep dive will be on the financing, performance, and risk aspects of retrofitting an entire portfolio in stages to optimizing building performance, decreasing GHG emissions by more than 49 per cent, and enhancing functionality and comfort for occupants.
 

To start meeting the latest industry targets of 4 -5% annual retrofits, the industry must be transformed. To build out the capacity required to support the development of a mass retrofit industry requires a fundamental system change. This in turn would help to achieve the build out of the financing structure, supply chains, job creation, capacity and skill sets, and reduce material and labour costs.
Each side of the debate will have the opportunity to present their arguments for what is required from the sector in order to scale up and increase the pace of creating a mass retrofit industry and then the audience will be asked to submit their votes. This will be followed by a debate and questions from the audience. At the end of the debate, there will be a second opportunity to vote.

• How can a workforce, including capacity and skill sets, be built to support this?
• How will inflation and labour shortages impact wages and business costs?
• Which projects are the right ones to group together and replicate to drive economies of scale and help the market to scale effectively? 
• Which pressure points can be leveraged within the system?
• What else is needed in terms of the key project partners (pre-fabrication, financing, and concierge services)?
• Would the creation of a specialized contractor designation – a skilled tradesperson who is trained to deal with all the various elements of retrofits help to reduce decision-making complexities for owner/developers?
• The Federal government has committed to NetZero emissions – what does this mean for the supply chain to be compliant?   

Each round table has a different topic and attendees can select the round table that they would like to participate in. Round table leaders will spend the first 15 minutes meeting the delegates and providing a case study / lessons learned log / industry update and then moderate a 30-minute discussion with the group where they can give feedback and ask questions. The final 10 –15 minutes will be spent on agreeing on 3 -5 industry recommendations regarding the topic. A selection of these recommendations will be shared with the whole audience and all of them will be summarized in the post-event report.

Options:

• Industry exchange: Reviewing the added value of innovative financing and service offer in the market - Leader: Michel Méthot, Executive Vice president, Eastern Canada, SOFIAC 
   

• Case study: Heat pump replacements – Mapping out the real energy costs
   
• Industry update: Level-setting dialogue on codes: What you need to know and how to prepare
  This round table industry update will include: what is happening across the provinces and what level of adoption is taking place, how the new Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC)      operates and how to engage them; and an update on what the new code for existing buildings will     mean for real estate owner/developers? - Leader: Kevin Hart, Efficiency Canada 
   
• Lessons learned: Effectively integrating EV charging infrastructure within retrofit programs 
   
• Industry exchange: What is the future of Energy Service Performance Contracts (ESPC): Taking the risks out of energy efficiency building retrofits and how to make them go further than traditional low-hanging fruit I.e. 50%/+ energy savings 
   
• Lessons learned: How to address long payback periods by improving existing materials to reduce energy requirements 
   
• Industry exchange: What is the role of the investment community in fostering climate resiliency in real estate? - Leader: Katie Wheatley, Head of Canada, Principles for Responsible Investment 
   
• Lessons learned: How to stage the benefits, including climate resiliency and adaptation, of retrofit projects for Condo assets  
   
• Industry exchange: What are the key affordability and equity considerations when planning a retrofit?
   
• Industry exchange: How to quantify non-energy benefits of retrofits, including health and well-being, to help strengthen the business case 

A selection of round table leaders will be invited to share their industry recommendations with the wider audience.

This session will include a review of some international examples of business models and how they are helping to engage and incentivize and offer equity to new stakeholders at scale, particularly single-home residences and community housing projects. The session will then open up to discuss how to take these key learning opportunities forward in Canada.
Potential examples:
•    Energiesprong – The Netherlands / UK
•    NYSERDA: Retrofit NY, New York
•    Rocky Mountain Institute, REALIZE
Key questions:
•    How do these models help to broker deals between portfolio owners and solution providers and how prefabrication facilitates performance warranties?
•    How do these models help to alleviate the burden on homeowners?
•    What has proven to be more effective financial incentives or penalties? And is this only part of the picture?
•    How could these models be adapted to the Canadian market whilst avoiding the risk of inflated costs? 
•    What is required in terms of mandatory building rating systems and appliance performance standards?
•    Should individual homeowners shoulder the financial burden of retrofits?
•    What additional infrastructure would need to be in place to scale it up (IE market mechanisms in the form of concierge services)?

 Sponsored by 

Municipalities continue to face various obstacles in gaining support and approvals for sustainability projects. Community building retrofits sometimes lack the support required to see the project through. Building a strong business case, sharing best practices, benchmarking, and identifying key potential financial and social benefits can all help to achieve a higher rate of success. 
Key areas to discuss: 

• How are municipalities facilitating deep energy retrofit projects?
• How can we create programs that support deep retrofits instead of piecemeal retrofits?
• How can we prioritize equity and affordability? 
• How to create a successful business case that can amass strong support amongst various stakeholders?
• How to set greenhouse emissions targets for existing buildings that are fair but rigorous enough to stay without our carbon budget?
• What will be the impact of carbon taxes? 
• How can municipalities and provinces build approval processes which support the growth of the retrofit market?

·    What trends are happening across the industrial, commercial, and residential sectors? 
·    What role are energy companies, tenants and the investment community playing?  
·    How are building owners and operators responding?
·    What policies, incentives, capacity building, market development efforts and financing approaches are necessary to overcome long paybacks and advance a solid business case for deep retrofits? 
·    How can project partners and suppliers support the scaling up of retrofit projects across the province?
 

•    What is required in terms of training and workforce development?
•    What is the indigenous perspective on this and how would they like to be included?
•    How can each sector attract new talent?
•    How can Indigenous sector financing to support deep retrofits and clean energy initiatives be mobilized?
•    How can we reach and engage low-income and community housing stakeholders into the retrofit discussion?
•    How can we ensure equity, diversity and inclusivity are integrated into the strategy?

The lightning round will showcase 3 case studies from a series of speakers who will each have 10 minutes to present their update on: Problem, challenge + solution. There will be a short group Q&A with the audience at the end.

1. Case study: New models for preserving affordability through deep retrofits of privately owned rental buildings
Speakers: Juliana Dutka Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives – ILEO, United Way Greater Toronto (UWGT)
S. Mwarigha, Vice President Housing and Homelessness Services, Asset Sustainability and Development, WoodGreen Community Services
Nik Schruder, Advisor, Climate Change Office, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)     

2. Case study: The role of developers in creating impactful outcomes for communities
Speaker: Liza Stiff, Vice President Impact Implementation & Innovation, TAS

3. Reserved for Gold Sponsor

4. Case study: Combining retrofitting with tackling climate change, broadening affordability and equity, and building social capital to create neighbourhoods

5. Reserved for Gold Sponsor

Each round table has a different topic and attendees can select the round table that they would like to participate in. Round table leaders will spend the first 15 minutes meeting the delegates and providing a case study / lessons learned log / industry update and then moderate a 30-minute discussion with the group where they can give feedback and ask questions. The final 10 –15 minutes will be spent on agreeing on 3-5 industry recommendations regarding the topic. A selection of these recommendations will be shared with the whole audience and all of them will be summarized in the post-event report.

Options:

•    Case study: NetZero retrofit of a Community Centre 
Topic to include a review of the highly efficient lite zone windows, demonstration of 3 methodologies for insulation injections in window frames, installation of windows in glass wall, radiator lab equipment, heat pumps, and occupancy controls.  - Leader: Mike Fletcher, City of Ottawa 

•    Case study: Neighbourhood scale: Gathering houses to reach a target collectively for carbon and energy reduction and to balance the trade-offs  

•    Case study: Achieving the first Net Zero Ready certified home in Quebec - Leader: Fellipe Falluh, Founder, Retrofit Construction

•    Industry exchange: Addressing energy poverty in Alberta with Canada’s first community driven retrofit program - Leader: Yasmin Abraham, Kambo Energy Group 

•   Industry exchange: Launching Alberta’s Retrofit Accelerator Program as part of the Building Information Exchange - Leader: Andrea Linsky, Program Manager, Emissions Neutral Buildings, Alberta Eco-Trust

•    Lessons learned: An Envelope First Approach to Carbon Reduction 
Session to include a comprehensive exploration of the envelope first strategy, key elements and concepts for conserving energy with the Whole Home Approach, moving towards net zero standards. The session will specifically look at reducing operational carbon with common materials: mineral fibre insulation, airtightness, windows, doors, and right-sized mechanicals. Join in the discussion to explore challenges associated with implementing this strategy, including the availability of materials, equipment, and quality control issues. - Leaders: Andy Cockburn, Director of Training & Education and Jillian McArthur, Communications Specialist, NAIMA Canada

Round Table feedback
A selection of round table leaders will be invited to share their industry recommendations with the wider audience.