This session explores practical strategies to improve energy efficiency and resilience in residential retrofits, while setting the stage for broader discussions on financing, policy, and implementation. Panelists will share cost-effective solutions, ways to overcome common barriers, and the role of policy and incentives in driving adoption. The session also highlights made-in-Canada innovations—like scaling heat pumps in multi-unit buildings—and how cross-sector collaboration is advancing retrofit solutions nationwide.
•    Energy-efficient retrofit strategies
•    Overcoming cost, implementation, and financing barriers
•    Policy and incentives to support adoption
•    Canadian innovation and multi-sector collaboration

This session will explore how municipalities across Canada are developing Deep Energy Retrofit (DER) Toolkits through a four-year initiative led by CHBA and Natural Resources Canada. Representatives from municipalities across Canada will share their experiences, successes, and challenges in promoting energy efficiency upgrades and incentivizing retrofits. Attendees will gain insights into effective outreach strategies and practical lessons learned in scaling Net Zero home upgrades.

This session examines the impact of retrofits on indoor air quality, highlighting strategies to mitigate radon risks while improving home energy efficiency. Airtight buildings reduce energy loss, but they can also impact indoor air quality. 

1. Pretium Engineering: Innovations Accelerating Retrofits. 
   This presentation will highlight innovative strategies and technologies being used by Pretium Engineering to accelerate retrofit projects and improve building performance at scale.
   Jeff Livingstone, P.Eng, Pretium Engineering Inc.
    
2. “The Single Biggest Threat to Energy Efficiency is Overdesign” — A Discussion Inspired by ASPE (2022)
   Building on insights from the ASPE (2022) paper on potable water booster and HVAC circulation systems, this roundtable will explore how overdesign quietly undermines energy efficiency goals—and what practitioners can do to address it in real-world projects.
   Hishaam Jambocus PEng, CEng, MCBISE, RPEM, PMP, Grundfos Canada
    
3. Meeting Heat Pump Demand: Workforce, Growth, and Policy Gaps
   Heat pumps offer major benefits in carbon reduction, energy efficiency, and grid flexibility—but rapid market growth is exposing serious gaps in workforce capacity and industry readiness. This session draws on HRAI research to explore supply-demand imbalances, policy levers from governments and utilities, and practical strategies to build the skilled labor force needed to support Canada’s electrification goals.
   Martin Luymes, Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada

This session explores how behavioral science, industry collaboration, and innovation intersect to accelerate building retrofits. By aligning retrofit solutions with real-world user behavior and scaling them through strategic partnerships, we can drive greater adoption, improve usability, and deliver measurable impact across the built environment.

RJC Engineers will host the Networking and Drinks Reception, offering attendees a chance to connect after a full day of sessions.

Join us for a compelling session as FortisBC shares the outcomes of its Deep Energy Retrofit pilot, targeting four multi-family and twenty single-family homes. Aiming for a 50%+ reduction in energy use and emissions through high-performance natural gas upgrades, the project offers key insights into strategies, challenges, and results—highlighting a scalable path to more sustainable living.

Panelization is transforming the way retrofits are carried out, offering a faster, more efficient, and cost-effective approach to upgrading existing buildings. This session will explore how pre-fabricated panels, including walls, floors, and roofs, are manufactured off-site and assembled on-site, streamlining the retrofit process.

In this session, Bird Construction will share valuable insights from three comprehensive feasibility studies focused on the renewal of non-profit supported housing. These case studies will examine common challenges encountered during such projects and identify less obvious issues that may arise. Furthermore, the presentation will outline various strategies to effectively address these obstacles and progress towards viable solutions.

Draw inspiration and actionable insights from successful renovations across Canada. Discover how modern building technology and innovative software solutions have been utilized to modernize commercial buildings to enable improved energy efficiency, chart a path toward decarbonization, and future-proof buildings by laying the groundwork for data collection. Learn from real-world success stories that highlight the impact of these initiatives on sustainability and operational excellence.

These fast-paced sessions will highlight cutting-edge solutions driving commercial retrofit success, showcasing how innovation is reducing costs, improving efficiency, and transforming retrofit implementation. 

1. Deep Energy Retrofits in Commercial Buildings
   Syed Abid, Mitsubishi Electric Sales Canada Inc.
    
2. How HVAC loop optimization help reduce GHGs emissions in deep retrofits for existing buildings
   Roberto Bosco, Armstrong Fluid Technology
    
3. Decarbonization in the Commercial and Retrofit Market
   Kristin Hinahara, Master Group

This session will explore two critical initiatives supporting commercial retrofit excellence: the Net Zero Emissions (NZE) Building Retrofit Standard and the new Retrofit Guide, including the Commercial Building Electrification Guide. Panelists will examine how these tools can drive consistent performance standards, provide clear retrofit pathways, and support capacity building across the sector. The discussion will focus on how guidance documents and standards can shape project planning, implementation, and long-term emissions outcomes.

This keynote panel will explore the evolving landscape of retrofit accelerator programs in Canada, highlighting their role in scaling up energy efficiency and decarbonization efforts. Experts will discuss policy frameworks, funding mechanisms, and innovative strategies to drive widespread adoption of retrofits nationwide.

In this session, participants will learn how to navigate data privacy, ESPM Web Services, and whole building data aggregation to enhance energy management and meet evolving reporting standards:
•    Strategies for data privacy, ESPM API integration, and comprehensive building data aggregation
•    Latest energy and carbon reporting requirements at municipal and provincial levels
•    Solutions to whole building utility data access barriers
•    Leveraging building data for cost effective energy management
•    CSA Z5040 Standard: intent overview and rollout timeline for local governments

Explore how modern energy solutions and financial strategies can work together to advance efficiency, resilience, and equity in both urban and remote communities. This panel will highlight approaches that improve building performance, support grid modernization, and reduce barriers to clean energy adoption—especially through inclusive financing models and strategic investment

1. Supporting an Equitable Transition Project 
   Toronto Hydro, along with its research collaborators has launched the Heat Pump Assistance Program (HPAP) to understand the effects of electrification on low-rise residential homes in Toronto. Anne will discuss the pilot study objectives and anticipated outcomes related to supporting a more affordable energy transition.
   Anne Gleeson, Toronto Hydro
    

2. Energy Efficiency & Decarbonization Training: Advancing Deep Retrofits in Canada
   This session will explore how knowledge-based training can accelerate deep retrofit projects and help meet Canada’s decarbonization goals. With buildings accounting for 13–15% of national carbon emissions, equipping professionals with the right skills is critical. Through real-world examples and practical insights, this lightning talk will showcase how targeted training in areas such as energy efficiency and embodied carbon can lead to more effective, sustainable retrofits. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how education and upskilling support the transition to low-carbon buildings across the country.
   Lisa Rae, Canadian Institute for Energy Training
    

3. Financing Retrofits with Canada's Impact Bank 
   Innovative financing is critical to unlocking deep retrofits.  This session will explore Vancity Community Investment Bank's creative and community based approach to financing building retrofits.  Learn how values based financing strategies are enabling building retrofits across Canada. 
   Eric Visser, Vancity Community Investment Bank
    

4. From Innovation to Impact: Unlocking System Change in Retrofit Services
   Smart retrofit planning is critical to project success but is often a core barrier to getting projects off the ground. Even with the growing number of attractive financing options for deep retrofits, the cost and complexity of submission requirements directly reduces the number of buildings pursuing them (particularly in the affordable housing sector). This presentation will discuss the role that tech-enabled virtual tools can play in streamlining the decarbonization planning process, and the crucial role that system actors can play in supporting their adoption.
   Donovan Woollard, OPEN Technologies

We have a big opportunity to improve our work through better procurement practices. This panel session will introduce the concept of social contracting and how it builds local economic success, while also benefiting project outcomes and contractors. Panelists will explore how more equitable procurement practices can build the future of our workforce.  

Join us for drinks and hors d'oeuvres following the conclusion of day two's conference sessions. Relax and network with new connections on behalf of our sponsor, RDH Building Science. For conference registrants only (no Learning Zone allowed).

 This session addresses the critical labor and skills development pipeline needed to scale residential retrofits nationally while creating quality employment opportunities across the sector.
•    Growing labour opportunities in the retrofit sector
•    Training programs being developed to equip General Contractors and Renovators with the skills to plan and oversee retrofit projects

With rising temperatures and increasing extreme heat events, buildings must be better prepared for cooling. This panel will discuss the challenges and opportunities in retrofitting existing buildings for heat resilience, focusing on policy, technology, and public health.
- Heat Pump Adoption – Strategies to scale deployment in the next decade
- Policy & Regulation – How Vancouver’s building code can drive change
- Health & Safety – Protecting vulnerable populations through cooling retrofits

1. Designing Cost-Effective Net Zero Buildings
   This session explores innovative design strategies and practical solutions for achieving net zero buildings. It will focus on balancing sustainability, performance, and cost-effectiveness in both new construction and retrofit projects.
   Tanya Doran, Stantec Consulting
    
2. Building an Open-Source Social Housing Database: Unlocking Retrofit Potential
   This session explores EnviroCentre’s development of a regional social housing database in Eastern Ontario, in partnership with the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) and the Building Decarbonization Alliance. The tool is designed to support mass retrofit planning, demand aggregation, retrofit project planning and social housing asset management.
   Melanie Johnston, EnviroCentre
    
3. Making the Case for Solar: Understanding the Ontario Landscape
   This session will provide a practical overview of solar implementation in Ontario, beginning with background on VCT’s approach and project experience. It will clarify the key differences between net metering and load displacement, outline current incentive programs, and explore how to evaluate the business case for solar investments. The discussion will be grounded in real-world considerations relevant to both policy and project development.
   Zac Jolliffe, VCT Group

In this session, we outline the information, steps, and critical decisions required to retrofit a home for climate resiliency. Topics include assessing specific climate hazards, selecting and prioritizing adaptation measures, sequencing interventions to avoid maladaptation, and defining key data requirements and stakeholder roles for successful implementation.

The Independent Electricity System Operator, through its Save on Energy brand, will continue to lead the way in energy-efficiency programming in North America through a $10.9 billion, 12-year funding commitment from the Ontario government. This session will describe the continued and expanded incentives for businesses across the province to undertake retrofits to help manage their electricity use and costs, and directly contribute to a reliable, affordable, and sustainable electricity system—all possible through Ontario’s new 12-year demand side management framework.

This session will focus on the challenges and opportunities in retrofitting heritage buildings to meet modern sustainability standards. It will highlight the CAHP Code Accelerator Fund project, showcasing case studies from both commercial and residential retrofits that balance heritage preservation with the need for energy efficiency, embodied carbon reduction, and resilience. Additionally, experts will explore how retrofitting heritage properties aligns with broader goals in climate action and long-term sustainability. 

Join us for drinks and hors d'oeuvres following the conclusion of day two's conference sessions. Relax and network with new connections on behalf of our sponsor, RDH Building Science. For conference registrants only (no Learning Zone allowed).