Net Zero Library

Access a range of resources designed to support energy efficiency and emissions reduction in your buildings. Whether you’re evaluating life cycle impacts, benchmarking energy use or assessing financial viability, these resources provide valuable insights to help you implement sustainable solutions.

To filter by resource, provider or description, enter your desired keyword in the Search field above the table.

 

Provider Resource Name Description
Natural Resources Canada Energy Management for Buildings A set of resources to support better management of energy for buildings.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities Get Started on Energy Monitoring to Lower Costs and Emissions This factsheet for housing providers explains how a building energy monitoring system can help you understand energy use, and how this can save costs and improve operations.
Energy Star Treasure Hunts A set of guides to walk you through the basics of an Energy Hunt, uncovering opportunities to save energy.
Energy Star Ways to Save A set of resources to support better management of energy for buildings.
Energy Star Tools and Resources A set of tools and resources to support better management of energy for buildings.
Natural Resources Canada 50001 Ready Canada Navigator Tool An online tool that provides step-by-step guidance for implementing and maintaining an energy management system in conformance with the ISO 50001 Energy Management System Standard.
Natural Resources Canada RETScreen A platform that enables low-cost energy planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting.
Provider Resource Name Description
Natural Resources Canada Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx) A set of resources to help identify low-cost or no-cost performance improvements to help buildings operate as expected.
Building Commissioning Association (BCxA) Existing Building Commissioning Best Practices This document describes and defines best practices for conducting Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx) projects, beyond minimum practices required to satisfy codes and standards. Best practice deliverables for each phase are listed at the end of their respective chapters.
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) The Strategic Guide to Commissioning This guide outlines a high-level framework for improving building performance through enhanced commissioning practices.
Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) Save on Energy - EBCx Practical Guide Designed to help building owners and managers in Ontario understand and implement Existing Building Commissioning (EBCx).
Provider Resource Name Description
Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) Resource Library This library publishes a variety of resources aimed at helping building owners, designers, policy-makers, consultants and businesses reduce embodied carbon.
Carbon Leadership Forum (CLF) Embodied Carbon 101 This factsheet aims to provide a high-level overview of embodied carbon — how it is defined, its significance in the global climate crisis and why it is an important consideration for policymakers.
Mantle Climate Embodied Carbon Management Toolkit Toolkit designed to pose a series of questions and recommendations for municipal policymakers and design and construction project teams to consider which could reduce the embodied carbon of construction projects.
Athena Sustainable Materials Institute Impact Estimator for Buildings Free software tool that is designed to evaluate whole buildings and assemblies based on internationally recognized life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. Using the Impact Estimator, you can assess and compare the environmental implications of your design, including major renovations.
Provider Resource Name Description
Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) UK BBP Green Lease Toolkit - Green Lease Essentials A toolkit to guide drafting leases that support owners’ and occupiers’ sustainability ambitions.
Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) AU Green Leasing Resource Pack - Green Leasing Practical Guidance A set of resources that offer practical, fit-for-purpose guidance and tools to equip teams with improved ability to understand the benefits of implementing green leases across their businesses.
Provider Resource Name Description
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) Resources This page provides resources about Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), designed specifically for building owners, occupants and policymakers.
Provider Resource Name Description
City of Toronto SolarTO Provides a no-cost solar assessment to identify the solar potential of your property by calculating the system size, cost estimate, payback period, projected savings and carbon emissions reduction.
Natural Resources Canada The Retrofit Hub A set of resources to to help plan, finance and implement retrofit projects.
Building Energy Exchange Resource Library A set of resources that support the acceleration to healthy, comfortable and energy-efficient buildings.
Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) Why Green Buildings A set of resources that support building your case for energy retrofits.
Retrofit Playbook for Large Buildings Resource Library A set of resources that offers building professionals guidance and insights from project teams and experts to inform the development of effective decarbonization roadmaps for their properties.
Retrofit Playbook for Large Buildings Planning Guides A set of guides that provide a comprehensive approach to retrofitting buildings that aligns decarbonization activities with typical real estate cycles to cost-effectively achieve deep reductions in emissions.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities Understanding energy efficiency: A Guide for Affordable Housing Providers A set of guides that provide a comprehensive approach to retrofitting buildings that aligns decarbonization activities with typical real estate cycles to cost-effectively achieve deep reductions in emissions.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities Why Undertake Energy-Efficiency Retrofits This factsheet for housing providers presents reasons to incorporate energy-efficiency and climate change adaptation measures into projects involving major equipment upgrades or maintenance.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities How To Undertake Deep Energy Retrofits This factsheet for housing providers presents reasons to incorporate energy-efficiency and climate change adaptation measures into projects involving major equipment upgrades or maintenance.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities Developing a Business Case for an Energy-Efficiency Retrofit This factsheet for housing providers presents reasons to incorporate energy-efficiency and climate change adaptation measures into projects involving major equipment upgrades or maintenance.
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Guide to Strategic Decarbonization Planning This guide helps project teams establish strategic decarbonization plans for deep reductions in operational carbon emissions in existing buildings.
Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) Life Cycle Cost Calculator A financial analysis tool that you can use to evaluate the viability of carbon reduction projects.
Federation of Canadian Municipalities Project Cash Flow Calculator Tool to help housing providers understand how much energy their buildings use and the costs savings associated with the projected energy use.
Toronto Hydro Heating Load Estimator Toronto Hydro uses historical utility consumption data to estimate the maximum heating demand for a gas-heated building and the additional electrical capacity anticipated under different electrification scenarios. This tool can be beneficial during the process of submitting a service upgrade request.
Toronto Hydro Service Connection Assessment Toronto Hydro can provide a non-binding estimate service connection assessment that provides information about available capacity and connection scenarios that are feasible at the time of your request.
Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC) Retrofits Now A one-stop industry resource created by the Canada Green Building Council, with support from The Purpose Retrofit Accelerator. Retrofits Now helps real estate owners, asset managers, and investors gain more clarity and confidence about deep retrofits for their assets and portfolios. From energy efficiencies and cost savings to carbon reductions, learn how building retrofits can be accomplished while delivering true business value.
Government of Canada Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit (ITC) The Clean Technology ITC is a refundable tax credit for capital invested in the adoption and operation of new clean technology property in Canada.
REALPAC Climate-Related Risk Playbooks for Building Owners Playbooks for the Apartment, Industrial, Office, and Retail sectors. The four playbooks examine regulations, portfolio- and asset-level decision-making, and financial implications. They also provide guidance on carbon transition planning, emissions reduction prioritization, and physical climate risk assessment and planning, including resilience considerations related to extreme weather events.