Canada needs a Retrofit Mission

Nearly two-thirds of our homes and buildings were built before 2000, and we will still depend on most of these by 2050. The majority need essential upgrades to cut emissions and improve safety, comfort, and affordability. Upgrading this existing stock is one of the biggest — and potentially fastest — nation-building opportunities we have.

Canada needs a retrofit mission that launches transformative, made-in-Canada strategies to scale deep retrofits across the country. A retrofit mission can guide markets from scattered pilots to a coordinated national effort that lowers energy bills, strengthens communities, grows skilled jobs and domestic supply chains, unlocks investment, and cuts pollution.

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A made-in-Canada solution

The products and services needed to reduce energy waste — like heat-recovery ventilators, insulation and high-performance windows — are largely made or assembled in Canada, so scaling retrofits strengthens domestic supply chains and jobs.

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Big savings, real results

Whole-building upgrades can cut energy use as much as 90%, dramatically reduce emissions, improve living conditions, and ensure all Canadians have the quality of housing they deserve.

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Retrofits power new builds too

Scaling retrofits of existing buildings represents larger, long-term market opportunities that strengthen the workforce and supply chains Canada needs to build zero-carbon homes faster and more affordably.

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We don’t need to start from scratch — we need to shape what’s already working

The Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative (DRAI) and the Greener Neighbourhoods Pilot Program fund 13 retrofit accelerators and six market development teams to bundle demand, coordinate projects, and unlock financing. In two years, these teams have started building pipelines and opening markets for high-quality deep retrofits.

They could do far more if treated as core delivery engines of a long-term national Retrofit Mission, not short-term pilots.

Recapitalizing DRAI and GNPP keeps momentum rolling, gives these delivery engines the runway to mature, and allows time for public investment to deliver its full impact.

Our research on retrofits in Canada

November 4, 2025

Creating a new policy agenda for residential retrofits

July 16, 2025

Canada’s retrofit mission is the key to unlocking housing and economic growth

June 15, 2021

Canada’s Climate Retrofit Mission

Media coverage on retrofits in Canada

A retrofit mission could power Carney’s made-in-Canada agenda

The Hill Times | September 17, 2025

Carney’s announcement signalled that Canada is entering a new industrial era—one that values domestic production and economic independence. But it left one major gap: retrofitting existing homes and buildings. A retrofit mission fills that gap. It strengthens the economy while cutting emissions, accelerates housing delivery while lowering costs, and builds a skilled workforce that supports both retrofits and new construction.

Canada’s retrofit momentum hinges on more than just heat pumps

National Observer | June 6, 2025

Heat pumps are efficient, but they aren’t deep retrofits on their own. Federal, provincial and municipal governments — as well as utilities — must rethink their programs. That means redesigning or adding offerings that support the full sequence of upgrades. Only then can we help homeowners make smarter choices and reach our climate goals.

The case for a rethink of how Canada is retrofitting its buildings

The Globe and Mail | June 23, 2021

As the federal government rolls out piecemeal policies to encourage climate-friendly retrofits to Canada’s buildings, a new report [by the think tank Efficiency Canada] paints Ottawa’s approach as woefully inadequate – and makes a credible case for a complete rethink of how the country modernizes homes and commercial spaces.