To help accelerate the adoption of these advanced building energy codes, we have developed Codes4Climate: A Building Code Advocacy Toolkit. This toolkit is designed for anyone interested in reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in the buildings sector.

The Canadian buildings sector accounts for about a quarter of Canada's total final energy consumption and approximately 17% of greenhouse gas emissions when emissions associated with electricity used in buildings are included. This places building energy codes as one of the critical paths we can leverage to increase the energy performance of our buildings.

Codes4Climate outlines the role of building energy performance as a tool for climate action. It provides information and tools that advocates can leverage to help their municipality better prepare for the adoption of the model codes in the coming years through grassroots building energy code campaigns.

Codes4Climate provides:

• Terms and definitions related to the net-zero energy ready model codes.
  

• An overview of different types of building codes and the benefits they provide.
• An outline of the national model code development and adoption process.
• Tips to make the case for model codes adoption, and higher building performance standards.
• Templates and tools to advance adoption efforts and get people engaged.

This building code advocacy toolkit for provincial/territorial champions is intended to help climate advocates, municipal advocates, and local organizations demonstrate the importance of advanced energy codes, like the 2020 national model codes, and the urgent need for provincial/territorial governments to adopt the model codes.