Deep retrofits are like deep cuts for efficiency enthusiasts; they speak to a nuanced appreciation and strategy to combat the energy challenges facing Atlantic Canadians. Now, with $17.5 million worth of funding, The ReCover Initiative—a Nova Scotia-based not-for-profit—will be working to take deep retrofits from niche term to the mainstream.

Emma Norton, ReCover’s executive director, says the federal government’s funding has enabled her team to be part of the solution when it comes to retrofits in Atlantic Canada. Already, their board has transitioned from a working board to governance and has hired nine employees to aid in their goal of delivering scalable deep retrofit solutions. Their funding was made official last week amid several announcements aimed at reaching the federal government’s 2050 net-zero emissions target.

So, you ask, what is a deep retrofit?

A deep retrofit is something done to a building. Specifically, it’s when you implement a series of upgrades to reduce the energy consumption of said building by up to 70 per cent and reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by up to 80 per cent.

“A building that has received a deep retrofit is going to last a lot longer, it’s going to be a lot healthier, it’s going to be a lot safer,”

—Emma Norton

“A building that has received a deep retrofit is going to last a lot longer, it’s going to be a lot healthier, it’s going to be a lot safer,” explains Norton, who has been working in Canada’s energy sector for nearly a decade.

“A lot of the programs out there right now for energy efficiency are focused on incremental retrofit or one-off energy saving measures whereas if you look at a deep retrofit, you look at the holistic building.”

She says the programs ReCover will be helping to implement—which includes the Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative (DRAI) and the Greener Neighbourhoods Pilot Program (GNPP)—will benefit Atlantic Canadians, many of whom don’t know the environmental impact of the region’s existing building stock.

For example, Norton says, as per a recent report from EfficiencyOne, 42 per cent of Nova Scotia’s GHG emissions come from buildings. This represents a highwater mark in the region, with some provinces coming in as low as 13 per cent, and can be attributed to Nova Scotia’s dependency on oil and coal. The national average is 17 per cent.

The majority of the work that ReCover will be assisting with, especially through DRAI, pertains to commercial and industrial buildings; Norton and her team won’t be doing the retrofits themselves but will be developing the ecosystem to make them possible. This includes doing strategic research on building stock to decide which structures should be prioritized, programming to connect building owners to funders, industry training and working with partners through roundtables.

Over the next three years, Norton says her team hopes to help with between 40 to 60 pre-development and development plans for deep retrofits. This is only a fraction of the impact they envision moving forward.

Over the next three years, Norton says her team hopes to help with between 40 to 60 pre-development and development plans for deep retrofits. This is only a fraction of the impact they envision moving forward.

“It isn’t nearly the numbers we need to be hitting annually in the long-term but it will help us start to have case studies to point to,” says Norton.

One of the biggest aspects of ReCover’s work will be communication; they plan to hold 12 roundtables across Atlantic Canada over the next three years as they look to connect with building owners, partners and industry professionals.

There’s a long way to go as Atlantic Canada, and the country as a whole, look to retrofit existing building stock. Change has been incremental.

But Norton says she’s excited by the work ReCover will be doing over the next three years as they help build the framework for change.

“The fact that ReCover now gets to be a part of putting together a cohesive, strategic effort to roll out these retrofits across Atlantic Canada is so exciting. There’s so much great work that’s already been done and we’re really looking forward to bringing partners together and figuring out how to do this in a way where everyone is bringing their own strengths,” she says.

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