Roadmap to Low-Carbon Operations in the National Capital Region

Influencing employee commutes

Employees driving to work is the second largest source of emissions from federal operations. The government can reduce these emissions by 45% by increasing walking and cycling infrastructure, shifting office locations, and enabling employees to work from home two days per week. These actions also increase employee cycling by a factor of ten to an average of 76,800 km/day.

Find opportunities in aging infrastructure

Upgrading aging infrastructure is a cost-effective way to take climate action. More than half of total federal building area in the Canadian capital will be classified as being in poor or critical condition within the next decade. With smart investments in energy efficiency retrofits, renewable energy, and district energy systems, the federal government can ensure that upgrades to these buildings significantly reduce emissions while making them more comfortable places to work. 

Electrification that won’t crash the grid

Transitioning buildings, energy systems, and vehicles from fossil fuels requires renewable electricity. Our modelling shows that plugging more into the grid will not lead to blackouts if deep energy efficiency retrofits are applied. By ensuring that buildings are more energy efficient, we can stave off an increase in building-level electricity demand and energy demand peaks.