Électrifier le chauffage des bâtiments commerciaux et institutionnels

The report identifies that Canada must increase the share of electricity in commercial and institutional building heating from less than 15% to at least 75% by 2050 to reach net-zero goals. It highlights three primary obstacles: the low cost of natural gas, a lack of internal planning capacity and a 'business-as-usual' bias among technical experts, and significant capital constraints for building owners. To address these, the report proposes five catalysts: short-term electrification plans for businesses, integrating net-zero mandates into utility and regulatory frameworks, aligning utility planning with net-zero trajectories to ensure clean energy supply, establishing building performance standards, and developing innovative public-private financing models. Examples of progress include the bi-energy strategy in Quebec and performance standards in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.

• To achieve a net-zero economy by 2050, Canada must increase the proportion of heating demand in commercial and institutional buildings met by electricity from less than 15% to at least 75% by 2050, with approximately three-quarters of emissions from these buildings needing to be eliminated by 2040.
• Three main barriers hinder the electrification of heating: the low cost of natural gas which undermines the business case for electricity, a 'business-as-usual' bias and knowledge gaps among building owners and technical experts, and high upfront capital costs that are difficult for some owners, such as public institutions, to finance.
• The report proposes five catalysts to accelerate electrification: implementing short-term action plans for businesses, integrating net-zero goals into the mandates of regulators and utilities, aligning utility planning with net-zero trajectories, establishing building performance standards, and attracting private investment through innovative financing.
• Provincial governments are urged to modernize regulatory mandates to integrate electricity and natural gas planning, which would allow for optimized decarbonization and the use of hybrid heating systems to reduce winter peak demand on the electrical grid.
• Building performance standards, such as those implemented in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, provide the necessary certainty for investors and utilities by setting emission intensity limits that decline over time.
• Innovative financing is required to bridge the gap for high-capital projects, including public-private partnerships and performance-based turnkey services that reduce risk for private capital.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2022). Électrifier le chauffage des bâtiments commerciaux et institutionnels. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/electrifying-heating-commercial-institutional-buildings-fr.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Électrifier le chauffage des bâtiments commerciaux et institutionnels. 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/electrifying-heating-commercial-institutional-buildings-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Électrifier le chauffage des bâtiments commerciaux et institutionnels |date=May 2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/electrifying-heating-commercial-institutional-buildings-fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2022lectrifier, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Électrifier le chauffage des bâtiments commerciaux et institutionnels}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/electrifying-heating-commercial-institutional-buildings-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }