Électrifier le chauffage des bâtiments commerciaux et institutionnels

This report advocates for the rapid electrification of heating in Canada's commercial and institutional buildings to meet 2050 net-zero targets. It argues that electricity's share of heating must rise from under 15% to at least 75% by 2050. To overcome barriers like low natural gas prices and high capital costs, the report proposes five catalysts: short-term corporate action plans, updated regulatory mandates for utilities, harmonized energy planning, building performance standards, and new public-private financing models.

• To achieve a net-zero economy by 2050, Canada must eliminate approximately 75% of emissions from heating commercial and institutional buildings by 2040. This requires increasing the share of heating demand met by electricity from less than 15% to at least 75% by 2050.
• Current electrification levels vary by province, with electricity accounting for approximately 30% of the heating load in Quebec and 40% in Manitoba, where electricity is more affordable and carbon-neutral.
• Three primary obstacles hinder the electrification of heating: the low cost of natural gas which undermines the business case for electricity, a lack of internal capacity and a 'business-as-usual' bias among owners and technical experts, and significant capital expenditure requirements that some public or highly indebted entities cannot meet.
• The report proposes five catalysts to accelerate electrification: 1) developing short-term action plans and pilot projects for businesses; 2) integrating net-zero goals into the mandates of regulators and utilities; 3) harmonizing utility planning with net-zero trajectories to ensure clean energy supply; 4) establishing building performance standards to mandate emission reductions; and 5) creating innovative public-private financial products to attract private investment.

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} }