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Summary
Earlier this week the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) released version 3 (v3) of it's progressive Zero Carbon Building Standard (ZcB). The Zero Carbon Building Standard is seen by many in the building's industry as the leading standard to recognize exemplary environmental performance - because of the emphasis it places on reducing GHG emissions from new and existing buildings.
One of the updates in v3 was the addition of Green Heat as a means to reduce Operational Carbon emissions. With this addition, the CaGBC is the first green building standard (that we are aware of) to formally recognize Green Heat offerings from district energy providers.
This is an important milestone for Green Heat programs being developed by some of Canada's leading district energy providers including Enwave Energy, City of Vancouver, City of Surrey, and Markham District Energy, as well as DE providers in the US such as Con Edison, and Vicinity. All of these DE providers (any others) are developing their own versions of Green Heat programs that they hope to have recognized in municipal (and third party) green building standards in the years to come.
Some key aspects of the Green Heat program requirements in the ZcB standard include:
- Annual third-party audit of the generation and sale of green heat
- Compliance with GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance
- Green Heat must come from non-fossil fuel combustion sources only (E.g. heat pumps, electric boilers, bioenergy, etc.)
- GHG Intensity of Green heat is equal to the weighted average (by energy production) of all green heat sources
- Green Heat can replace building heating only (i.e. not electrical or cooling energy service).
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CAGBC’s Zero Carbon Building – Design Standard to phase out combustion
Zero Carbon Building – Design
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