This guide on deep energy retrofits was created by the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) Green Building Technologies applied research group in 2023.

Energy use in housing contributes a significant portion of Canada’s carbon emissions, with the inefficiencies of existing homes playing a major role. Tearing down every existing inefficient home and rebuilding them would generate large amounts of waste, emissions, and embodied carbon. Deep Energy Retrofits offer one solution to extend the life of the building and reduce carbon emissions and landfill waste.

A Guide to Deep Energy Retrofits provides information and practical direction on pursuing deep energy retrofits, helping users identify a pathway for retrofitting to net-zero emission performance for existing single-family homes. While the focus is on single-family homes, the principles described are applicable to other building types.

The guide aims to:

• Define Deep Energy Retrofits (DER) and explain how they support Canada’s emission reduction goals. 
• Provide process considerations through a general Retrofit Roadmap. 
• Provide guidance through content and case studies.