The federal government is one of the largest landowners in Canada, and it either owns or leases a significant number of buildings.[1] In this context, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates (hereinafter the Committee) adopted the following motion: “That, the Committee undertake a study on current and potential avenues for enhanced energy efficiencies and potential cost reductions for federally owned or operated buildings, structures and public works; and that the Committee report its findings and recommendations to the House.”

The term “energy efficiency” refers to “the level of output of a given industrial, commercial, residential or other system per unit of energy input,”[2] or “using less energy to provide the same service,” while “energy conservation” — which is a term often used in relation to energy efficiency — refers to “reducing or going without a service to save energy.”[3] Energy efficiencies in federal buildings[4] contribute to reduced environmental impacts, lower energy use and better value for Canadians through reduced energy costs.[5]

During the course of its study, the Committee held seven meetings and heard testimony from federal officials from Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) and from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), provincial officials from the Governments of Manitoba and British Columbia, representatives of building associations, experts in energy-efficient buildings and other stakeholders. The goal was to identify opportunities for enhanced energy efficiencies and potential cost reductions in federally owned or operated buildings, structures and public works. The study examined federal buildings in general, and although special attention was given to office buildings, the Committee did not focus on buildings with unique energy needs, such as laboratories, prisons and buildings on military bases. The Committee also received a written submission from the United States on energy efficiencies in its federal buildings and related legislative policies.

The first step in determining potential avenues to improve further the energy efficiency of federal buildings and to achieve potential cost reductions is to examine the portfolio of federal buildings and to identify the current federal measures that have contributed to improved energy efficiency in these buildings; these issues are discussed in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 presents a number of the costs and the benefits associated with enhanced energy efficiencies in federally owned and operated buildings, while Chapter 4 provides the witnesses’ views — and the Committee’s observations and recommendations — about how the federal government could reduce its energy use and achieve cost reductions through ensuring that it owns and leases energy-efficient buildings.