About Us - Deep Energy Retrofits

Who We Are

Green Communities Canada (GCC) is a not-for-profit energy service organization that helps Canadians make their homes more energy efficient, healthy and comfortable. We have been designing and delivering home energy retrofit programs for over 25 years, including piloting the Government of Canada’s EnerGuide auditing program and designing the Province of Ontario’s first low income retrofit programs – both among the most successful energy demand management programs in our country’s history.

Our member organizations and their energy advisors work with homeowners and contractors every day to implement a broad range of retrofit initiatives and we are intimately connected to the experience of those working on the frontlines of climate action.

Besides our work as an energy service organization, Green Communities Canada also engages community-based climate action groups through a national network to share resources, co-create innovative programming, and elevate our collective climate action.

A Registered Energy Advisor conducting a blower door test

What We Do

Our EnerGuide Service Organization

We are Canada’s first and longest serving federally licensed EnerGuide Rating System Service Organization and committed to creating energy efficient homes for all sections of the society.

We started operations in the early 1990s by delivering over 100,000 green home visits providing professional home energy retrofit advice to homeowners across the province of Ontario. The federal government recognized our work by choosing Green Communities Canada to pilot the EnerGuide for Houses energy rating service in 1997. Since then, we have served as advisors to various governments on matters relating to EnerGuide ratings and retrofitting.

Green Communities Canada developed and piloted the first incentive program using EnerGuide ratings in the year 2000. This incentive program was later adopted by the federal government resulting in a massive increase in retrofits completed – from 4,000 pre-incentives to more than 600,000 nation-wide by 2012.

Find out more about our Service Organization and book an audit with our Registered Energy Advisors.

Our Deep Energy Retrofits Program

In 2022, we embarked on developing a Deep Energy Retrofits program as part of our Energy portfolio. This program is working to develop a knowledge centre focused on providing homeowners from across the country with the information and tools they need to accelerate home energy retrofits.

We are also collaborating with organizations from across the country to support the creation of technical training resources and tools that build critical capacity for trades persons, energy advisors, contractors, and policy makers.

As part of our new Deep Energy Retrofits program, we engage home energy retrofit organizations from across the country that are working to accelerate deep retrofits in their regions. This includes EnviroCentre, City Green Solutions, Windfall Ecology Centre, GreenUP, Green Venture, Sustainable Kingston, and Reep Green Solutions.

To identify, curate, and amplify Deep Energy Retrofit Case Studies from across Canada, we collaborate with organizations that are working to develop case studies. This includes Retrofit Canada, Building Decarbonization Alliance, and the Carbon Leadership Forum.

In our first spin-off project of our Deep Energy Retrofits program, we have initiated our Heat Pump Right-Sizing Energy Concierge and Advocacy project to develop curriculum, train energy auditors, and pilot the service in 4 provinces. Our collaborators include City Green Solutions (Victoria), Thermalwise Building Energy Savings (Halifax), prairieHOUSE Performance (Winnipeg), Windfall Ecology Centre, Toronto Home Retrofits, Toronto Hydro, Heating, Refrigeration & Air Conditioning Institute of Canada, and Natural Resources Canada.

Who Funds Our Work?

GCC’s Deep Energy Retrofits program is funded by McConnell Foundation, Trottier Family Foundation, and Peter Gilgan Foundation. Our Heat Pump Right-Sizing Energy Concierge and Advocacy project is supported by Peter Gilgan Foundation and Natural Resources Canada.