Canada is the host nation for the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) 2026 global summit on energy efficiency, which will draw more than 600 government and industry leaders to Montreal, June 29-30, for two days of policy discussions and strategy development. Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, will serve as co-chairs with IEA executive director, Fatih Birol, for the invitation-only event focused on public-private collaboration to foster enabling technologies, economic viability and social buy-in for energy efficiency.
Middle East conflict and resulting constraints on global energy supply and upward pressure on prices bring an extra measure of urgency to the IEA’s agenda to steer the transition away from fossil fuels toward low-emission alternatives. Energy efficiency is tapped to be a key element of that journey. Notably, IEA recommendations underpin the target for a 4 per cent annual improvement in global energy efficiency every year to 2030 and a pledge to regard energy efficiency as the “first fuel” in energy policy, planning and investment decisions, which 133 nations, including Canada, endorsed at the 2023 United Nations climate change conference (COP28).
“Energy efficiency can simultaneously shield consumers from the worst effects of short-term price shocks while making whole economies and industries more resilient in the longer term,” the program for the upcoming IEA conference maintains. “Integrating demand-side measures, achieving energy savings and promoting resilience will be at the forefront of discussions in Montreal, allowing governments and industry alike to learn from the previous crisis and to address the current one.”
Business leaders from the financial services, energy management, utilities, commercial real estate and smart technology sectors will participate and contribute to panel discussions on topics such as retrofit financing, artificial intelligence, demand management technologies, electricity grid modernization, connected, interactive buildings and data centres. Government officials from across IEA’s 32 members and 19 affiliated nations will consider enabling policies and support mechanisms.
