Sustainability

IAQ combos arresting airborne spread of COVID

IAQ combos arresting airborne spread of COVID

Commercial building operators could use a combination of air exchange, filtration and purification to comply with the industry-leading guidance for arresting airborne spread of pathogens and contaminants.
decarbonization

Canada’s clean energy efforts garner plaudits

The International Energy Agency commends Canada's targets and policies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and identifies it as a potential key player in the transition to low-carbon energy sources
Climate change and ESG pervade CRE projections

Climate change and ESG pervade CRE projections

Climate change is more ominous than the spectre of regulations and taxes for a small majority of commercial real estate leaders responding to REALPAC’s recent survey of their expectations for the next decade.
subpar waste diversion results trail Ontario target

Subpar waste diversion trails Ontario target

About 85 per cent of waste from Ontario's businesses, public institutions, residential buildings with six or more units and construction/demolition sites ends up in landfill, including a vast amount of recyclable material.
emissions

Rare decisions have acute carbon consequences

Daily vigilance is central to achieving operational energy savings, but rare decisions typically have the most acute carbon consequences in buildings.
Environmental mishaps can herald personal liability

Environmental mishaps herald personal liability

Personal liability is a mounting possibility for directors, officers and supervisors of organizations that run afoul of environmental regulators or are on the losing side of civil litigation.
Accessibility carries a simple business case

Accessibility carries a simple business case

Many commercial real estate operators are making the simple business case for buildings that are functional for all potential users. It’s a quest that can begin with simple investigations, simple low-cost measures and simple mindfulness.
climate change

Real estate could reap climate action dividends

The global urgency for climate action has an upside companion in global opportunities for strategic investment that could improve people’s lives and yield sustainable returns.
healthy

How to provide healthy environments & meet climate goals

Three key lessons for making buildings energy- and carbon-efficient and healthy.
COVID-19 prompts fine-tune for effective benchmarking

A fine-tune for effective benchmarking

The 2021 versions of REALPAC's normalization methodologies for calculating energy- and water-use intensity address issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and lower occupant densities in office buildings.
status quo stymies innovative retrofit options

Status quo stymies innovative retrofit options

Prevailing approaches for incentivizing, financing and implementing retrofit projects deemed unlikely to propel the existing building inventory to net-zero emissions by 2050.
Retrofit proponents must contribute 20 per cent equity capital to tap into the Canada Infrastructure Bank's fund for commercial buildings

Retrofit funds tied to equity capital prereq

Retrofit proponents unable to contribute at least $6.25 million in equity capital will have to look to third-party interveners in order to tap into the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s $2-billion fund for commercial buildings.
net zero

Reaching net zero in the age of COVID-19

Optimizing ventilation and air handling systems is key to achieving net zero energy performance goals.
Residential energy use re-emerges in Ontario's CDM plans

Heat is on for electricity demand projections

Electricity demand projections through the vaccination rollout period should take two contradictory factors into account, energy management specialists affirm.
Commercial customer's grapple with Ontario's electricity cost allocation

Parsing Ontario’s electricity cost allocation

After a year of operational upheaval and more modifications to electricity pricing policies, BOMA Toronto’s annual workshop to address the complexities of the global adjustment had a lot of ground to cover.
Securities regulators scrutinize ESG investing

Securities regulators scrutinize ESG investing

Securities regulators wish to confirm that the representations registrants are making about the incorporation of ESG principles in their investment decision-making processes are consistent with their actual policies and procedures.
air quality

How schools are boosting air quality measures

The report found that schools have prioritized ventilation and filtration to reduce the transmission of the virus.