Our Clean Future actions

Homes and buildings

Our homes and buildings provide spaces for us to live, learn, work and play. How we design, use and heat these buildings affects our comfort, safety, productivity, health and finances. 

We're investing in energy efficient homes and buildings to reduce the Yukon's overall emissions. As we retrofit our homes and buildings to be more energy efficient, we're also designing them to be more resilient to climate impacts. They need to be more resistant to fires, floods, permafrost thaw and heat stress.

The charts below explore where we're making progress.

Greenhouse gas emissions from Government of Yukon buildings

Our building emissions primarily come from schools, long-term care facilities and office buildings. The Yukon’s 3 hospitals make up 20% of our building emissions. Yukon Housing Corporation and Yukon University are notable contributors. 

Energy efficient retrofits  

We have set a target to retrofit 2,000 existing residential, commercial and institutional buildings by 2030. These retrofits will reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions while saving Yukoners money on utility bills. We are supporting building retrofits by: 

Renewable heating 

 We are aiming to reach a target of installing 1,300 smart electric-heating systems by 2030. We are

Net-zero energy-ready buildings

Our Clean Future commits that all new buildings will be net-zero energy ready by 2032. While new building codes are being developed, we're

  • offering a rebate for new homes that are built to be at least 50 per cent better than the building code.

There are currently 35 actions that support homes and buildings objectives. To learn more these actions and where we’ve made progress, scroll through the tabs below. 

Complete

  • Action H2: Develop and implement an ongoing energy assessment program by 2023 and continue to assess all high-emitting Government of Yukon buildings   every 10 years.
  • Action H3: Provide low-interest financing to support energy efficiency retrofits to homes and buildings beginning in 2021.
  • Action H9: Assess ways to ensure Yukoners can access adequate insurance for fires, floods and permafrost thaw by 2023.
  • Action H11: Assess options to provide financial support for actions to improve the climate resiliency of homes and buildings by 2023.
  • Action H18: Provide low-interest financing to install smart electric heating devices in residential, commercial and institutional buildings in collaboration with Yukon’s Action public utilities beginning in 2021.
  • Action H19: Provide low-interest financing to install biomass heating systems in commercial and institutional buildings beginning in 2021.
  • Action H21: Continue to provide rebates for residential, commercial and institutional biomass heating systems and smart electric heating devices and increase the current rebate for smart electric heating devices beginning in 2020.
  • Action H22: Work with local industry to install and test 25 electric heat pumps with backup fossil fuel heating systems or utility-controlled electric thermal storage from 2020 to 2023.
  • Action H25: Analyze and compare the climate benefits of different types of biomass harvesting and use in Yukon by 2021 in order to identify recommended forest management practices to guide sustainable and low-carbon biomass use.
  • Action H26: Provide direction to the Yukon Utilities Board in 2020 to allow Yukon’s public utilities to partner with the Government of Yukon to pursue cost-effective demand-side management measures.
  • Action H27: Establish a partnership between the Government of Yukon, Yukon Energy Corporation and ATCO Electric Yukon by 2021 that will collaborate on the delivery of energy and capacity demand-side management programs.
  • Action H28: Complete the Peak Smart pilot project by 2022 to evaluate the use of smart devices to shift energy demand to off-peak hours.
  • Action H32: By 2023, incentivise fuel switching for buildings regardless of other retrofit upgrades.

In progress

  • Action H1: Conduct retrofits to Government of Yukon buildings to reduce energy use and contribute to a 30 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
  • Action H10: Develop and implement a plan by 2024 to conduct routine monitoring of the structural condition of Government of Yukon buildings located on permafrost.
  • Action H12: Work with the Government of Canada to develop and implement building codes suitable to northern Canada that will aspire to see all new residential and commercial buildings be net zero energy ready by 2032.
  • Action H16: Continue to provide rebates for new homes that are net zero energy ready, aiming for 500 homes by 2030.
  • Action H17: Install renewable heat sources such as biomass energy in Government of Yukon buildings by 2030 to create long-term demand for renewable heating and contribute to a 30 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Action H23: Identify regulatory improvements that could support the growth of Yukon’s biomass energy industry during the review of the Forest Resources Act by 2022.
  • Action H24: Amend the Air Emissions Regulations by 2025 in order to regulate air emissions from commercial and institutional biomass burning systems to minimize the release of harmful air pollutants.
  • Action H29: Implement an education campaign for Government of Yukon building occupants and visitors by 2026 to encourage more energy efficient behaviours.
  • Action H30: Work with partners to contribute to net 30 per cent greenhouse gas reductions from the Government of Yukon’s building portfolio by 2030.
  • Action H31: Develop and implement a recommissioning program by 2025 that focuses on energy efficiency and staff education for lasting performance improvements in Government of Yukon buildings.
  • Action H33: Create a funding program by 2025 for low-income Yukoners to switch from fossil fuels to smart electric heating systems.
  • Action H34: Ensure that legislative barriers are removed so that buildings constructed after 2025 and 2027 are required to meet Tier 3 and Tier 4, respectively of the National Building Code of Canada 2020.
  • Action H35: Reduce the life cycle carbon intensity of heating oil sold in Yukon, aiming for 30% by 2030 and align emissions intensity with BC's Low Carbon Fuel Standard.

Ongoing

  • Action H4: Continue to provide financial support to assist First Nations and municipalities to complete major energy retrofits to institutional buildings across Yukon, aiming for 30 retrofits by 2030. 
  • Action H5: Continue to provide financial support for municipal and First Nations energy efficiency projects.
  • Action H6: Continue to work with Yukon First Nations to retrofit First Nations housing to be more energy efficient.
  • Action H7: Continue to retrofit Government of Yukon community housing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in each building by 30 per cent.
  • Action H8: Continue to provide rebates for thermal enclosure upgrades and energy efficient equipment to reduce energy use in homes and commercial buildings. 
  • Action H13: Continue to require all new Government of Yukon buildings to be designed to use 35 per cent less energy than the targets in the National Energy Code 2017 for Buildings, in accordance with the Government of Yukon’s Design Requirements and Building Standards Manual. 
  • Action H15: Continue to conduct climate risk assessments of all major building projects over $10 million that are built or funded by the Government of Yukon.
  • Action H20: Continue to assist First Nations to complete feasibility studies for the installation and operation of biomass heating systems.

Not started

  • Action H14: Adopt and enforce relevant building standards by 2030 that will require new buildings to be constructed to be more resilient to climate change impacts like permafrost thaw, flooding and forest fires.
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