Benchmark Study on Green Buildings - Royal Architectural Institute ...

voluntarily report on results. The Government of Canada is also showing leadership by
taking action to reduce emissions associated with employee commuting, business travel
and taxi use.
In 2002, the Government of Canada expanded the mandate of FHIO under the Climate
Change Plan for Canada. This plan announced that all new Government of Canada
facilities would be built to be 25% more energy efficient than the Model National Energy
Code and that all new federal housing units would meet R2000 guidelines. It was also
announced that the Government would work towards completing energy efficient retrofits
in a further 20% of its buildings, and that all of the goods and equipment purchased for
federal operations would meet Energy Star standard. Additional commitments were made
to increase the proportion of low-emitting vehicles in the federal fleet and for the
government to be a first purchaser of next generation power technologies and energy
sources. As a result of this expanded mandate, additional resources have been allocated to
Federal Building Demonstration Projects, which showcase innovative emission
reductions and renewable energy projects in federal facilities. Under this measure, some
60 federal building and housing projects have been enhanced to demonstrate leading-edge
energy efficiency and renewable energy equipment. In addition, more resources are being
allocated to longer-term funding for green power projects.
R-2000:
Developed in partnership with Canada’s residential construction industry, R-2000 is an
initiative of NRCan’s Office of Energy Efficiency. Its aim is to promote the use of costeffective
energy efficient building practices and technologies. Since being introduced
over 20 years ago, the R-2000 Standard has set the benchmark for home building in
Canada. The Standard is continually upgraded to include new technologies as they
become established in the marketplace, and is flexible enough to apply to any type of
home. R-2000 homes are energy efficient (the energy standards are 40% above building
codes), comfortable, environmentally-friendly, certified, and participation is voluntary.
The R-2000 Standard is broad-based, innovative, and respected. In fact, R-2000 is even
licensed for use in Japan.
Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Program:
The Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) Program is another
program put forward by the Canadian federal government, and while not directly
encouraging green buildings, it has the potential to greatly aid in the development of
green building technologies. Created by the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA) and
Department of Finance, the SR&ED program is a federal tax incentive that encourages
Canadian businesses of all sizes and sectors to conduct research and development (R&D)
in Canada that will lead to new, improved, or technologically advanced products or
processes. The SR&ED program is the largest single source of federal government
support for industrial research and development. Claimants can apply for SR&ED
investment tax credits for expenditures such as wages, materials, machinery, equipment,
some overhead, and SR&ED contracts. Generally, a Canadian-controlled private
corporation (CCPC) can earn an investment tax credit (ITC) of 35% up to the first $2
million of qualified expenditures for SR&ED carried out in Canada, and 20% on any
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