Zero carbon Building Design Guidelines V4

ZERO
CARBON
BUILDING
DESIGN STANDARD
VERSION 4
JUNE 2024

Copyright © Canada Green Building Council (CAGBC), 2024. These materials may be
reproduced in whole or in part without charge or wri˜en permission, provided that appropriate
source acknowledgements are made and that no changes are made to the contents. All other
rights are reserved.
The analyses/views in these materials are those of CAGBC, but these analyses/views do not
necessarily re°ect those of CAGBC’s a˛liates including supporters, funders, members, and
other participants or any endorsement by CAGBC’s a˛liates.
These materials are provided on an “as is” basis, and neither CAGBC nor its a˛liates guarantee
any parts or aspects of these materials. CAGBC and its a˛liates are not liable (either directly
or indirectly) nor accept any legal responsibility for any issues that may be related to relying on
the materials (including any consequences from using/applying the materials’ contents).
Each user is solely responsible, at the user’s own risk, for any issues arising from any use or
application of the materials’ contents.
TRADEMARK
Zero Carbon Building® is a registered trademark of the Canada Green Building Council
(CAGBC).
Zero Carbon Building – Design Standard Version 4
ISBN: 978-1-7781454-8-3

3
CAGBC | Zero Carbon Building – Design Standard Version 4 | June 2024
01 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................................................8
02 OVERVIEW.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13
2.1 Project Claims and Marketing..........................................................................................................................................................15
2.2 Eligibility ..................................................................................................................................................................................................15
2.2.1 A˜ached Buildings.................................................................................................................................................................15
2.2.2 Additions.................................................................................................................................................................................. 16
2.3 Emissions Covered ............................................................................................................................................................................ 16
2.4 Required Documentation................................................................................................................................................................ 16
2.5 Requirements at a Glance................................................................................................................................................................17
03 ZERO CARBON BALANCE....................................................................................................................................................................... 21
3.1 Embodied Carbon ...............................................................................................................................................................................22
3.1.1 Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment........................................................................................................................23
3.2 Operational Carbon...........................................................................................................................................................................25
3.2.1 Direct Emissions ....................................................................................................................................................................25
3.2.1.1 Fugitive Emissions from Refrigerants............................................................................................................25
3.2.1.2 Combustion ............................................................................................................................................................26
3.2.1.2.1 Biogas..................................................................................................................................................27
3.2.1.2.2 Biomass.............................................................................................................................................27
3.2.2 Indirect Emissions................................................................................................................................................................28
3.2.2.1 Electricity...............................................................................................................................................................28
3.2.2.2 Owned Renewable Energy Systems.........................................................................................................29
3.2.2.2.1 Onsite.................................................................................................................................................29
3.2.2.2.2 O˝site................................................................................................................................................ 30
3.2.2.3 Green Power Products ................................................................................................................................... 30
3.2.2.4 District Heating and Cooling.........................................................................................................................31
3.2.2.4.1 Green Heat from District Energy Systems...........................................................................31
3.3 Avoided Emissions.............................................................................................................................................................................32
3.3.1 Exported Green Power........................................................................................................................................................32
3.3.2 Carbon O˝sets ......................................................................................................................................................................33
04 LIMITS TO EMISSIONS............................................................................................................................................................................ 35
4.1 Embodied Carbon Limit....................................................................................................................................................................35
4.2 Refrigerant Limit..................................................................................................................................................................................37
4.3 Onsite Combustion Limit for Space Heating ..........................................................................................................................38
4.4 Onsite Combustion Limit for Service Hot Water...................................................................................................................39
4.5 Limits to Other Sources of Combustion................................................................................................................................... 40
05 ALTERNATIVE DESIGN EVALUATION AND TRANSITION PLAN ................................................................................................41
5.1 Evaluation of Alternative Design Without Onsite Combustion..........................................................................................41
5.2 Zero Carbon Transition Plan...........................................................................................................................................................43
5.3 Financial Analysis ...............................................................................................................................................................................45
5.4 Application to District Energy Systems....................................................................................................................................46
TABLE OF CONTENTS

4
06 ENERGY EFFICIENCY............................................................................................................................................................................... 47
6.1 Flexible Approach.................................................................................................................................................................................51
6.1.1 TEDI Requirements .................................................................................................................................................................51
6.1.2 EUI Requirements..................................................................................................................................................................53
6.1.3 Additional Reporting Requirements..............................................................................................................................54
6.2 Passive Design Approach ...............................................................................................................................................................55
6.2.1 TEDI Requirements...............................................................................................................................................................55
6.2.2 Additional Reporting Requirements.............................................................................................................................55
6.3 Renewable Energy Approach........................................................................................................................................................56
6.3.1 TEDI Requirements ...............................................................................................................................................................56
6.3.2 Zero Carbon Balance Requirements............................................................................................................................56
6.3.3 Additional Reporting Requirements.............................................................................................................................56
07 RESILIENCY TO EXTREME WEATHER................................................................................................................................................. 57
08 AIRTIGHTNESS........................................................................................................................................................................................... 59
09 GRID CITIZENSHIP....................................................................................................................................................................................60
10 IMPACT & INNOVATION........................................................................................................................................................................... 62
11 APPENDIX I – Requirements for Bundled Green Power Products that are not ECOLOGO or Green-e®
Certified..64
12 APPENDIX II – Requirements for District Energy Systems..........................................................................................................66
13 APPENDIX III – Summary of v4 Changes........................................................................................................................................... 68
14 APPENDIX IV – Equipment Descriptions........................................................................................................................................... 70
15 GLOSSARY..................................................................................................................................................................................................... 71
16 ACRONYMS.................................................................................................................................................................................................. 76
17 RESOURCES..................................................................................................................................................................................................77
17.1 Embodied Carbon Resources..........................................................................................................................................................77
17.2 Operational Carbon Resources .....................................................................................................................................................78
17.3 Avoided Emissions Resources .......................................................................................................................................................79
17.4 Alternative Design Evaluation and Transition Plan Resources......................................................................................... 80
17.5 Energy E˛ciency Resources .......................................................................................................................................................... 80
17.6 Impact and Innovation Resources.................................................................................................................................................81

5
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1 – Estimated cumulative net global anthropogenic CO2
emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 C...................... 8
Figure 2 – Incremental life cycle returns across Canada........................................................................................................................ 10
Figure 3 – Net present value of deep carbon retroÿts for 1970s vintage buildings....................................................................... 11
Figure 4 – Milestones in the sequence of ZCB-Design and ZCB-Performance. ........................................................................... 14
Figure 5 – Calculating the carbon balance....................................................................................................................................................21
Figure 6 – Embodied carbon life cycle stages............................................................................................................................................23
Figure 7 – Global warming potential (GWP) values of common refrigerants. ...............................................................................26
Figure 8 – Climate zones used to determine TEDI targets..................................................................................................................... 50
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1 – Emissions covered by ZCB-Design................................................................................................................................................ 16
Table 2 – ZCB-Design and ZCB-Performance requirements compared.......................................................................................... 20
Table 3 – Embodied carbon intensity targets. .............................................................................................................................................35
Table 4 – GWP limits by refrigeration system type....................................................................................................................................37
Table 5 – 100-year GWP of common refrigerants. .....................................................................................................................................37
Table 6 – The three energy e˛ciency approaches...................................................................................................................................47
Table 7 – TEDI pathways for Flexible Approach..........................................................................................................................................51
Table 8 – TEDI targets for Path 2 of Flexible Approach.............................................................................................................................52
Table 9 – EUI pathways for Flexible Approach. ...........................................................................................................................................53
Table 10 – EUI targets for Path 2: Energy Use Intensity. ...........................................................................................................................54
Table 11 – TEDI targets for Passive Design Approach................................................................................................................................55
Table 12 – TEDI targets for Renewable Energy Approach. ......................................................................................................................56

6
Development Process and Acknowledgements
The Zero Carbon Building – Design StandardTM
Version 4 (ZCB-Design v4) responds to
changes in the Canadian design and construction market since the previous version was
launched in 2022.
Updates to ZCB-Design were developed using the following guiding principles, established by
the Canada Green Building Council’s Zero Carbon Steering Commi˜ee:
Revisions to the Standard were informed by two years of market feedback, as well as changing
market expectations on operational and embodied carbon emissions. The Zero Carbon
Steering Commi˜ee oversaw the changes to ZCB-Design, with the support of the Canada
Green Building Council’s Embodied Carbon Technical Advisory Group and the Energy &
Engineering Technical Advisory Group.
Canada Green Building Council®
extends its deepest gratitude to our commi˜ee and working
group members.
ZERO CARBON BUILDING – DESIGN STANDARD GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Prioritize
carbon
emissions
reductions
Ensure
energy e˛cient
design
Encourage
good grid
citizenship
Incentivize
reductions
in embodied
carbon
Keep it
simple and
accessible
ZERO CARBON STEERING COMMITTEE
Wendy Macdonald (Chair), RJC Engineers
Ali Hoss, Triovest
Douglas Webber (Past-Chair),
Purpose Building
Ariel Feldman, Choice Properties REIT
Christian Cianfrone, OPEN Technologies
Elise Woestyn, HCMA
Fin MacDonald, Urban Equation
Iain MacFadyen, RGS Consultants | ZGF
Architects Inc.
Jag Singh, Fiera Real Estate
Kim Rishel, Hopewell Development
Lisa Westerho˝, Introba
Marc-Antoine Chenail, BPA
Ma˜ Cable, Enbridge Gas
Michael Pires, WSP Canada
Patrick Armstrong, Modern Niagara
Peter Whitred, Canada Post
Rob Cooney, Treasury Board Secretariat
Samantha Lane, Entuitive
Stephen Montgomery, PCL
Taylor Graf, Public Services and
Procurement Canada

7
EMBODIED CARBON
TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP
ENERGY & ENGINEERING
TECHNICAL ADVISORY GROUP
Guillaume Martel (Chair), Provencher Roy
Anik Bastien Thouin, Société québécoise
des infrastructures
Ben Amor, National Research Council
Canada
Caroline Butchart, Aspect Engineers
Chantal Lavigne, Vertima
Iain MacFadyen, ZGF Architects | RGS
Consultants
Jeremy Field, Introba
Kalum Galle, Morrison Hershÿeld
Kathleen Tiede, Crosier Kilgour
Leland Dadson, MJMA Architecture and
Design
Michael Hiebert, Number TEN
Architectural Group
Michelle Christopherson, WSP
Navisa Jain, EllisDon
Ryley Picken, Treasury Board Secretariat
Ryan Zizzo, Mantle Developments
Stephanie Fargas, DIALOG
Yury Kulikov, Fast + Epp
Zachary Zandona, City of Toronto
Zahra Teshnizi, City of Vancouver
Alex Blue (Chair), Evoke Buildings
Andrej Simjanov, Remedy Engineering
Andrew Morrison, Caneta Research Inc.
Craig McIntyre, EQ Building Performance
Inc.
Curt Hepting, Enersys Analytics Ltd.
Geneviève Lachance, Société
québécoise des infrastructures
Ian McRobie, H.H. Angus
Ivan Tang, Inform Energy Solutions
James Bererton, Stantec
Kevin Henry, HDR
Lori Hipwell, Pure Industrial
Mark Terpstra, Alberta Infrastructure
Martin Roy, Martin Roy et Associés
Mike Hassaballa, H.H. Angus
Steve Kemp, RDH Building Science Inc.
Wendy Macdonald, RJC Engineers
Yichao Chen, Cadillac Fairview

8
01
INTRODUCTION
To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, all nations must focus their
efforts on carbon reduction.
In Canada, building construction and operations must e˝ectively eliminate greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions to meet the national target of carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve this goal,
each new building design must target zero carbon emissions to avoid costly retroÿts down the
line. There is no time to wait.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has ÿxed the world’s remaining
carbon budget – the maximum amount of carbon dioxide (CO2
) that can be released into
the atmosphere – at 500 gigatonnes (Gt) of CO2
.1
This budget has been set to keep global
warming to 1.5 C with a 50 percent likelihood. However, based on data from 2019 emissions, at
the world’s rate of 40 Gt of total GHG emissions per year, our remaining carbon budget will be
depleted in less than eight years, risking a global temperature increase that will signiÿcantly
alter our climate.
Figure 1 – Estimated cumulative net global anthropogenic CO2
emissions to limit global warming to 1.5 C.
1
IPCC. (2021). Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Sixth Assessment
Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
200
100
400
300
500
0
Cumulative
Carbon
Emissions
(Gt
CO₂e)
2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034
600
700
2035
Remaining carbon
budget for 1.5 C
temperature rise
40 Gt CO / year
01
INTRODUCTION
< Back to TOC Go to 02 OVERVIEW >

9
01
INTRODUCTION
Staying within the remaining carbon budget and mitigating the e˝ects of climate change
requires collective action from across the building sector. Every year that passes without
signiÿcantly reducing GHG emissions erodes the global carbon budget, shortening what li˜le
time we have leˆ to reach zero carbon and remain within our planetary boundaries.2
Fortunately, the building sector is well-positioned to support Canada’s decarbonization
e˝orts. Building operations are responsible for 17 percent of Canada’s carbon emissions,3
with
construction and materials representing an estimated 10 percent more.4
The transition to zero-
carbon buildings will generate new and innovative design strategies, expanding opportunities
for industry growth and job creation.
The Canada Green Building Council®
(CAGBC) launched the Zero Carbon Building Standards™
(ZCB Standards) in 2017 to assist the industry’s transition to zero carbon. Every day, projects
pursuing certiÿcation under the ZCB Standards are pushing the boundaries and demonstrating
that there is a zero-carbon future for all buildings. Certifying under the ZCB Standards mean
taking responsibility for all carbon emissions over a building’s life cycle. It is an ambitious but
nonetheless critical objective, because within the context of a global carbon budget, every
kilogram of carbon counts.
Published in 2019, CAGBC’s Making the Case for Building to Zero Carbon report conÿrmed
that zero-carbon buildings are both technically feasible and ÿnancially viable.5
On average,
zero-carbon buildings can provide a positive ÿnancial return over a 25-year life cycle when
considering national carbon pollution pricing. They also require only a modest capital cost
premium. The ÿnancial returns for zero carbon buildings will only increase as the cost of
carbon rises, while they also help mitigate future costs from utilities, regulations, retroÿts and
extreme weather.
2
Rockström et al. (2009). Planetary Boundaries: Exploring the Safe Operating Space for Humanity.
3
Environment and Climate Change Canada. (2016). Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change. Canada’s
Plan to Address Climate Change and Grow the Economy.
4
Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction. (2024). Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction.
5
Canada Green Building Council. (2019). Making the Case for Building to Zero Carbon.
< Back to 01 INTRODUCTION Go to 02 OVERVIEW >

10
01
INTRODUCTION
INCREMENTAL LIFE CYCLE RETURNS ACROSS CANADA
CALGARY
1%
$32/m2
$18/tCO2
e
TORONTO
1%
$58/m2
$110/tCO2
e
OTTAWA
1%
$51/m2
$79/tCO2
e
MONTREAL
0%
-$4/m2
-$6/tCO2
e
HALIFAX
4%
$187/m2
$122/tCO2
e
VANCOUVER
-1%
-$55/m2
-$137/tCO2
e
Figure 2 – Incremental life cycle returns across Canada.6
In 2021, CAGBC released the Decarbonizing Canada’s Large Buildings report, which studied
the costs of deep carbon retroÿts for 1970s and 1990s vintage buildings, identifying key market
barriers and solutions. The archetypes within the study can reduce fossil fuel consumption
by at least 93 percent, while slashing energy usage by more than 70 percent. Many of the
archetypes also yielded a positive ÿnancial return on a deep carbon retroÿt using a 40-year
life cycle, with the remainder becoming cost viable as carbon and energy prices increase.
6
Ibid.

11
01
INTRODUCTION
Figure 3 – Net present value of deep carbon retrofits for 1970s vintage buildings.7
In 2019, the World Green Building Council called for a 40 percent reduction in embodied
carbon8
by 2030.9
While Canada’s building sector has made strides in designing buildings
that operate without operational carbon emissions, addressing embodied carbon remains a
signiÿcant challenge. In 2021, CABGC released a white paper titled Embodied Carbon: A Primer
for Buildings in Canada to equip the building sector with essential information to understand
and tackle embodied carbon in both new and existing buildings. The paper posits that
between 2022 and 2050, embodied carbon could account for over 90 percent of emissions
from new buildings. This is a signiÿcant source of emissions that demands a˜ention during the
design stage of any project.
Lastly, provinces and territories are embarking on a large-scale energy transition to
accommodate Canada’s national strategy for a low-carbon future. Buildings can and must
do their part to support the transition. CAGBC envisions buildings as “good grid citizens” that
ensure energy e˛ciency, generate renewable energy onsite, and take steps to reduce and
manage peak electrical demand, which may include energy storage and active participation in
demand response programs.
7
Canada Green Building Council (2021). Decarbonizing Canada’s Large Buildings.
8
To assist readers, key terms are bolded and defined in the Glossary.
9
World Green Building Council. (2019). Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront: Coordinated action for the building and
construction sector to tackle embodied carbon.
Halifax
Montreal
Toronto
NPV Positive with Positive IRR NPV Negative with Positive IRR NPV Negative with Negative IRR
Edmonton
Vancouver
1000
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
-100
-200
-300
-400
-500
-600
-700
Low-rise
Office
Low-rise
MURB
Mid-rise
Office
Net
Present
Value
($/m)
Mid-rise
MURB
Primary
School
Low-rise
Office
Low-rise
MURB
Mid-rise
Office
Mid-rise
MURB
Primary
School
Low-rise
Office
Low-rise
MURB
Mid-rise
Office
Mid-rise
MURB
Primary
School
Low-rise
Office
Low-rise
MURB
Mid-rise
Office
Mid-rise
MURB
Primary
School
Low-rise
Office
Low-rise
MURB
Mid-rise
Office
Mid-rise
MURB
Primary
School

12
01
INTRODUCTION
THE PROCESS OF DESIGNING FOR ZERO CARBON
INTEGRATED DESIGN
The application of an integrated design process is the ÿrst step towards
ensuring the success of any project targeting zero carbon. Bring a broad,
interdisciplinary team together as early as possible and collaborate throughout
the course of the new building or deep retroÿt project to ÿnd the best, lowest-
cost approach to zero carbon.
LIMITING COMBUSTION
Eliminating onsite combustion is the top priority when designing for zero
carbon. A well-designed electric building will have lower carbon emissions in
almost all regions of Canada today, and ongoing e˝orts to reduce the carbon
intensity of electrical grids will ensure that the emissions of combustion-free
buildings continue to decline.
MINIMIZING THERMAL ENERGY DEMAND AND EMBODIED CARBON
Project teams must balance the dual goals of minimizing embodied carbon
and reducing energy demand – particularly the heating and cooling loads.
Improvements to the building’s envelope are critical to lower thermal energy
demand, enable heating solutions that avoid combustion, and minimize peak
demand on the electricity grid. However, envelope improvements can increase
embodied carbon, and in many regions of Canada, the embodied carbon of
e˛cient, all-electric buildings already outweighs the cumulative operating
emissions over the life of the building. Teams must also consider costs, comfort,
passive survivability, and other criteria.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Meeting a building’s energy needs e˛ciently is a critical next step to reduce
energy use and save on energy costs. From ventilation, heating and cooling to
hot water and lighting, e˛ciency focuses on meeting energy needs with the
least energy and carbon emissions.
GREEN POWER AND ENERGY STORAGE
Next, consider how a building might generate onsite renewable energy,
accounting for grid interactions to ensure real carbon reductions. Energy
storage, whether electrical or thermal, is a recognized strategy to help minimize
grid impacts, reduce or eliminate the need for fossil fuels to meet peak heating
demand, and increase building resilience. Procuring green power generated
o˝site can also contribute to mitigating emissions.
CARBON OFFSETS
The residual emissions from embodied carbon, energy use and refrigerant leaks
can be mitigated through the purchase of carbon o˝sets as a ÿnal measure
towards a˜aining zero carbon.
01
INTRODUCTION

13
02
OVERVIEW
The Zero Carbon Building – Design (ZCB-Design) Standard™
is a made-in-
Canada framework that guides the design of low-carbon, highly efficient
buildings and sets a strong foundation for achieving zero-carbon operations
once the building commences occupancy. It applies to new construction
and major renovations.
The Standard recognizes that many strategies exist for reducing whole-life carbon emissions
at the design and operating stages and provides enough °exibility for eligible buildings of all
types and sizes to achieve certiÿcation.
ZCB-Design evaluates energy e˛ciency and carbon emissions across the building life
cycle based on the project’s ÿnal design. Even the best building design cannot ensure zero
carbon operations, thus the Canada Green Building Council®
(CAGBC) Zero Carbon Building
– Performance (ZCB-Performance) Standard™ can be used to verify the building’s impact on
the climate annually. ZCB-Performance relies on operating data over the course of one year of
operation, including purchases of energy and carbon o°sets.
02
OVERVIEW
< Back to TOC Go to 2.1 PROJECT CLAIMS AND MARKETING >
Thunder Bay Art Gallery Waterfront, Thunder Bay, Ontario, ZCB-Design v2.

14
02
OVERVIEW
Figure 4 – Milestones in the sequence of ZCB-Design and ZCB-Performance.
DESIGN
1
ZCB-Design
Registration
CONSTRUCTION
2
ZCB-Design
Submission and
Certiÿcation
OPERATION
3
ZCB-Performance
Annual Submission
and Certiÿcation
The ZCB-Design and ZCB-Performance Standards work in tandem as illustrated below.
YEAR 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4 YEAR 5
1. Registration indicates the intent to pursue certiÿcation to ZCB-Design and conÿrms the
version of the Standard to be used.
2. Teams can submit for certiÿcation once the construction documents are completed.
CAGBC reviews the materials provided, clariÿes outstanding issues, and awards
certiÿcations if the requirements have been met. Certiÿcation is awarded based on the
project’s ÿnal design.
3. Projects are eligible to submit for ZCB-Performance certiÿcation aˆer 12 months of
operations if they have achieved ZCB-Design. The ÿrst ZCB-Performance certiÿcation
includes veriÿcation of airtightness. The embodied carbon of the structural and envelope
materials must also be o˝set, either in the ÿrst ZCB-Performance certiÿcation or in equal
amounts annually over as many as ÿve years. Projects that have not achieved ZCB-Design
are eligible to submit for ZCB-Performance aˆer three years of operations.
< Back to 02 OVERVIEW Go to 2.1 PROJECT CLAIMS AND MARKETING >

15
2.1
PROJECT
CLAIMS
AND
MARKETING
2.1 PROJECT CLAIMS AND MARKETING
ZCB-Design certiÿed projects are not permi˜ed to display a certiÿcation mark (logo and
year) on the building or make a claim of zero carbon operations. Communications about
the achievement of ZCB-Design certiÿcation should instead re°ect the expectation that
operations will be veriÿed through certiÿcation under the ZCB-Performance Standard
following building occupancy. More information on how to market ZCB-Design certiÿed
projects can be found on cagbc.org.
ZCB-Design certiÿcation may not be used to make a carbon-neutral claim about a product
or service originating from a ZCB-Design certiÿed building; however, it may form part of a
strategy to achieve a carbon neutral claim.
2.2 ELIGIBILITY
The ZCB-Design Standard applies to new buildings and major renovations to existing
buildings, provided they include HVAC, envelope, and/or interior renovations that require
a new certiÿcate of occupancy and/or prevent normal building operations from occurring
while they are in process. Proposed changes of use to the building are also considered major
renovations. ZCB-Design applies to all buildings except single and multi-family residential
buildings that fall under Part 9 of the National Building Code. That is, the Standard applies to all
buildings except residential buildings that are three storeys or less, and smaller than 600 m2
.
ZCB-Design was created to evaluate entire individual buildings but may also be applied to
aãched buildings and additions, per Sections 2.2.1 and 2.2.2. Multiple buildings that share
a common site cannot be certiÿed under a single project unless aãched by programmable
space. Buildings that have no physical connection or are connected only by corridors, parking,
mechanical rooms, or storage rooms are considered separate buildings.
2.2.1 ATTACHED BUILDINGS
A building that is aãched to another building may independently pursue ZCB-Design
certiÿcation. The following rules apply:
1. An aãched building must be physically distinct to be considered separately for
certiÿcation.
2. The aãched building must have a distinct identity. This ensures that the certiÿcation is
communicated appropriately to the building users and the public.
3. Aãched buildings generally share a common site and will need to consider appropriate
separation of that site to determine the emission sources to include in the project.
4. An aãched building must have a separate ventilation system and energy meters
capable of measuring energy use for electricity, heating, and cooling. This is necessary to
demonstrate compliance with the energy and carbon requirements of the Standard.
5. Applicants must seek clariÿcation with CAGBC by emailing zerocarbon@cagbc.org if they
are uncertain about aãched building compliance.
< Back to 02 OVERVIEW Go to 2.3 EMISSIONS COVERED >

16
2.3
EMISSIONS
COVERED
2.2.2 ADDITIONS
New building additions may pursue ZCB-Design certiÿcation. The following rules apply:
1. Additions must be physically distinct, representing a newly constructed, unique area of a
building. The distinct space must also be re°ected in the project name when registering.
2. Additions must have separate ventilation systems as well as energy meters capable
of measuring energy use for electricity, heating, and cooling. This is necessary to
demonstrate compliance with the energy and carbon requirements of the Standard.
2.3 EMISSIONS COVERED
The ZCB-Design Standard applies to the entirety of the building site and includes all emissions
outlined below. For the purpose of classifying emissions, all building energy use is assumed to
be under the control of the building owner.
2.4 REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
Applicants must complete the ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
to demonstrate compliance
with ZCB-Design requirements. The workbook contains a full list of required supporting
documentation. Applicants should use the most recent version of the ZCB-Design v4
Workbook™
; however, they may opt to use the version available at the time of project
registration, provided that the emission factors from the most recent version are applied.
EMISSIONS CATEGORY CLASSIFICATION
Emissions from the combustion of fuels onsite, including
tenant equipment
Direct, Scope 1
Fugitive emissions from the leakage of refrigerants from
base building HVAC systems, service hot water systems,
and commercial refrigeration equipment, including tenant
equipment
Direct, Scope 1
Emissions from purchased electricity, heating, and cooling,
including tenant equipment
Indirect, Scope 2
Embodied carbon emissions that are associated with new
structural and building envelope materials
Indirect, Scope 3
Table 1 – Emissions covered by ZCB-Design.
< Back to 2.1 PROJECT CLAIMS AND MARKETING Go to 2.5 REQUIREMENTS AT A GLANCE >

17
2.5
REQUIREMENTS
AT
A
GLANCE
Please refer to the ZCB Certification Guide for instructions on submi˜ing the required
documentation, as well as information regarding the certiÿcation process.
The ZCB-Design v4 Energy Modelling Guidelines™
is also an important resource that must
be followed. The guidelines contain requirements speciÿc to the development of the energy
model required for ZCB-Design certiÿcation, as well as additional guidance that projects must
follow.
2.5 REQUIREMENTS AT A GLANCE
Revisions to the ZCB-Design Standard were informed by two years of market feedback, as
well as changing market expectations and capabilities related to operational and embodied
carbon emissions. The requirements for the ZCB-Design v4 Standard were developed using
the following guiding principles established by the Zero Carbon Steering Commi˜ee:
ZERO CARBON BUILDING – DESIGN STANDARD GUIDING PRINCIPLES
Prioritize
carbon
emissions
reductions
Ensure
energy e˛cient
design
Encourage
good grid
citizenship
Incentivize
reductions
in embodied
carbon
Keep it
simple and
accessible
< Back to 2.1 PROJECT CLAIMS AND MARKETING Go to 03 ZERO CARBON BALANCE >

18
2.5
REQUIREMENTS
AT
A
GLANCE
A high-level summary of the ZCB-Design v4 Standard’s requirements is presented below.
A summary of changes from the previous version can be found in Appendix III.
ZERO CARBON BALANCE
Model a carbon balance of zero or be˜er based on the net sources and sinks
of embodied, operational, and avoided emissions. Green power products (e.g.
renewable energy certiÿcates) and carbon o°sets are permi˜ed as part of the
carbon balance but do not need to be purchased at the time of ZCB-Design
certiÿcation.
LIMITS TO EMISSIONS
• Demonstrate that the embodied carbon intensity is at or below the
established target or meets the percentage reduction target compared to a
baseline building.
• Demonstrate that all space heating is designed to be provided using non-
combustion-based technologies down to an outdoor air temperature of -15
C or the design temperature, whichever is higher.
• Demonstrate that all service hot water is designed to be provided without
using onsite combustion-based technologies. Multi-unit residential
buildings, long-term care facilities, and other occupancy types with
signiÿcant hot water demand may adopt a hybrid water heating approach
where service hot water is heated to at least 45 C without combustion;
further heating to reach the set-point may use combustion. Alternatively,
at least 70 percent of the total annual load must be provided without
combustion.
• Demonstrate that refrigerants used in all HVAC equipment, service hot
water systems, and commercial refrigeration equipment comply with global
warming potential (GWP) limits.
• Combustion-based ÿreplaces, as well as gas stoves and ranges in
residential suites, are not permi˜ed.
ALTERNATIVE DESIGN AND TRANSITION PLAN
Projects that use any combustion for space heating or service hot water must
evaluate an alternative design that does not use these forms of combustion and
prepare a Zero Carbon Transition Plan.
ENERGY EFFICIENCY
• Report the modelled thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI) and energy
use intensity (EUI).
• Meet the energy performance requirements of the selected approach to
energy e˛ciency.
2.5
REQUIREMENTS
AT
A
GLANCE
< Back to 2.5 REQUIREMENTS AT A GLANCE Go to 03 ZERO CARBON BALANCE >

19
2.5
REQUIREMENTS
AT
A
GLANCE
When pursuing ZCB-Performance certiÿcation, projects certiÿed under ZCB-Design v2 and
later versions must meet the additional requirements below; compliance will be reviewed
during the ÿrst annual ZCB-Performance review.
1. O˝set the embodied carbon reported for ZCB-Design certiÿcation.
2. Perform airtightness testing prior to occupancy.
RESILIENCY TO FUTURE WEATHER
Applicants are encouraged to submit the results of any design condition or
energy model sensitivity analysis performed using future weather data.
AIRTIGHTNESS
Justify the use of a lower modelled air leakage rate, if applicable.
GRID CITIZENSHIP
• Report the summer and winter peak electrical demand.
• Projects with any onsite renewable energy, energy storage, or demand
response capabilities that reduce peak electrical load should report the
reduction as a percentage.
IMPACT AND INNOVATION
Demonstrate the inclusion of two Impact and Innovation strategies. At least one
of these strategies must come from the pre-approved list.
2.5
REQUIREMENTS
AT
A
GLANCE

20
2.5
REQUIREMENTS
AT
A
GLANCE
ZCB-DESIGN v4
One-time certiÿcation for new
buildings and major renovations
ZCB-PERFORMANCE v2
Annual certiÿcation for
existing buildings
ZERO CARBON
BALANCE
Model a zero carbon balance;
purchase of green power
products or o˝sets not required
Achieve zero carbon balance
with purchase of green power
products or o˝sets if needed
LIMITS TO
EMISSIONS
Meet limits for embodied
carbon, space heating,
service hot water, refrigerants,
ÿreplaces, stoves, and ranges
O˝set emissions
ALTERNATIVE
DESIGN AND
TRANSITION PLAN
If required, evaluate alternative
design and develop Transition
Plan
Update Transition Plan every
5 years
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
Meet one of three approaches Report EUI
RESILIENCY
Report ÿndings from an optional
future-weather sensitivity
analysis
No requirement
AIRTIGHTNESS
Justify if an air leakage rate
lower than the default is used
Conduct testing if ZCB-Design
v2, v3, or v4 certiÿed
GRID CITIZENSHIP
Report seasonal peaks and any
electrical load reductions
Report seasonal peaks
IMPACT AND
INNOVATION
Apply two strategies No requirement
Table 2 – ZCB-Design and ZCB-Performance requirements compared.
A summary and comparison of ZCB-Design and ZCB-Performance requirements is provided
in Table 2.

21
03
ZERO
CARBON
BALANCE
< Back to TOC Go to 3.1 EMBODIED CARBON >
03
ZERO CARBON
BALANCE
This section of the
Standard explains the
carbon accounting used
to demonstrate a carbon
balance of zero or be˜er.
A carbon balance of zero or better is the
ultimate goal of decarbonization efforts.
The carbon balance reaches zero
when the sources and sinks of carbon
emissions in a building are balanced
over a 60-year lifespan.
A carbon balance of zero or be˜er must be demonstrated for Zero Carbon Building – Design
(ZCB-Design) Standard™
certiÿcation. ZCB-Design recognizes that the holistic assessment of
carbon emissions is the best measure of progress toward minimizing climate change impacts
from buildings. Applicants must quantify, reduce, and optimize emissions across the building’s
life cycle, recognizing the impact of construction materials and building operations, as
illustrated in Figure 5.
Embodied carbon, operational carbon, and avoided carbon emissions are separately addressed
in Sections 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3. Together, embodied carbon and operational carbon over the life of
the building are known as whole-life carbon.
The ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
has been designed to simplify the calculation of the carbon
balance, and applicants must use this tool to demonstrate the zero carbon balance has been
achieved.
OPERATIONAL
CARBON
• Direct
emissions
• Indirect
emissions
EMBODIED
CARBON
• Upfront carbon
• Use stage
embodied
carbon
• End of life carbon
+ -
AVOIDED
EMISSIONS
• Exported green
power
• Carbon o˝sets
=
NET
EMISSIONS
Figure 5 – Calculating the carbon balance.

22
3.1
EMBODIED
CARBON
< Back to 03 ZERO CARBON BALANCE Go to 3.2 OPERATIONAL CARBON >
3.1 EMBODIED CARBON
Embodied carbon emissions are
derived from the manufacturing,
transport, installation, use, and
end-of-life of building materials.
In many regions of Canada, an e˛cient, all-
electric building’s embodied carbon will
outweigh its cumulative operating emissions
over its entire lifespan.10
Globally, embodied carbon emissions represent approximately 10
percent of all energy-related carbon emissions.11
Furthermore, emissions occurring during the
production and construction phases of a building, a subset of embodied carbon referred to as
upfront carbon, are released into the atmosphere before the building is even operational; given
that the timeframe for meaningful climate action is shrinking, there is a growing awareness of the
critical importance of addressing this upfront carbon.
The ZCB-Design Standard focuses on carbon emissions across the entire life cycle of the
building. As such, reductions in embodied carbon should be pursued as part of an approach
that includes consideration of carbon from building operations (‘operational carbon’). Decisions
about embodied carbon may impact operational carbon and vice versa.
To assess embodied carbon’s contribution to the carbon balance of the project, a whole-
building life cycle assessment (wbLCA) must be done in conformity with Section 3.1.1 Whole-
Building Life Cycle Assessment.
Projects must also report their embodied carbon intensity or the total embodied carbon
divided by the built °oor area. It should be noted that built ˝oor area includes the °oor area of
underground spaces including parking but excludes balconies and terraces.12
10
Derived from: Canada Green Building Council. (2021). Embodied Carbon: A Primer for Buildings in Canada.
11
Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction. (2024). Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction, p. 29. This figure
may be conservative as it only includes concrete, steel, aluminum, brick, and glass. It also only accounts for manufacturing and
does not include other life cycle stages (construction, use, and end of life).
12
For guidance on calculation of embodied carbon intensity see the National Research Council’s 2024 National Whole-building
Life Cycle Assessment Practitioner’s Guide: Guidance for Compliance Reporting of Embodied Carbon in Canadian Building
Construction.
Embodied carbon can
signiÿcantly outweigh
operational carbon, and
most of it is emi˜ed
before a building is
even operational.

23
3.1
EMBODIED
CARBON
Projects that have
certiÿed under
ZCB-Design will be
required to o˝set
their embodied
carbon to achieve
ZCB-Performance
certiÿcation.
Aˆer minimizing embodied carbon emissions
during design and construction, projects that
have achieved ZCB-Design must o˝set their
embodied carbon to achieve Zero Carbon
Building – Performance (ZCB-Performance)
Standard™ certiÿcation. Projects that intend
to seek ZCB-Performance certiÿcation may
wish to o˝set their embodied carbon using the
capital budget for design and construction.
While this approach is encouraged, ZCB-
Performance provides the °exibility to mitigate
embodied carbon by o˝se˜ing equal amounts
annually over as many as ÿve years. Beyond
the life cycle carbon (life cycle stage D) is
not included in embodied carbon and does
not need to be o˝set when seeking ZCB-
Performance certiÿcation.
3.1.1 WHOLE-BUILDING LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT
Projects must conduct a whole-building life cycle assessment (wbLCA) of the building
materials that includes the following life cycle stages, as illustrated in Figure 6:
• Upfront carbon (life cycle stages A1-5)
• Use stage embodied carbon (life cycle stages B1-5)
• End of life carbon (life cycle stages C1-4)
Figure 6 – Embodied carbon life cycle stages.
WHOLE-LIFE
CARBON
EMBODIED
CARBON
UPFRONT CARBON OPERATIONAL CARBON
OUT OF SCOPE
BEYOND THE LIFE CYCLE
USE STAGE EMBODIED CARBON
END OF LIFE CARBON
Raw
material
supply
Transport
Manufacturing
PRODUCT
stage
A1-3
A1 A2 A3
Construction-installation
process
Transport
CONSTRUCTION
PROCESS
stage
A4 A5
A4-5
Operational energy use
B6
Operational water use
B7
B1 B2 B3 B4 B5
Use
Maintenance
Repair
Replacement
Refurbishment
B1-7
USE
stage
Transport
Waste
processing
Disposal
De-construction
/
Demolition
C1 C2 C3 C4
C1-4
END OF LIFE
stage
D
Beneÿts and loads
beyond the building
life cycle
Supplementary
information beyond
the building life cycle
Reuse
Recovery
Recycle

24
3.1
EMBODIED
CARBON
The wbLCA must be conducted using the methodology from the National Research Council
(NRC) – National Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment Practitioner’s Guide: Guidance for
Compliance Reporting of Embodied Carbon in Canadian Building Construction (hereaˆer
referred to as the National wbLCA Practitioner’s Guide). This document provides practical
guidance on how to assess and demonstrate reductions in the estimated embodied carbon
of new construction and renovation designs. It is meant to complement and be used in
conjunction with the National Guidelines for Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment. The
National wbLCA Practitioner’s Guide was created to enable greater consistency in the
methodologies, boundaries, and assumptions used in wbLCAs for Part 3 buildings that intend
to demonstrate compliance with certiÿcation programs and jurisdictional requirements. Using
a common Canadian methodology, it streamlines the work for practitioners and begins to
allow for program comparisons.
Projects must adhere to the following direction when applying the National wbLCA
Practitioner’s Guide. Where there are di˝erences between the guide and the ZCB-Design
Standard, the la˜er takes precedence. Projects must:
1. Follow the Cradle-to-Grave Embodied Carbon Assessments approach outlined in the
guide, addressing life cycle stages A1-A5, B1-5, and C1-C4. The guide provides direction
on handling stages for which information is not available. As noted in the guide, life cycle
stage D shall not be included in the embodied carbon calculations used for compliance
but may be calculated and reported separately.
2. Follow the required scope elements for structure and enclosure, speciÿcally substructure
(foundations, subgrade enclosures, slab-on-grades) and shell (superstructure, exterior
vertical enclosures, exterior horizontal enclosures). Currently, ZCB-Design v4 does
not include those elements identiÿed as ‘optional scope’ (e.g., interiors, sitework,
and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems) in assessing embodied carbon’s
contribution to the project’s carbon balance.
3. Conduct a wbLCA for each building. Where buildings a˜ach through an underground
parking garage, each building must pursue certiÿcation independently, as noted in Section
2.2 Eligibility. Project teams must separate the embodied carbon assessment for the
underground space and appropriately a˜ribute it to the buildings aboveground based on
their °oor areas or another suitable methodology. While the National wbLCA Practitioner’s
Guide allows for wbLCA assessments to be completed on multiple buildings joined only by
underground parking, ZCB-Design v4 does not.
The embodied carbon assessment must re°ect the Construction Documents Stage, as noted
in the National wbLCA Practitioner’s Guide; an Early Design Stage assessment cannot be
used for certiÿcation. Note, it is recommended that discussions on embodied carbon begin
during pre-design, and that analysis begin no later than schematic design to in°uence project
outcomes.

25
3.2
OPERATIONAL
CARBON
< Back to 3.1 EMBODIED CARBON Go to 3.3 AVOIDED EMISSIONS >
3.2 OPERATIONAL CARBON
Operational carbon emissions are
associated with energy use and
potential releases of refrigerants
during regular building operations.
When targeting ZCB-Design certiÿcation,
reducing fossil fuel consumption and the
resulting operational carbon, is the priority.
Once occupied, operational carbon becomes
the critical measure of annual carbon emissions.
To achieve ZCB-Performance certiÿcation, operational carbon must be compensated for with
avoided emissions (carbon o°sets and exported green power) to demonstrate that a building
has minimized its climatic impact during the performance period.
Operational carbon must be assessed and reported in the ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
,
following the details below. While this section details how projects account for operational
carbon in the carbon balance, Section 4.0 Limits to Emissions speciÿes the maximum limits for
several sources of operational carbon.
3.2.1 DIRECT EMISSIONS
Direct emissions refer to emissions that occur at the project site because of the combustion of
fuels or the release of refrigerants.
3.2.1.1 FUGITIVE EMISSIONS FROM REFRIGERANTS
Low-carbon designs oˆen take advantage of e˛cient heat pump technology. Refrigerants
used in heat pump equipment can contribute to climate change if they leak into the
atmosphere or are improperly disposed of. Project teams should consider the global warming
potential (GWP) of refrigerant options when making design decisions, as the heat-trapping
potential of some can be hundreds or even thousands of times greater than other choices.
ZCB-Design certiÿcation requires projects to report the total quantity, type, and GWP of each
refrigerant contained in all base building HVAC systems, service hot water systems, and
commercial refrigeration equipment. The total global warming impact of the refrigerants will
be assessed in the ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
, enabling project teams to understand how
refrigerants impact the carbon balance. The Workbook includes GWP values for common
refrigerants, referencing the IPCC 5th Assessment Report as shown in Table 5 of Section
4.2 Refrigerant Limit. In calculating the carbon balance, the ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
also
incorporates assumptions for annual average refrigerant leakage.
The ZCB-Performance Standard requires that any fugitive refrigerant emissions be o˝set.
The ZCB-Design
Standard leverages
the GHG Protocol’s
Corporate Accounting
and Reporting Standard
methodology for
quantifying emissions
from building operations.

26
3.2
OPERATIONAL
CARBON
Careful selection of mechanical systems and establishing commissioning and preventative-
maintenance plans can reduce the amount of carbon o°sets needed in the future.
Consistent with the approach taken by Canada’s National Inventory Report, emissions in the
ZCB-Design Standard are presented in carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2
e), or the volume of
CO2
emissions that would have an equivalent GWP over 100 years.
However, projects are encouraged to also consider emissions using 20-year GWP values.
Some types of refrigerants act as near-term climate forcers, which means they have a short
life but a high heat-trapping potential. For example, HFC-32 has 2,330 times the heat-trapping
potential of CO2
when measured over 20 years, but only 677 times the heat-trapping potential
of CO2
over 100 years, as shown in Figure 7.13
Using 100-year GWP values misrepresents the
large heat-trapping impact of these emissions over the next few decades – the period of time
that we have leˆ to take meaningful action on climate change.14
REFRIGERANT GLOBAL WARMING POTENTIAL
3.2.1.2 COMBUSTION
applies emissions factors to calculate annual building
emissions associated with onsite combustion. Provincial GHG factors are used for natural gas,
while national factors are used for other fossil fuels (e.g., propane, fuel oil, and diesel). Emission
factors are sourced from the most recent release of Canada’s National Inventory Report and
may be updated periodically. Projects must use the emissions factors in the most recent ZCB-
Design v4 Workbook™
available at the time of submission for certiÿcation.
13
IPCC. (2013). Working Group I Contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Values are derived from Table 8.A.1.
14
Chartered Professional Accountants Canada, The Time Value of Carbon – Smart Strategies to Accelerate Emissions Reductions, p.11.
Figure 7 – Global warming potential (GWP) values of common refrigerants.
R-410a
20 Year 100 Year
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
R-407c R-134a R-32 R-454b R-123

27
3.2
OPERATIONAL
CARBON
Fuel used in emergency backup generators does not need to be estimated for ZCB-Design
certiÿcation; however, it must be included in the carbon balance for ZCB-Performance
certiÿcation.
3.2.1.2.1 BIOGAS
The ZCB-Design Standard recognizes the beneÿts of certain forms of renewable natural
gas (biogas). Eligible biogas resources that can be used onsite include gaseous products
produced by the anaerobic decomposition of organic wastes from one of the following
sources:
1. Sewage treatment plants;
2. Manure and other farm and food/feed-based anaerobic digestion processing facilities; or
3. Landÿll gas.
Applicants must either produce their own biogas onsite, or purchase biogas from their natural
gas provider for it to be eligible. Eligible biogas is treated as a zero emissions biofuel and
assigned an emissions factor of zero; it does not contribute to direct emissions.
ZCB-Design certiÿcation does not require a contract for the purchase of biogas; purchases are
veriÿed as part of ZCB-Performance certiÿcation. However, projects must show proof that an
eligible supply is available, as noted in the ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
.
3.2.1.2.2 BIOMASS
The ZCB-Design Standard does not treat all biomass as carbon neutral but does recognize
the beneÿts of certain forms of renewable biomass. As such, applicants who use an onsite
form of biomass may propose more speciÿc emissions factors where they can be veriÿed by a
registered professional.
Biomass resources used onsite that are eligible to be treated as zero emissions biofuels15
include:
1. Solid biomass removed from ÿelds and forests that are managed by following sound
environmental management practices.16
Solid biomass can either be whole plants,
parts of plants, or harvesting and industrial by-product residues arising from the
harvesting and processing of agricultural crops or forestry products that would
otherwise be landÿlled or incinerated;
2. Dedicated energy crops with a rotation of less than 10 years; and
3. Liquid fuels derived from biomass as deÿned in items (1) and (2) above, including,
among other things, ethanol, biodiesel, and methanol.
15
‘Zero emissions’ is meant to characterize certain biofuels from a net-carbon emissions perspective; it is understood that other
combustion products are released during combustion.
16
Refer to UL 2854 Standard for Sustainability for Renewable Low-Impact Electricity Products for a definition of ‘sound
environmental management practices’.

28
3.2
OPERATIONAL
CARBON
Biomass resources that are ineligible to be treated as zero emissions biofuels include:
1. Municipal solid waste; and
2. Those manufacturing process by-products that have been treated in the manners listed
below:
i. Wood coated with paint, plastics or Formica;
ii. Wood treated with preservatives containing halogens, chlorine or halide
like chromated copper arsenate or arsenic;
iii. Wood that has been treated with adhesives; and
iv. Railroad ties.
If the treated biomass types (per (2) above) comprise one percent or less by weight of the
total biomass used, and the remainder is from eligible sources of biomass, all biomass may be
treated as a zero emissions biofuel.
Zero emissions biofuels are assigned an emissions factor of zero and do not contribute to
direct emissions.
ZCB-Design certiÿcation does not require a contract for the purchase of biomass; purchases
are veriÿed as part of ZCB-Performance certiÿcation. However, projects must show proof that
an eligible supply is available, as noted in the ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
.
3.2.2 INDIRECT EMISSIONS
Indirect emissions refer to emissions that do not occur directly within the project site, such as
those emissions associated with purchased energy, water use, waste, and transportation from
commuting. As detailed below, indirect emissions within the scope of ZCB-Design certiÿcation
include only the emissions associated with purchased energy, such as electricity or thermal
energy.
3.2.2.1 ELECTRICITY
Provincial location-based electricity grid emissions factors are used to represent the average
emissions of all grid-connected electricity generation in a province. Provincial location-
based electricity grid emissions factors are included in the ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
, which
is periodically updated to re°ect the latest emission factors from Environment and Climate
Change Canada’s National Inventory Report.17
Projects may substitute a market-based
residual mix emissions factor if their local utility has published one. Residual mix emissions
factors are an emerging way to account for the retirement of green power products within
a speciÿc geographic boundary; however, they are not widely available in North America.
Projects wishing to use this option may enter a custom emissions factor in the ZCB-Design v4
Workbook™
and provide the source of the residual mix emissions factor.
17
For the latest version of the report, go to Environment and Climate Change Canada’s National Inventory Report webpage and
find the most recent Inventory Report. In past years, electricity emission factors have been in Part 3, Annex 13. Alternatively, see
“C-Tables-Electricity-Canada-Provinces-Territories” on Canada’s Official Greenhouse Gas Inventory page.

29
3.2
OPERATIONAL
CARBON
The ZCB-Design Standard recognizes that electricity may be sourced from a district energy
system or an islanded grid (a small grid not connected to the provincial grid). The emission
factors for these speciÿc sources may be used where they are available and can be veriÿed
by a registered professional. Projects wishing to use this option may enter a custom emissions
factor in the ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
.
Electricity used by electric vehicle charging stations that service vehicles used outside
the project site, regardless of whether the vehicles are °eet vehicles or otherwise, should
be separately metered and excluded from the calculation of indirect emissions from grid
electricity.
3.2.2.2 OWNED RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS
Owned renewable energy systems, whether onsite or o˝site, reduce the need for grid
electricity, fuel, heating and/or cooling, lowering the emissions associated with these energy
sources. Renewable energy systems typically take the form of solar or wind power generation
and solar thermal heating.
If more green power is generated than energy used on an hourly basis, it contributes to the
avoided emissions from exported green power (see Section 3.3.1 Exported Green Power).
All environmental a˜ributes (in the form of renewable energy certiÿcates) associated with the
onsite or o˝site generation and/or export of green power must be retained by the applicant
and cannot be sold if the power generation is to count toward achieving a zero carbon
balance. Exceptions may be made where retaining environmental a˜ributes is outside the
control of the project team. Examples include where a non-negotiable net-metering contract
or local energy legislation requires that the a˜ributes be surrendered to the local utility or
government.
3.2.2.2.1 ONSITE
Onsite renewable energy helps to improve building resilience in the face of power outages,
reduces total energy use and overall demand from the electrical grid, minimizes environmental
impacts from power generation facilities, and helps build the knowledge and marketplace for
a distributed energy future.
Applicants to the ZCB-Design program must report their total modelled onsite renewable
energy. Note that the usable energy produced by the renewable energy system is the output
energy from the system less any transmission and conversion losses, such as standby heat
loss or losses when converting electricity from DC to AC.
Onsite power generation systems may or may not be net metered. Net-metering allows a
project to connect renewable power generation equipment to the local grid and receive a
credit on their bill for any electricity that is exported to the grid.

30
3.2
OPERATIONAL
CARBON
3.2.2.2.2 OFFSITE
O˝site renewable energy systems must be new and virtually net-metered to the building
seeking certiÿcation. Virtual net-metering is an arrangement with the utility whereby green
power generation equipment is installed in another location and net-metered against
(deducted from) the building’s electricity bill. Alternatively, o˝site systems may take the form of
green power systems installed on adjacent buildings within a campus.
3.2.2.3 GREEN POWER PRODUCTS
Green power products involve the purchase of bundled green power or green power
environmental a˜ributes. Each kilowa˜-hour of procured green power products can replace
an equivalent amount of grid electricity in the calculation of the carbon balance. Procured
green power products cannot be used to reduce other sources of emissions.
To qualify under the ZCB-Design Standard, green power products can be generated anywhere
in Canada. However, project teams are encouraged to consider local options ÿrst. Green
power products must be generated from:
• Solar energy;
• Wind;
• Water (including low-impact hydro, wave, tidal, and in-stream sources);
• Qualifying biogas (see 3.2.1.2.1 Biogas);
• Qualifying biomass (see 3.2.1.2.2 Biomass); or,
• Geothermal energy.
Green power products purchased to meet regulatory programs may also contribute to the
carbon balance provided they meet the ZCB-Design program’s requirements. For example,
where a building is in a municipality or province that requires buildings to o˝set their
operational energy consumption with the purchase of green power, these purchases can also
be used to meet the requirements of the ZCB-Design Standard.
Not all forms of green power products provide the same level of additionality. Additionality
refers to the likelihood that the procurement of green power products will result in new
renewable electricity generation equipment that would not otherwise have been installed.
The following hierarchy has been established to ensure that project teams are aware of the
di˝erent options available and can explore the highest quality options ÿrst.
1. Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs): A power purchase agreement is a contract for green
power and the associated environmental a˜ributes that typically includes the purchase
of a signiÿcant volume of electricity under a contract that lasts for at least ÿˆeen years.
PPAs are among the highest-quality forms of green power product procurement. They
are most oˆen used at the company-wide scale and are not suitable for use by a single
building. PPAs are also not available in all regions of Canada. All PPAs must be certiÿed
by either ECOLOGO or Green-e®
Energy, or meet the requirements outlined in Appendix
I – Requirements for Bundled Green Power Products that are not ECOLOGO or Green-e®
Certified. All power must be from green power facilities in Canada.

31
3.2
OPERATIONAL
CARBON
2. Utility Green Power: Utility green power is a product o˝ered by some Canadian utilities
where the electricity and the associated environmental a˜ributes (in the form of renewable
energy certiÿcates) are sold together. Unlike a PPA, utility green power purchases oˆen
do not require a volume purchase or ÿxed term. All utility green power must be certiÿed
by either ECOLOGO or Green-e®
Energy, or meet the requirements outlined in Appendix
I – Requirements for Bundled Green Power Products that are not ECOLOGO or Green-e®
Certified. All power must be from green power facilities in Canada.
3. Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs): Renewable energy certiÿcates are market
instruments that represent the environmental beneÿts associated with one megawa˜ hour
of electricity generated from renewable resources such as solar and wind. They can be
purchased from a third party. All RECs must be certiÿed by ECOLOGO or Green-e®
Energy
and generated from green power facilities located in Canada.
ZCB-Design certiÿcation allows project teams to indicate the volume (kWh) of green power
products anticipated to be purchased annually. Applicants are not required to purchase the
green power products at the time of ZCB-Design submission; purchases are veriÿed as part of
ZCB-Performance certiÿcation.
3.2.2.4 DISTRICT HEATING AND COOLING
requires the emissions factors for district heating and cooling
systems to be entered manually.The emission factors must be veriÿed by a registered professional.
3.2.2.4.1 GREEN HEAT FROM DISTRICT ENERGY SYSTEMS
Green heat is district heating that is generated using clean energy technologies or zero
emissions biofuels. When the associated environmental a˜ributes are bundled in the
purchase of green heat, each unit of procured green heat energy can replace an equivalent
amount of district heating in the calculation of the carbon balance. Procured green heat
cannot be used to reduce other sources of emissions.
To claim green heat, a signed commitment le˜er from the building owner to procure green heat
for the project must be provided, along with conÿrmation from the district energy provider that
su˛cient green heat from non-combustion-based sources is available. The green heat must be
generated from sources on the district energy system to which the building is connected.
The accounting for the district energy provider’s green heat program must meet the quality
criteria established by the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance.18
The district energy provider
must obtain an annual third-party audit of the generation and sale of green heat as well as
compliance with the quality criteria.
18
World Resources Institute. 2015. GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance. Table 7.1 page 60.

32
3.3
AVOIDED
EMISSIONS
< Back to 3.2 OPERATIONAL CARBON Go to 04 LIMITS TO EMISSIONS >
3.3 AVOIDED EMISSIONS
Avoided emissions are emissions
reductions that occur outside of the
value chain or life cycle of a building.
Avoided emissions are critical to achieving a
zero carbon balance. For example, they enable
embodied carbon and refrigerant leaks to be
mitigated.
Avoided emissions must be assessed and
reported in the ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
following the direction provided below.
3.3.1 EXPORTED GREEN POWER
If the renewable energy generated exceeds the energy used (as evaluated on an hourly
basis) and is then exported to the electricity grid, it is recognized as contributing to avoided
emissions, provided that the associated renewable energy certiÿcates are retained. Avoided
emissions from exported green power can only be used to reduce indirect emissions from
electricity.
A project’s avoided emissions are calculated using marginal electricity grid emissions factors
for each province. These factors are based on the emissions intensity of the non-baseload
electricity generation, which be˜er captures the grid-level emissions reductions that are
achieved (given that baseload electricity generation is una˝ected by additions of intermi˜ent
renewable energy). The GHG Protocol’s Guidelines for Quantifying GHG Reductions from
Grid-Connected Electricity Projects champions a marginal approach to quantify emissions
reductions based on the grid-level carbon impacts. This approach is further supported by a
recent working paper from the GHG Protocol titled Estimating and Reporting the Comparative
Emissions Impacts of Products. This working paper advocates for avoided emissions to
consider the system-level impacts when bringing products (such as buildings) to market.
Project teams that would rather use provincial location-based electricity grid emissions
factors to measure avoided emissions may opt to do so at their discretion. These factors
are based on the average emissions intensity of all types of electricity generation within
a province. In high-carbon grids where the average emissions intensity is higher than the
marginal emissions intensity (for example, where baseload is substantially met with coal-
ÿred electricity generation and marginal electricity is provided from other sources), using the
average emissions intensity allows for more appropriate sizing of renewable energy systems
and recognizes that e˝orts are underway to decarbonize Canada’s electricity grids.
The ZCB-Design
Standard recognizes
avoided emissions from
investments in carbon
o˝set projects, as well
as avoided emissions
based on grid-level
impacts from exporting
green power.

33
3.3
AVOIDED
EMISSIONS
3.3.2 CARBON OFFSETS
Carbon o°sets are a credit for reductions
in greenhouse gas emissions that occur
somewhere else, which can be purchased to
compensate for direct emissions or indirect
emissions on a per tonne basis. Carbon o˝sets
are the only means of mitigating the impacts of
embodied carbon and refrigerant leaks.
provides an estimate of the volume of carbon o˝sets that will
be required to cover the embodied carbon of the ÿnal design and one year of operations.
Applicants are required to provide a quote for the purchase of the deÿned volume of carbon
o˝sets. Purchase of the carbon o˝sets is not required for ZCB-Design certiÿcation; rather,
carbon o˝set purchases are required for ZCB-Performance certiÿcation, where the quantity
purchased is determined based on actual building performance.
High-quality carbon o˝sets ensure that o˝set projects include safeguards related to:
• Additionality: The likelihood that the emissions reductions would not have happened
anyway.
• Permanence: The likelihood that the emissions removed will not be returned to the
atmosphere later (for example, a commitment to maintain a forest could be repealed).
• Leakage: The risk that emissions reductions will result in increased emissions elsewhere
(for example, designating a forest as protected without precautions to prevent increased
deforestation in unprotected areas).
To qualify under the Zero Carbon Building – Design (ZCB-Design) Standard™, carbon o˝sets
must meet one of the following criteria:
• Certiÿed by Green-e®
or equivalent; and/or
• Derived from carbon o˝set projects certiÿed under one of the following high-quality
international programs:19
• Gold Standard
• Veriÿed Carbon Standard (VCS)
• The Climate Action Reserve
• American Carbon Registry
• Sourced from Canadian provincial or federal carbon o˝set programs, including the following:
• BC Carbon Registry
• Alberta Emission O˝set System
• Canada’s Greenhouse Gas O˝set Credit System
19
While Green-e®
Climate certified carbon offsets provide the highest level of consumer confidence, additional programs are
listed to ensure a diverse selection of offset project types and geographical locations are available.
Applicants are only
required to provide a
quote for the purchase
of carbon o˝sets.

34
3.3
AVOIDED
EMISSIONS
Carbon o˝sets may come from projects anywhere in the world and from any project type that
meets the requirements of the programs listed above. Project teams may choose to apply their
own criteria when deciding on the selection of carbon o˝sets.
Carbon o˝sets purchased to meet regulatory programs may also contribute to ZCB-Design
certiÿcation provided they meet the above requirements. For example, where a building is
in a municipality or province that requires buildings to o˝set their carbon emissions with the
purchase of carbon o˝sets, these purchases can also be used to meet the requirements of the
ZCB-Design Standard.
UBC Gateway, Vancouver, British Columbia, ZCB-Design v2.

35
04
LIMITS
TO
EMISSIONS
< Back to TOC Go to 4.2 REFRIGERANT LIMIT >
04
LIMITS TO
EMISSIONS
The limits to carbon
emissions are the most
critical and direct measures
to reduce the building’s
carbon footprint.
BUILDING TYPE
MAXIMUM EMBODIED CARBON INTENSITY
(kg CO2
e/m2
of built °oor area)
All buildings except warehouses and
distribution centres
425
Warehouses and distribution centres,
including similar structures with
untenanted spaces
350
Table 3 – Embodied carbon intensity targets.
Zero Carbon Building – Design (ZCB-
Design) Standard™ v4 projects should
strive to eliminate greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions in all forms, and must
meet limits to emissions from space
heating, service hot water, refrigerants,
and embodied carbon.
4.1 EMBODIED CARBON LIMIT
ZCB-Design projects must meet a minimum achievement threshold for embodied carbon. Two
compliance paths are o˝ered, in alignment with the National wbLCA Practitioner’s Guide. Refer
to Section 3.1.1 Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment for information on how to determine
embodied carbon emissions.
PATH 1: EMBODIED CARBON INTENSITY
The embodied carbon intensity of the project must not exceed the applicable target in Table 3.
No baseline needs to be created. Targets are only available for certain building types due to the
limited availability of benchmark data.

36
4.1
EMBODIED
CARBON
LIMIT
< Back to 04 LIMITS TO EMISSIONS Go to 4.2 REFRIGERANT LIMIT >
PATH 2: IMPROVEMENT OVER BASELINE
The project’s embodied carbon must be at least 10 percent less than that of a functionally
equivalent baseline building. This path is available for all project types.
Projects that have special structural or envelope requirements, or location challenges that
make these targets unrealistic, are encouraged to contact the Canada Green Building Council®
(CAGBC) at zerocarbon@cagbc.org to discuss options early in the project.
Note that biogenic carbon20
is not included in the embodied carbon values reported for
demonstration of compliance and therefore does not contribute to meeting the minimum
performance threshold. However, project teams are encouraged to report impacts associated
with biogenic carbon separately.
Note that an incentive is provided for projects to exceed the minimum level of performance.
See Section 10.0 Impact & Innovation for additional information.
20
Biogenic carbon is the carbon stored in biomaterials through natural processes but not fossilized or derived from fossil
resources. Sequestering (storing) biogenic carbon in building materials is one way to reduce upfront carbon. Materials can lock
carbon away over many decades and, in some instances, in perpetuity. It is sometimes even possible to store more carbon
in materials than results from their manufacturing and other upfront life cycle stages. As such, upfront carbon emissions can
be a negative value. However, there is currently no consensus on the accounting of biogenetic carbon, and as such, it is not
included in the wbLCA for compliance.

37
4.2
REFRIGERANT
LIMIT
< Back to 4.1 EMBODIED CARBON LIMIT Go to 4.3 ONSITE COMBUSTION LIMIT FOR SPACE HEATING >
4.2 REFRIGERANT LIMIT
Refrigerants used in all heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, service
hot water systems, and commercial refrigeration equipment are subject to the global warming
potential (GWP) limits speciÿed in Table 4. Equipment is not subject to GWP limits if it is not
listed in Table 4 or the equipment is already in place, as in the case of a retroÿt project. Refer to
Appendix IV for a description of the equipment types.
REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT TYPE GWP LIMIT (100-YEAR)
Stand-alone medium-temperature refrigeration system 1400
Stand-alone low-temperature refrigeration system 1500
Condensing unit 2200
Chiller (other than absorption or adsorption) 750
Centralized refrigeration system 2200
Heat pump 2000
Commercial air conditioning 2000
Absorption or Adsorption heat pump or chiller 1
Table 4 – GWP limits by refrigeration system type.
The refrigerant GWP limits in ZCB-Design v4 align with the limits from the Government of
Canada’s o˝set protocol for refrigerant emissions.21
includes
the GWP of common refrigerants, listed for convenience in Table 5.
Table 5 – 100-year GWP of common refrigerants.22
21
Environment and Climate Change Canada (2023). Federal Offset Protocol: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from
Refrigeration Systems. Values are from Table 2 GWP Limits for Eligible Refrigerants.
22
IPCC. (2013). Working Group I Contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Values are derived from Table 8.A.1.
REFRIGERANTS GWP (100-YEAR)
R-410a 1924
R-407c 1624
R-134a 1300
R-32 677
R-454b 467
R-123 79
R-744 (CO2
) 1
R-717 (NH3
) 0

38
4.3
ONSITE
COMBUSTION
LIMIT
FOR
SPACE
HEATING
< Back to 4.2 REFRIGERANT LIMIT Go to 4.4 ONSITE COMBUSTION LIMIT FOR SERVICE HOT WATER >
4.3 ONSITE COMBUSTION
LIMIT FOR SPACE HEATING
Space heating systems should be designed to
operate without onsite combustion whenever
possible. However, to provide greater design
°exibility and recognize current technological
and ÿnancial barriers, some onsite combustion
for space heating is permi˜ed.
Where onsite combustion is used, zero emissions biofuels should be considered. However,
projects should recognize that the potential supply of zero emissions biofuels is limited
and use of these fuels should be reserved for industries where eliminating combustion is
impractical.
Projects must be designed to provide all space heating with installed non-combustion-based
technologies at an outdoor air temperature of -15 C or the design temperature, whichever is
higher. Space heating technologies whose performance is not directly a˝ected by outdoor air
temperature (e.g., ground source heat pumps, electric resistance) must meet the same fraction
of the annual heating demand as a non-combustion system that is supported by onsite
combustion at outdoor air temperatures below -15 C (or the design temperature, whichever is
higher).
CAGBC will consider requests for exemptions to the onsite combustion limit for space heating
for those projects located in remote regions of Canada on islanded grids, or for locations with
electricity supply issues.
Where onsite
combustion is used,
zero emissions biofuels
should be considered.

39
4.4
ONSITE
COMBUSTION
LIMIT
FOR
SERVICE
HOT
WATER
< Back to 4.3ONSITE COMBUSTION LIMIT FOR SPACE HEATING Go to 4.5 LIMITS TO OTHER SOURCES OF COMBUSTION >
4.4 ONSITE COMBUSTION LIMIT FOR SERVICE HOT WATER
Projects designs must provide all service hot water heating without onsite combustion-
based technologies. A special allowance is provided for multi-unit residential buildings,
long-term care facilities, and other building types with signiÿcant service hot water needs.
These projects can choose to use a hybrid water heating approach where combustion
provides some of the service hot water heating. In this approach, projects must demonstrate
one of the following:
1. Service hot water is heated to at least 45 C without combustion;23
or,
2. At least 70% of the service hot water annual heating load is provided without combustion.
Projects with signiÿcant service hot water needs, other than multi-unit residential buildings
or long-term care facilities, should refer to the ZCB Interpretation Database for guidance on
whether a hybrid approach is permissible or contact CAGBC at zerocarbon@cagbc.org if
needed.
CAGBC will consider requests for exemptions to the onsite combustion limit for service
hot water for projects located in remote regions of Canada that are on islanded grids, or in
locations with electricity supply issues.
23
Combustion may be used for the additional heating required to reach the set-point for compliance with safety standards.

40
4.5
LIMITS
TO
OTHER
SOURCES
OF
COMBUSTION
< Back to 4.4 ONSITE COMBUSTION LIMIT FOR SERVICE HOT WATER Go to 05 ALTERNATIVE DESIGN EVALUATION AND TRANSITION PLAN >
4.5 LIMITS TO OTHER SOURCES OF COMBUSTION
The following appliances may not be used in buildings seeking ZCB-Design certiÿcation:
• Gas stoves and ranges in residential suites. Commercial kitchens are excluded from this
requirement.
• Combustion-based ÿreplaces, including decorative ÿreplaces and those used for heating.
In recognition and respect for the importance of ÿre in Indigenous cultures, wood
ÿreplaces, hearths, and ÿre pits that are intended to support or re°ect Indigenous culture,
such as ceremonial practices, are permi˜ed. The expected carbon emissions must be
reported based on estimated future use. If the wood selected is sourced sustainably
(which is not a requirement), the impact on the carbon balance will be reduced. For more
details, refer to Section 3.2.1.2.2 Biomass. Additionally, the ÿreplace must be accounted for
in the energy model, even if it is not intended for heating.
Backup generators or district energy systems that rely on combustion-based technology may
not be used to mitigate peak electrical events.
Centennial College Block A Expansion, Toronto, Ontario, ZCB-Design v1.

41
05
ALTE
R
NAT
I
V
E
D
E
SI
GN
E
VALUATI
ON
AND
T
RANSI
TI
ON
PL
AN
< Back to TOC Go to 5.2 ZERO CARBON TRANSITION PLAN >
05
ALTERNATIVE DESIGN
EVALUATION AND
TRANSITION PLAN
ZCB-Design requires that
options for eliminating
onsite combustion in the
short and long term be
considered.
Zero Carbon Building – Design (ZCB-
Design) StandardTM
projects that use
onsite combustion to meet a portion of
their space heating or service hot water
demand must evaluate an Alternative
Design with no onsite combustion and
develop a Zero Carbon Transition Plan,
regardless of whether zero emissions
biofuels are used.
There are also requirements for buildings connecting to a district energy system that uses
combustion, as speciÿed in Section 5.4 Application to District Energy Systems.
5.1 EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE DESIGN WITHOUT ONSITE
COMBUSTION
An alternative design, which does not use onsite combustion for space heating or service hot
water, must be developed and evaluated against the chosen design.
The alternative design evaluation must include:
1. A summary of the basic mechanical approach for both the chosen design (which
incorporates combustion for a portion of the space heating and/or service hot water)
and the alternative design.
2. A table or list providing details of the space heating and/or service hot water
equipment (as applicable) of the chosen design and the alternative design, including:
• Name/description of equipment;
• Anticipated service life;
• Area or loads served;
• Input capacity;
• Output capacity; and/or
• Nameplate e˛ciency (%).

42
5.1
EVALUATION
OF
ALTERNATIVE
DESIGN
WITHOUT
ONSITE
COMBUSTION
< Back to 05 ALTERNATIVE DESIGN EVALUATION AND TRANSITION PLAN Go to 5.2 ZERO CARBON TRANSITION PLAN >
3. A description of the measures considered and those implemented in the chosen
design to minimize space heating and service hot water loads and respective peak
demand loads, such as:
• How the building envelope performance was addressed, recognizing that the
building envelope can signiÿcantly impact the sizing and operation of space heating
equipment;
• Thermal energy recovery strategies;
• Thermal storage; and/or
• Low-°ow water ÿxtures.
4. A description of the measures considered and those implemented in the chosen
design to facilitate the future conversion to non-combustion-based technologies,
such as:
• Designing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) distribution system
for low-grade heat;
• Allocating space for electric-based heating technologies (e.g., heat pumps);
• Ensuring electrical capacity for full electriÿcation in the future; and/or
• Making provisions for onsite renewable energy systems (e.g., photovoltaic (PV)
ready design) and electric or thermal energy storage.
5. A detailed description of the reasons why the non-combustion-based systems weren’t
chosen.
Project teams are encouraged to consider a holistic approach to emissions by including other
sources of onsite combustion in the evaluation, such as humidiÿcation and process loads.

43
5.2
ZERO
CARBON
TRANSITION
PLAN
< Back to 5.1 EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE DESIGN WITHOUT ONSITE COMBUSTION Go to 5.3 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS >
5.2 ZERO CARBON TRANSITION PLAN
A Zero Carbon Transition Plan is a costed plan that outlines how a building will adapt over time
to remove combustion from building operations, decreasing the need for carbon o˝sets to
mitigate annual emissions.
The Transition Plan must include:
1. A narrative describing the future energy and carbon reduction measures that would be
implemented to eliminate onsite combustion for space heating and service hot water
by the earlier of either:
• The expected end of life of the combustion-based equipment, or;
• A date no later than December 31st
, 2049.
2. A table or list providing the following for each measure:
• Impact on annual carbon emissions;
• Impact on energy consumption;
• Impact on capital costs; and
• Impact on operating costs.
3. A timeline identifying when measures would be implemented, leveraging natural
intervention points such as the mechanical system’s anticipated end of life. The timeline
must include:
• Annual carbon emissions; and
• Building milestones, such as the expected end-of-service life of relevant equipment
(e.g., mechanical systems, windows, enclosure, and/or roof).
4. A ÿve-year capital plan outlining the measures that the project intends to pursue over
the ÿrst ÿve years following initial occupancy or renovation. The capital plan must
include:
• A narrative summarizing the proposed measures;
• Estimated costs;
• Estimated savings,
• Carbon emission reductions;
• Energy savings, including any improvements to energy use intensity (EUI) and
thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI); and
• A narrative summarizing the business case.
5. An evaluation of the electrical capacity available and any upgrades needed to
implement the energy and carbon reduction measures including a description of the
feasibility and challenges of any upgrades.
Project teams are encouraged to consider how building performance regulations, equipment
regulations and increasing market and investor expectations might drive equipment
replacement before its end of life.

44
5.2
ZERO
CARBON
TRANSITION
PLAN
< Back to 5.1 EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVE DESIGN WITHOUT ONSITE COMBUSTION Go to 5.3 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS >
If not already integrated into the project design, teams are also encouraged to consider:
• Solutions to minimize or eliminate other sources of emissions, such as humidiÿcation,
refrigerants, ÿre suppressants, and process loads.
• Solutions to reduce grid impacts and, potentially, utility costs, such as onsite renewable
energy, and/or thermal and electrical energy storage.
• Future EV charging infrastructure needs, which might impact the electricity available to
electrify space heating and service hot water fully. The potential for bi-directional charging
could also be considered.
To ensure the Zero Carbon Transition Plan is implemented and evolves to re°ect the latest
technologies and costs:
• Building owners and operators are encouraged to integrate the Transition Plan within the
building’s capital planning process to ensure alignment of budgets and timing.
• Project teams are encouraged to pursue Zero Carbon Building – Performance (ZCB-
Performance) Standard™ certiÿcation once in operation to verify the outcomes of
implementing the Transition Plan and ensure that the plan is updated every ÿve years.

45
5.3
FINANCIAL
ANALYSIS
< Back to 5.2 ZERO CARBON TRANSITION PLAN Go to 5.4 APPLICATION TO DISTRICT ENERGY SYSTEMS >
5.3 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
A ÿnancial analysis must be conducted to compare the net present value of two scenarios:
1. The chosen design including Zero Carbon Transition Plan measures.
2. The alternative design.
The net present value must be evaluated over a period of at least 20 years, which represents
the lower end of the expected service life for most key building systems (mechanical and
otherwise).
The chosen design must include the Zero Carbon Transition Plan measures identiÿed for
implementation within the 20-year period of the ÿnancial analysis, to re°ect the likelihood that
regulation and market drivers will require implementation of the Transition Plan. For example, if
the Transition Plan requires replacement of auxiliary heating system gas-ÿred boilers with air
source heat pumps aˆer 15 years of operation, the ÿnancial analysis must include the capital
cost of replacement in year 15.
The net present value calculation must include projected fuel cost escalation, and a three
percent discount rate must be used.
Project teams are encouraged to use the Zero Carbon Building Life Cycle Cost Calculator™
for
the ÿnancial analysis. This tool facilitates a comprehensive and mindful ÿnancial evaluation
of proposed projects. It uses Environment and Climate Change Canada’s projection of future
electrical grid emission factors to capture the ongoing evolution of power generation in
Canada.24
24
Environment and Climate Change Canada’s projection is available at Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Projections, under
“Electric Grid Intensity by Province (without Biomass and RNG CO2
emissions)”.

46
5.4
APPLICATION
TO
DISTRICT
ENERGY
SYSTEMS
< Back to 5.3 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS Go to 06 ENERGY EFFICIENCY >
5.4 APPLICATION TO DISTRICT ENERGY SYSTEMS
ZCB-Design projects that are connected to district energy systems (DES) using combustion to
generate heating or cooling must provide one of the following:
PATH 1: GREEN HEAT
A commitment to procure eligible green heat, in conformance with the requirements of
Section 3.2.2.4.1 Green Heat from District Energy Systems.
PATH 2: BUILDING TRANSITION PLAN
A Transition Plan for the building that shows how the building can disconnect from the district
energy system and provide onsite heating, cooling, and service hot water without the use of
combustion.
PATH 3: DISTRICT ENERGY SYSTEM TRANSITION PLAN
A Transition Plan for the district energy system that shows how the system will adapt over
time to remove combustion from its operations. The Transition Plan must include:
1. A general description of the current district energy system operations.
2. A description of each thermal energy generation system, including:
a. Capacity and output;
b. Fuel mix and respective consumption; and
c. GHG intensity of each output (chilled water, hot water, steam, and electricity), as
applicable.
3. Details of any established district energy system decarbonization goals, including GHG
reduction targets and timelines.
4. A conceptual district energy system decarbonization study, including technologies
and pathways considered, an analysis of options against clear evaluation criteria, and a
recommended path to decarbonization. The study must also include a high-level analysis
of capital and operating cost implications (including relative $/ tonne CO2
e reduced) for
the options considered.

47
06
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
< Back to TOC Go to 6.1 FLEXIBLE APPROACH >
06
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
Energy e˛ciency is critical
to ensuring the ÿnancial
viability of zero-carbon
designs.
Table 6 – The three energy efficiency approaches.
Projects pursuing Zero Carbon Building
– Design (ZCB-Design) Standard™
certification must demonstrate
superior energy efficiency using one
of three approaches.
Energy e˛ciency is critical to ensuring the ÿnancial viability of zero-carbon designs. It reduces
environmental impacts and facilitates the electriÿcation of Canada’s economy by reducing
the burden of additional power generation, transmission, and distribution. Thermal e˛ciency,
particularly envelope design, is also critical to resiliency and passive survivability during
power outages.
Three di˝erent approaches are available to demonstrate energy e˛ciency. Project teams may
choose the approach most suited to their project.
FLEXIBLE
APPROACH
PASSIVE DESIGN
APPROACH
RENEWABLE ENERGY
APPROACH
• Thermal energy
demand intensity
(TEDI) target
• Energy use
intensity (EUI)
target
• Aggressive thermal
energy demand
intensity (TEDI)
target
• Thermal energy
demand intensity
(TEDI) target
• Zero carbon
balance for
operational carbon
achieved without
green power
products or carbon
o˝sets
1 2 3

48
06
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
< Back to 06 ENERGY EFFICIENCY Go to 6.1 FLEXIBLE APPROACH >
The ÿrst approach provides projects with the greatest °exibility, with multiple paths available
for meeting both thermal energy demand and total energy use requirements.
The second approach recognizes projects that pursue more aggressive thermal energy
demand reductions, pu˜ing additional emphasis on the building envelope and ventilation
strategies.
The third approach provides a path for projects that wish to achieve zero carbon in their
annual operations without relying on purchased measures like carbon o°sets or green power
products (e.g., renewable energy certiÿcates). These projects will generally be smaller,
achieving success by focusing on energy-use reductions and renewable energy from owned
assets.
Energy models created for demonstrating compliance with the energy e˛ciency requirements
must be prepared in accordance with the ZCB-Design v4 Energy Modelling Guidelines™
.
Ka Ni Kanichihk Daycare Expansion, Winnipeg, Manitoba, ZCB-Design v2.

49
06
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
CORE ENERGY EFFICIENCY PRINCIPLES
The energy e˛ciency requirements of the Zero Carbon Building – Design (ZCB-Design)
Standard™ are underpinned by two key metrics, energy use intensity (EUI) and thermal
energy demand intensity (TEDI). A brief introduction to the metrics is provided below.
ENERGY USE INTENSITY
Energy use intensity (EUI) refers to the annual sum of all site (not source) energy consumed
on the project site (e.g., electricity, natural gas, district heat), including all process energy,
divided by the building modelled ˝oor area. The addition of onsite renewable energy does
not reduce EUI.
Evaluating EUI ensures that the energy e˛ciency of all building systems is considered
holistically. All energy e˛ciency strategies, both passive and active, contribute to reducing
EUI. EUI is also important as it relates both to design and operations, enabling project
teams to verify performance and evaluate design and construction practices.
THERMAL ENERGY DEMAND INTENSITY
Thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI) refers to the annual heat loss from a building’s
envelope and ventilation, aˆer accounting for all passive heat gains and losses. When
measured with modelling soˆware, this is the amount of heating energy delivered to the
project from all types of space heating equipment, per unit of modelled ˝oor area. The
inclusion of a TEDI metric helps contribute to greater occupant comfort and ensures that
building designers focus on minimizing a building’s demand for energy prior to producing
or procuring renewable energy. The metric also helps to ensure long-term energy
performance, as building envelopes have long life spans and yield very reliable e˛ciency
gains. Furthermore, building envelope retroÿts can be costly and are typically challenging
to implement without disturbing occupants.
Finally, improved thermal performance correlates with improved resilience during power
outages, as buildings are be˜er able to maintain comfortable interior temperatures when
the power supply is disrupted.
Ventilation strategies such as heat recovery and dedicated outdoor air systems can
signiÿcantly impact TEDI. Strategies to improve building envelopes, such as increasing
thermal insulation levels, can be e˝ective in reducing TEDI. These strategies may increase
the amount of embodied carbon, however, and project teams are encouraged to weigh the
embodied carbon and operational carbon implications of their choice of building envelope
strategies. Teams may also wish to consider the grid-level impacts, such as when the grid
peaks and the marginal power generation source at that time, ensuring that the building’s
life cycle carbon is minimized.
The TEDI of a building increases as the climate gets colder. For this reason, climate zones are
used to determine the TEDI targets for achieving ZCB-Design (see Figure 8).
06
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY

50
06
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY
˙A
˙B
ˆ
ˇ
ˆ
˙B
˘
ˇ

˘
˙A
˙B
˙A
Figure 8 – Climate zones used to determine TEDI targets.
06
ENERGY
EFFICIENCY

51
6.1
FLEXIBLE
APPROACH
< Back to 06 ENERGY EFFICIENCY Go to 6.2 PASSIVE DESIGN APPROACH >
6.1 FLEXIBLE APPROACH
The Flexible Approach provides a customizable path to satisfying the energy e˛ciency
requirements of ZCB-Design. Projects are required to satisfy both TEDI and EUI requirements but
may choose the best available pathway for each.
6.1.1 TEDI REQUIREMENTS
Projects pursuing the Flexible Approach can choose from four paths to meet TEDI requirements.
These options provide °exibility to select the most appropriate pathway based on criteria such as
whether onsite combustion is used, the project’s location, and if the project has unique heating or
ventilation loads.
PATH DESCRIPTION ELIGIBILITY
1 No Combustion
All projects except those connecting to a district
energy system (DES) with combustion-based
technologies
2
ZCB-Design TEDI
Target
All projects
3 Adjusted TEDI Target
Projects with unique heating and ventilation
requirements or that are located in climate zones 7 or 8
4 Detailed TEDI Analysis
Projects with unique heating and ventilation
requirements or that are located in climate zones 7 or 8
Table 7 – TEDI pathways for Flexible Approach.
PATH 1: NO COMBUSTION
Projects that use non-combustion-based technologies (onsite or as part of a district energy
system) for all space heating are not required to meet a TEDI target. Projects located in climate
zones 4, 5, or 6 must demonstrate a space heating seasonal coefficient of performance
(SCOP) of at least two to minimize energy consumption and peak demand. TEDI must still be
reported.
Emergency backup generators, including those powered by fossil fuels, are permi˜ed,
provided they are used exclusively to prevent loss of heating or essential operations during
power failures.

52
6.1
FLEXIBLE
APPROACH
PATH 2: ZCB-DESIGN TEDI TARGET
Projects pursuing this pathway must meet the TEDI targets outlined below, as a function of the
project’s climate zone.
CLIMATE ZONE TEDI TARGET (kWh/m2
/yr)
4 30
5 32
6 34
7 36
8 40
Table 8 – TEDI targets for Path 2 of Flexible Approach.
PATH 3: ADJUSTED TEDI TARGET
Projects with unique heating and ventilation requirements or that are in climate zones 7 or 8
can use an adjusted TEDI target. Projects that are unsure if their heating or ventilation loads
qualify as unique should contact the Canada Green Building Council®
(CAGBC) for guidance at
zerocarbon@cagbc.org.
Projects pursuing this path must use the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB)
2020 prescriptive requirements (i.e., NECB 2020 reference building) to determine the target
for the portions of the building that have unique heating and ventilation loads and the ZCB-
Design TEDI Targets (see Table 8) to determine the target for the remaining space. An adjusted
TEDI target for the building is calculated by weighting the two targets based on °oor area.
Projects must meet the following requirements:
• The building as a whole must meet the adjusted TEDI target;
• The portions of the building that do not have unique heating/ventilation loads must meet
the ZCB-Design TEDI Target (see Table 8); and
• The entire building shall not exceed the maximum overall thermal transmi˜ance values
(U-values) of the NECB 2020, using either the prescriptive or trade-o˝ methodology. NECB
2020 U-values account for thermal bridging. Refer to the ZCB-Design v4 Energy Modelling
Guidelines™
for more detail on NECB 2020 U-value tables.
PATH 4: DETAILED TEDI ANALYSIS
Projects with unique heating and ventilation requirements, or that are in climate zones 7 or 8,
have the option of completing a detailed TEDI analysis. Projects that are unsure if their
heating or ventilation loads qualify as unique should contact CAGBC for guidance at
zerocarbon@cagbc.org.
Under this path, the project must conduct modelling analysis and prepare a report that includes:
• A thermal breakdown showing TEDI values for each source of heating demand (ventilation,
inÿltration, envelope, reheat etc.);

53
6.1
FLEXIBLE
APPROACH
• A summary of the actions taken to reduce the TEDI for each source of heating demand;
• A rationale for why further action could not be taken for each source of heating demand,
such as a ÿnancial comparison of di˝erent options or an explanation of technological or
programmatic limitations;
• A summary of heat gains, including their impact on TEDI; and
• The entire building shall not exceed the maximum overall thermal transmi˜ance values
(U-values) of the NECB 2020, using either the prescriptive or trade-o˝ methodology. NECB
2020 U-values account for thermal bridging. Refer to the ZCB-Design v4 Energy Modelling
Guidelines™
for more detail on NECB 2020 U-value tables.
6.1.2 EUI REQUIREMENTS
Projects pursuing the Flexible Approach must demonstrate a minimum level of energy use
intensity (EUI) performance. This may be demonstrated using a minimum improvement
compared to an NECB 2020 reference building or by achieving a minimum level of EUI
performance, as per the eligibility requirements below.
PATH DESCRIPTION ELIGIBILITY
1
Improvement against
reference building
All projects
2
Energy use intensity
(EUI) target
O˛ce, multi-unit residential, hotel/motel, retail
Table 9 – EUI pathways for Flexible Approach.
PATH 1: IMPROVEMENT AGAINST REFERENCE BUILDING
Site energy use intensity must be at least 25 percent be˜er than Tier 1 of NECB 2020, without
accounting for renewable energy.
PATH 2: ENERGY USE INTENSITY TARGET
Projects must meet the EUI targets from Table 10, as measured in kWh/m2
/yr, without
accounting for renewable energy. Targets for projects in climate zones 7 and 8 are determined
using a formula that accounts for the heating degree days used in the energy model weather
ÿle. Projects located in climate zone 8 may contact CAGBC if the calculated EUI target poses
challenges.
Projects that have a mix of space types with their own respective EUI targets in Table 10
(e.g., Retail and O˛ce) shall use average weighted EUI targets, as outlined in the ZCB-Design
v4 Energy Modelling Guidelines™
. If one space type accounts for at least 75 percent of the
building’s total modelled °oor area, the EUI target for the space type can be used for the entire
building.

54
6.1
FLEXIBLE
APPROACH
Table 10 – EUI targets for Path 2: Energy Use Intensity.
6.1.3 ADDITIONAL REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
The Flexible Approach also requires project teams to report the following energy metrics:
• The anticipated EUI of the building in kWh/m2
/year. EUI does not take into account onsite
renewable energy.
• The anticipated summer and winter seasonal peak demand (or ‘peak power’). Peak
demand must represent the highest winter and summer electrical demand requirements
on the grid, re°ecting any peak-shaving impacts from demand management strategies,
including onsite power generation or energy storage. Peak demand must be reported in
kilowa˜s (kW).
• Projects with any onsite renewable energy, energy storage, or demand response
capabilities that reduce peak electrical load should report the reduction as a percentage.
CLIMATE
ZONE
OFFICE RETAIL
MULTI-UNIT
RESIDENTIAL
HOTEL / MOTEL
4 95 90 95 120
5 95 90 100 130
6 95 95 110 130
7 and 8 0.0074 × HDD18 + 74 0.0068 × HDD18 + 67 0.011 × HDD18 + 63 0.0091 × HDD18 + 92

55
6.2
PASSIVE
DESIGN
APPROACH
< Back to 6.1 FLEXIBLE APPROACH Go to 6.3 RENEWABLE ENERGY APPROACH >
Table 11 – TEDI targets for Passive Design Approach.
6.2 PASSIVE DESIGN APPROACH
The Passive Design Approach recognizes those projects that pursue more aggressive thermal
energy demand reductions by pu˜ing additional emphasis on the building envelope and
ventilation strategies.
Projects must meet a more aggressive set of TEDI targets, as speciÿed in Table 11.
/yr)
4 20
5 22
6 24
7 26
8 30
The Passive Design Approach also requires project teams to report the following energy
metrics:
/year. EUI does not take into account onsite
renewable energy.
• The anticipated summer and winter seasonal peak demand (or ‘peak power’). Peak demand
must represent the highest winter and summer electrical demand requirements on the
grid, re°ecting any peak-shaving impacts from demand management strategies, including
onsite power generation or energy storage. Peak demand must be reported in kilowa˜s
(kW).

56
6.3
RENEWABLE
ENERGY
APPROACH
< Back to 6.2 PASSIVE DESIGN APPROACH Go to 07 RESILIENCY TO EXTREME WEATHER >
Table 12 – TEDI targets for Renewable Energy Approach.
/yr)
4 30
5 32
6 34
7 36
8 40
6.3 RENEWABLE ENERGY APPROACH
The Renewable Energy Approach provides a path for projects that wish to achieve zero carbon
in their annual operations without relying on purchased measures such as carbon o°sets
or green power products (e.g., renewable energy certiÿcates). Such projects are generally
smaller and achieve success by focusing on energy use reductions and renewable energy
from owned assets (see Section 3.2.2.2 Owned Renewable Energy Systems).
Projects must meet the TEDI targets speciÿed in Table 12.
6.3.2 ZERO CARBON BALANCE REQUIREMENTS
Projects must achieve a zero carbon balance for operational carbon without green power
products or carbon o°sets. Refer to Section 3.2 Operational Carbon for more information on
carbon accounting.
The Renewable Energy Approach also requires project teams to report the following energy
metrics:
/year. EUI does not account for onsite
renewable energy.
• The anticipated summer and winter seasonal peak demand (or ‘peak power’). Peak
demand must represent the highest winter and summer electrical demand requirements
on the grid, re°ecting any peak-shaving impacts from demand management strategies,
including onsite power generation or energy storage. Peak demand must be reported in
kilowa˜s (kW).

57
07
RESILIENCY
TO
EXTREME
WEATHER
< Back to TOC Go to 8.0 AIRTIGHTNESS >
07
RESILIENCY TO
EXTREME WEATHER
Assessing climate resilience
helps manage physical
and ÿnancial risk, occupant
safety, and can impact
the energy and emissions
performance of the building.
Project teams are encouraged to
evaluate their design’s sensitivity to
future extreme weather conditions.
As average global temperatures increase, the
changing climate will result in more frequent and
severe weather events such as high winds, ice
storms, °ooding, and periods of extreme heat
and cold. Changing weather will also increase
the risk from wildÿre. This will pose increased
risks to buildings and the infrastructure they rely on, such as electricity grids, thermal networks,
and transportation systems. Project teams should understand that meeting current design
conditions does not ensure the building will deliver satisfactory performance over its lifetime.
Building design can be adapted to future weather conditions, such as adjusting structural
elements to support heavier snow loads, situating mechanical and electrical systems to
avoid damage from °ooding, and designing ventilation systems to cope with poor air quality
from wildÿres. Project teams are encouraged to evaluate resiliency and adaptation strategies
broadly. Particular a˜ention should be paid to the impact of heat, humidity, and wildÿre
smoke on the HVAC and envelope systems that are core to the achievement of ZCB-Design
certiÿcation.
ANALYSIS OF FUTURE DESIGN CONDITIONS
Project teams are encouraged to use the future design conditions for heat and humidity to
inform their design. Teams may consider making improvements to the building envelope,
such as be˜er U-values, greater airtightness, and solar shading. Adjustments to massing and
orientation may be contemplated. Ventilation strategies, including dedicated outdoor air
systems (DOAS) and higher-performing heat recovery, may reduce the impact of ho˜er and
longer duration summer extremes. HVAC and controls provisions for responding to smoke
from wildÿres are encouraged to be evaluated.25
Project teams may also consider making provisions to facilitate future upgrades that will allow
the building to adapt to more extreme weather conditions, such as right-sizing HVAC terminal
and distribution systems, provision of additional electrical capacity, allotment of space for
additional cooling equipment, and/or measures to accommodate shade elements.
25
ASHRAE is working on a guideline, see Planning Framework for Protecting Commercial Building Occupants from Smoke
During Wildfire Events.

58
07
RESILIENCY
TO
EXTREME
WEATHER
Projections of future design conditions for temperature and humidity are available from the
Paciÿc Climate Impacts Consortium’s (PCIC) Design Value Explorer. The Global Warming Level
(GWL) “1.5 C above 1986-2016” scenario can provide guidance on the conditions the building
is likely to face in the near term, while the “3.0 C above 1986-2016” scenario can provide
guidance on the conditions the building might face late in the likely life expectancy of a typical
building envelope.26
The TJul97.5 and/or TwJul97.5 values represent the projected increase in design temperature
and humidity.27
ANALYSIS OF FUTURE BUILDING PERFORMANCE
Project teams may also evaluate how well the proposed design is expected to maintain
thermal comfort in a representative future year. Performing an hourly simulation using a future
weather ÿle with the same Global Warming Level (GWL) as above (1.5 C and 3.0 C) can, for
example, determine the unmet hours for di˝erent zones of the building.
Future weather ÿles are available from PCIC and National Research Council Canada (NRC).28
PCIC’s future weather ÿles for “RCP 8.5 2050s scenario”,29
or NRC’s “GW 2.0 scenario”30
weather
ÿles, can be used for evaluating overheating risk and resilience to future extreme climate
conditions and temperature events.31
Project teams may also ÿnd value in modelling the impact extreme heat events have on the
energy and emissions performance of the building.
REPORTING
Project teams that evaluate the implications of future extreme weather are encouraged to
provide their ÿndings in the appropriate section of the ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
and in the
project narrative.
26
The Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 8.5 emissions scenario corresponds to an estimated 3.0 C global
temperature increase by the year 2080.
27
Values can be found by selecting the project location from the Design Value Explorer map, then finding the intersection of the
1.5 or 3.0 C column and the TJul97.5 (and/or TwJul97.5) row.
28
Selection of future climate files for modelling should account for design service life of building and/or building components,
and the selected Global Warming Level.
29
From the link provided, click “Access the future-shifted weather files”, choose city, click “Show”, and download the file for the
2050s time period.
30
From the link provided, click “View downloads” and then download the user guide for assistance.
31
NRC GW 2.0 scenario corresponds to 2034-2064 and is roughly equivalent to PCIC RCP 8.5 2050s scenario.
Go to 8.0 AIRTIGHTNESS >
< Back to 6.3 RENEWABLE ENERGY APPROACH

59
08
AIRTIGHTNESS
< Back to TOC Go to 9.0 GRID CITIZENSHIP >
08
AIRTIGHTNESS
Careful a˜ention to detailing
at the design phase, and
diligent implementation and
inspection at construction,
are required to achieve high
levels of airtightness.
Airtightness is a critical factor for
energy consumption, occupant
comfort, and resilience in high-
performance buildings.
Zero Carbon Building – Design (ZCB-Design)
Standard™
projects are eligible to submit for
certiÿcation once construction documents are
ready. Therefore, ZCB-Design does not require
projects to perform airtightness testing for certiÿcation.
specify a default air leakage rate. Airtightness testing must
be conducted prior to Zero Carbon Building – Performance (ZCB-Performance) Standard™
certiÿcation, providing an opportunity to verify results against expectations. Therefore, energy
models can assume an air leakage rate lower than the default value.
Project teams that wish to use an air leakage value that is lower than the default must explain
what strategies are being taken to ensure the lower value is met as well as provide a sensitivity
analysis, as described in the ZCB-Design v4 Energy Modelling Guidelines™
.

60
09
GRID
CITIZENSHIP
< Back to TOC Go to 10 IMPACT & INNOVATION >
09
GRID CITIZENSHIP
Good grid citizenship is
the responsibility of all
stakeholders. Regulators,
utilities and electrical system
operators play a critical role
in incenting responsible
conservation measures at
the building level.
Provincial and municipal electrical
grids are experiencing pressure as
populations grow, urban areas densify,
the economy electrifies, the IT sector
grows, and extreme weather events
challenge the reliability of utility
service delivery. Designers should
consider how buildings can be good
grid citizens.
Good grid citizenship means taking measures to diminish the need for additional electrical grid
power generation, transmission, and distribution capacity, while helping improve the resilience
and reliability of the electrical grid. An important element of good grid citizenship is contributing
to meeting increasing needs for power through onsite or o˝site owned renewable energy
systems.
Even more critical is reducing the building’s peak electrical demand. An individual building’s
peak demand is likely to coincide with peak demand on the grid, contributing to the sizing
of electrical infrastructure. As peak power generation oˆen relies on dispatchable energy
sources (such as natural gas) that are more carbon-intensive than baseload energy sources,
managing peak demand can also reduce the carbon intensity of electricity in many regions.
Finally, buildings can also be designed to a˜enuate electrical demand in response to signals
from the electrical grid.
It is incumbent on all stakeholders to consider how to ensure the decarbonization of Canada’s
economy can proceed cost-e˝ectively and in a manner that maintains the reliability of our
electricity. Regulators, utilities, and electricity system operators can encourage buildings to
be good grid citizens. In many cases, there are already conservation programs, rate structures
targeting peak demand, and other market signals.
To understand the impacts of designs on electrical grids, both summer and winter seasonal
peak demand need to be considered. Projects must report their winter and summer peak
demand, as per the Additional Reporting Requirements of the Energy Efficiency Approaches,
Sections 6.1.3, 6.2.2, and 6.3.3.

61
09
GRID
CITIZENSHIP
< Back to 8.0 AIRTIGHTNESS Go to 10 IMPACT & INNOVATION >
Project teams should consider additional measures to reduce peak demand and improve grid
citizenship, including:
• Onsite renewable energy, such as solar and wind power,
• Electrical and/or thermal energy storage,
• Demand-response capabilities.
Where any of the above measures are implemented, projects should report the percent
reduction in summer and winter peak demand, as per Sections 6.1.3, 6.2.2, and 6.3.3. To
encourage consideration of these measures, Section 10.0 Impact & Innovation includes
strategies that recognize e˝orts towards good grid citizenship.
Okanagan College Health Sciences Center, Kelowna, British Columbia, ZCB-Design v1.

62
10
IMPACT
&
INNOVATION
< Back to TOC Go to 11 APPENDIX I >
10
IMPACT &
INNOVATION
Design strategies for
achieving zero carbon
buildings are constantly
evolving and improving.
New technologies are
continually introduced
to the marketplace, and
ongoing scientiÿc research
in this space in°uences
building design strategies.
The Impact and Innovation
requirements ensure that project teams
pursuing Zero Carbon Building – Design
(ZCB-Design) Standard™ certification
incorporate strategies that take
advantage of new technologies and
design approaches for new buildings
and major renovations.
Incorporating these strategies can not only
improve the carbon and energy performance of
projects, but also help build skills and develop
markets across Canada for low-carbon products
and services.
ZCB-Design certiÿcation requires projects to demonstrate the inclusion of at least two Impact
and Innovation strategies into design. At least one of these strategies must come from the
numbered list of pre-approved strategies below.
GOOD GRID CITIZENSHIP STRATEGIES
1. Reduce annual peak electrical demand by 10% using onsite renewable energy and/or
energy storage.
2. Reduce annual peak electrical demand intensity to no more than 18 W/m2
of gross ˝oor
area for warehouses and distribution centres (except cold storage), or 30 W/m2
for all other
buildings.
3. Incorporate intelligent building systems that can receive and automatically respond to
demand response requests from a utility, electrical system operator, or third-party demand
response program provider, ensuring the building is able to respond by shedding at least
10% of its electricity demand. Projects must also:
• Provide the details of the demand response program; and,
• Demonstrate how the building design and operation strategies will allow it to meet the
demand response program’s eligibility requirements; and,
• Conÿrm the building operator will participate in the demand response program.

63
10
IMPACT
&
INNOVATION
< Back to 9.0GRID CITIZENSHIP Go to 11 APPENDIX I >
4. Incorporate onsite renewable energy systems capable of generating 5% of total energy
needs onsite, or solar photovoltaic systems covering 40% of the gross roof area. Refer
to Section 3.2.2.2 Owned Renewable Energy Systems for details of the requirements for
onsite renewable energy systems.
5. Incorporate building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) capable of meeting 2% of total
energy needs or covering 15% of the total façade area and/or total roof area. Systems must
be seamlessly integrated into building components such as the windows, roofs, or building
façades to be eligible.
OPERATIONAL CARBON STRATEGIES
6. Provide 100% of space heating using non-combustion-based technologies.
7. Design service hot water systems to operate without combustion in multi-unit residential
buildings or long-term care facilities. Other building types with signiÿcant service hot
water needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
8. Use refrigerants with a 100-year global warming potential (GWP) lower than 750 in all heat
pump equipment that serves as the primary heating system.
EMBODIED CARBON STRATEGIES
9. Limit upfront carbon emissions (life cycle phase A) to zero or less aˆer accounting for
biogenic carbon sequestration.
10. Demonstrate an improvement beyond the required minimum level of performance needed
for embodied carbon by meeting one of the following:
• Embodied carbon at least 20% less than a functionally equivalent baseline building.
• Embodied carbon intensity of no more than 350 kg CO2
e /m2
of built °oor area for
all buildings except warehouses and distribution centres, or 275 kg CO2
e /m2
of built
°oor area for warehouses and distribution centres, including similar structures with
untenanted spaces.
11. Demonstrate deeper reductions in embodied carbon by meeting one of the following:32
• Embodied carbon at least 40% less than a functionally equivalent baseline building.
• Embodied carbon intensity of no more than 260 kg CO2
e /m2
of built °oor area for all
buildings except warehouses and distribution centres, or 230 kg CO2
e /m2
of built
°oor area for warehouses and distribution centres, including similar structures with
untenanted spaces.
Additional Impact and Innovation strategies may be proposed to the Canada Green Building
Council®
(CAGBC) for approval. Project teams must be prepared to demonstrate the
environmental beneÿts associated with their strategy using the carbon and energy metrics of
the ZCB-Design Standard and provide information to support the strategy as appropriate for
the project. Only one of the two required innovation strategies may be an alternative strategy.
Projects are encouraged to submit a ZCB Interpretation or contact CAGBC at
zerocarbon@cagbc.org early in design to review potential alternate innovation strategies.
32
Strategies 11 and 12 are independent; a project earning strategy 11 by necessity earns strategy 10.

64
11
APPENDIX
I
11
APPENDIX I – REQUIREMENTS FOR
BUNDLED GREEN POWER PRODUCTS
THAT ARE NOT ECOLOGO OR
GREEN-E®
CERTIFIED
< Back to TOC Go to 12 APPENDIX II >
Bundled green power products that are not ECOLOGO or Green-e®
Energy certiÿed may
be used if the applicant can demonstrate that the green power facility meets the following
criteria:
• Electricity is generated within the calendar year in which the product is sold, the ÿrst three
months of the following calendar year, or the last six months of the prior calendar year.
• Electricity generating equipment was placed in operation no more than 15 years ago or
repowered no more than 15 years ago such that 80% of the fair market value of the project
is derived from new generation equipment installed as part of the repowering.
• Local land use polices and building codes are conformed to. The green power project must
achieve planning permission and all applicable local permits as deÿned by the Authority
Having Jurisdiction.
• The requirements of the acceptable sources of o˝site green power are met (see Section
3.2.2.3 Green Power Products).
• For combustion-based systems, the requirements for biogas and biomass are met (see
Sections 3.2.1.2.1 Biogas and 3.2.1.2.2 Biomass).
• For combustion-based systems, all local and regional air quality by-laws and requirements
are met, and all necessary air quality permits are received from the Authority Having
Jurisdiction.
• For all water-powered systems, the facility’s installation and operations must achieve
all regulatory licenses, requirements, and all other authorizations pertaining to ÿsheries,
without regard to waivers or variances authorized. These include authorizations issued
by the relevant provincial authorities, and under Section 35(2) of the Fisheries Act, by the
Minister of Fisheries and Oceans or regulations made by the Governor in Council under the
Fisheries Act.
• For all water-powered systems, the facility’s installation and operations may not achieve
authorization with terms that allow for the harmful operation and or disruption or
destruction of ÿsh habitat, as veriÿed by a registered professional biologist.
• For wind-powered systems, the facility must not be in known migratory routes for avian or
bat species, and the impacts on avian and bat species must be minimized as veriÿed by a
registered professional biologist.

65
11
APPENDIX
I
< Back to 10 IMPACT & INNOVATION Go to 12 APPENDIX II >
In addition, applicants must provide the following documentation:
• A report that notes the methodology and calculations that were used to ensure that the
design and operation of the facility will be su˛cient to meet the contractual commitment
made to the applicant. It will also note and detail the resources used to generate the
energy and outline any limiting factors that may impact the ability of the facility to deliver
energy. In such cases where resources are prone to °uctuations, a range will be provided
to represent the best and worst-case scenarios, noting the methodology used to develop
these scenarios (e.g., if the wind blows as anticipated; if the wind blows at the lowest
annual recorded levels, etc.).
• Proof of the commitment to retire the environmental a˜ributes (i.e., renewable energy
certiÿcates (RECs)) that have been procured by the applicant. For example, the project
team could provide proof that RECs have been registered within a third-party tracking
system that will ensure the RECs are retired (not made available to others).
The Co-operators, Guelph, Ontario, ZCB-Design v1.

66
12
APPENDIX
II
12
APPENDIX II – REQUIREMENTS FOR
DISTRICT ENERGY SYSTEMS
< Back to TOC Go to 13 APPENDIX III >
For convenience, all information in Zero Carbon Building – Design (ZCB-Design) Standard™ v4
pertaining to buildings connecting to district energy systems (DES) is summarized below.
Ineligibility for thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI) exemption if DES uses combustion
(Section 6.1 Flexible Approach, Path 1: No Combustion):
• Projects connecting to district energy systems with combustion-based technologies are
not eligible for the No Combustion pathway for TEDI compliance in the Flexible Approach
for demonstrating energy e˛ciency.
Accounting for Indirect Emissions from electricity provided by a DES (Section 3.2.2.1
Electricity):
• The ZCB-Design Standard recognizes that in some instances electricity may be sourced
from a district energy system or an islanded grid (a small grid not connected to the
provincial grid). The emission factors for these speciÿc sources may be used where they
are available and can be veriÿed by a registered professional. Projects wishing to use this
option may enter a custom emissions factor in the ZCB-Design v4 Workbook™
.
Accounting for green heat from a DES (Section 3.2.2.4.1 Green Heat from District Energy
Systems):
• Green heat is district heating that is generated using clean energy technologies or zero
emissions biofuels. When the associated environmental a˜ributes are bundled in the
purchase of green heat, each unit of procured green heat energy can replace an equivalent
amount of district heating in the calculation of the carbon balance. Procured green heat
cannot be used to reduce other sources of emissions.
• To claim green heat, a signed commitment le˜er from the building owner to procure green
heat for the project must be provided, along with conÿrmation from the district energy
provider that su˛cient green heat from non-combustion-based sources is available. The
green heat must be generated from sources on the district energy system to which the
building is connected.
• The accounting for the district energy provider’s green heat program must meet the quality
criteria established by the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance.33
The district energy provider
must obtain an annual third-party audit of the generation and sale of green heat as well as
compliance with the quality criteria.
33
World Resources Institute. (2015). GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance. Table 7.1 page 60.

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APPENDIX
II
< Back to 11 APPENDIX I Go to 13 APPENDIX III >
Requirements of a Transition Plan for a district energy system with combustion-based
technologies (Section 5.4, Path 3: Transition Plan):
• A Transition Plan for the district energy system that shows how the system will adapt over
time to remove combustion from its operations. The Transition Plan must include:
• A general description of the current district energy system operations.
• A description of each thermal energy generation system, including:
• Capacity and output;
• Fuel mix and respective consumption; and
• Greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of each output (chilled water, hot water, steam, and
electricity), as applicable.
• Details of any established district energy system decarbonization goals, including GHG
reduction targets and timelines.
• A conceptual district energy system decarbonization study, including technologies
and pathways considered, an analysis of options against clear evaluation criteria, and
a recommended path to decarbonization. The study must also include a high-level
analysis of capital and operating cost implications (relative including $/ tonne CO2
e
reduced) for the options considered.

68
13
APPENDIX
III
13
APPENDIX III – SUMMARY OF V4
CHANGES
< Back to TOC Go to 14 APPENDIX IV >
Building standards must evolve with the market and take advantage of new ideas, new
technologies and new processes. The fourth iteration of the Zero Carbon Building – Design
(ZCB-Design) Standard™ continues the trend of introducing greater rigour while maintaining
°exibility to support the goal of achieving zero carbon across all buildings and geographies. To
further the e˝ectiveness and market uptake of ZCB-Design, the following key enhancements
were made.
1. Embodied carbon: As market knowledge of low-embodied carbon design continues to
improve, the availability of low-carbon materials expands, and more project data become
available, ZCB-Design v4 has been able to reÿne embodied carbon requirements. More
stringent objectives have been set, and warehouses and distribution centres have been
di˝erentiated. Targets can still be met using an improvement against a baseline or an
embodied carbon intensity threshold.
2. Onsite combustion: Over 78 percent of Canadian building emissions emanate from
fossil fuel combustion for space heating and service hot water.34
This represents
signiÿcant direct emissions from building operations. ZCB-Design v4 imposes a new
limit to onsite combustion for service hot water production to minimize or eliminate fossil
fuel consumption, depending on building type and hot water demand. The Impact and
Innovation strategy will remain for multi-unit residential buildings, long-term care facilities,
and other building types with high hot water demand that provide 100 percent of service
hot water without onsite combustion. The onsite combustion limit for space heating has
also been lowered from -10 C to -15 C, representing further emissions reductions from
operations.
3. Zero Carbon Transition Plans: While over 70 percent of buildings certiÿed to ZCB-Design
are fully electric, not all buildings can readily eliminate combustion for space heating and
service hot water. For those buildings that still rely on onsite combustion for some space
heating or service hot water, additional guidance and new requirements are provided to
assist projects in further decarbonizing operations. An alternative design that does not
use onsite combustion must be evaluated, including a detailed ÿnancial analysis. Buildings
connecting to district energy systems with combustion will beneÿt from additional
guidance for detailing Zero Carbon Transition Plan requirements for the district energy
system.
4. Refrigerants: Refrigerants are an increasingly important issue as buildings decarbonize
their operations with heat pump technology, which can be a signiÿcant source of
greenhouse gases through fugitive emissions. ZCB-Design v4 expands the range of
mechanical equipment that must be reported to include all heating, ventilation, and air
34
https:/
/natural-resources.canada.ca/energy-efficiency/green-buildings/green-building-principles/25301

69
13
APPENDIX
III
< Back to 12 APPENDIX II Go to 14 APPENDIX IV >
conditioning (HVAC) equipment, service hot water systems, and commercial refrigeration
equipment.
Additionally, assumed annual refrigerant leakage is now factored into the carbon
balance, which aligns with the scope of emissions reporting in the Zero Carbon Building
– Performance (ZCB-Performance) Standard™. Maximum global warming potential (GWP)
limits have also been introduced for refrigerants in di˝erent types of equipment. The
Impact and Innovation strategy for projects that use low-GWP refrigerants (GWP below
750) is maintained.
5. Good grid citizenship: As di˝erent sectors of the economy electrify, it is incumbent on all
stakeholders to ensure this transition can proceed cost-e˝ectively and in a manner that
maintains reliability. Regulators, utilities, and electricity system operators can encourage
buildings to be good grid citizens. In many cases, there are already conservation programs,
rate structures, and other pricing signals to support good grid citizenship. To further
encourage building owners and designers to consider measures that reduce the impact
of buildings on electrical grids, ZCB-Design v4 introduces three good grid citizenship
strategies to Section 10.0 Impact & Innovation. These include peak electrical demand
reduction thresholds, peak electrical demand intensity targets, and dynamic demand
response. The existing Impact and Innovation strategy for onsite renewable energy
generation remains.
6. Resiliency: Guidance is provided to assist project teams in evaluating the possible
impact of future design conditions for heat, humidity and wildÿre smoke, and to help them
evaluate the proposed design’s ability to maintain thermal comfort in a representative
future year.
7. Updating to NECB 2020: The National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB) has
been updated since the previous 2017 version, allowing ZCB-Design v4 to now leverage
NECB 2020.
8. EUI Targets: O˛ce and multi-unit residential building energy use intensity (EUI) targets
have been lowered for climate zones 4, 5, and 6. New guidance has been added for mixed-
use buildings to determine an EUI target based on the proportion of °oor area of each
occupancy type.
9. Layout and wayÿnding: Improvements have been made to the structure and layout of the
Standard to make it more user-friendly and easier to navigate.

70
14
APPENDIX
IV
14
APPENDIX IV – EQUIPMENT
DESCRIPTIONS
< Back to TOC Go to 15 GLOSSARY >
REFRIGERATION SYSTEM TYPE DESCRIPTION
Stand-alone medium
temperature refrigeration
system
Self-contained refrigeration system with components
that are integrated within its structure and that is
designed to maintain an internal temperature ˇ 0°C.
Stand-alone low temperature
refrigeration system
Self-contained refrigeration system with components that
are integrated within its structure and that is designed to
maintain an internal temperature < 0°C but not < -50°C.
Centralized refrigeration
system
Refrigeration system with a cooling evaporator in the
refrigerated space connected to a compressor rack
located in a machinery room and to a condenser located
outdoors, and that is designed to maintain an internal
temperature at ˇ -50°C.
Condensing unit
Refrigeration system with a cooling evaporator in the
refrigerated space connected to a compressor and
condenser unit that are located in a di˝erent location,
and that is designed to maintain an internal temperature
at ˇ -50°C.
Chiller
Refrigeration or air-conditioning system that has a
compressor, an evaporator and a secondary coolant,
other than an absorption chiller or adsorption chiller.
Commercial air conditioning
(AC) system
Air conditioning system, other than a chiller, including
large single split or multi-split air-conditioning, variable
refrigerant °ow (VRF) systems and ducted or packaged
rooˆop systems.
Heat Pump
Reversible air-conditioning / heat pump units that can
operate as an air-conditioning unit in hot weather or can
provide heating in cold weather, other than an absorption
heat pump or an adsorption heat pump. In heating mode,
the indoor unit functions as condenser and the outdoor
unit as evaporator.
Reproduced from Environment and Climate Change Canada (2023). Federal Offset Protocol:
Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Refrigeration Systems. Values are from Table 1
Baseline Scenario Refrigeration Systems.

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15
GLOSSARY
15
GLOSSARY
< Back to TOC Go to 16 ACRONYMS >
Auxiliary heating system: An alternate or secondary heating system designed to support the
primary heating system, enabling the building to meet indoor temperature setpoints.
Backup generators: A power system intended only for emergency use to prevent loss of
heating or essential operations during a power failure.
Beyond the life cycle carbon: Emissions or emissions savings from the reuse or recycling of
building materials at the end of life, or emissions avoided through energy capture by using
end of life materials as fuel (life cycle stage D). Beyond the life cycle carbon is part of life cycle
assessment but is not included in the deÿnition of embodied carbon.
Biogenic carbon: The carbon stored in biomaterials through natural processes, but not
fossilized or derived from fossil resources.
Biomaterial: A material derived from, or produced by, biological organisms like plants, animals,
bacteria, fungi and other life forms.
Building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV): Solar power generating building products or systems
that are seamlessly integrated into the building envelope, replacing conventional building
material.
Built Floor Area (BFA): The BFA is the gross ˝oor area with the addition of the °oor area of
any underground spaces including parking garages or a˜ached garages that form part of the
building. Note that the °oor area a˜ributed to balconies and terraces is excluded from this
deÿnition.
Bundled green power product: A product that includes both green power and the associated
environmental a˜ributes (RECs), such as power purchase agreements (PPAs) or utility green
power.
Carbon o°set: A credit for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that occur somewhere
else, which can be purchased to compensate for the emissions of a company or project.
High quality carbon o°sets include third party veriÿcation of emissions reductions as well as
additionality, permanence, and leakage criteria.
Demand response: The ability of a building to reduce electricity demand in response to a
signal from the electrical grid.
Direct emissions: Emissions that occur directly at the project site, for example, natural gas that
may leak or be combusted to heat the building.

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15
GLOSSARY
< Back to 14 APPENDIX IV Go to 16 ACRONYMS >
District energy system: An energy system that supplies heating, cooling and/or power to
multiple buildings from a centralized plant or from several interconnected but distributed
plants.
Embodied carbon: Carbon emissions associated with materials and construction processes
throughout the whole-life cycle of a building.
Emissions factor: A conversion factor that is used to estimate the emissions associated with a
measurable activity, such as energy use for heating or cooling a building.
End of life carbon: The embodied carbon emissions associated with deconstruction or
demolition of a building, including transport from site, waste processing, and disposal stages
(stages C1-4) of a building’s life cycle.
Energy use intensity (EUI): The sum of all site energy (not source energy) consumed onsite
(e.g., electricity, natural gas, district heat), including all process loads, divided by the building
modelled ˝oor area.
Environmental a˜ributes: The representation of the environmental costs and beneÿts
associated with a ÿxed amount of energy generation.
Fugitive emissions: Emissions that occur accidentally because of gas leaks. Natural gas and
refrigerants are common sources of fugitive emissions.
Geo-exchange: A system that exchanges heat with the earth or a body of water, usually with
the goal of providing e˛cient heating and cooling using heat pumps.
Global warming potential (GWP): A measure of how much heat is trapped by a greenhouse
gas over a speciÿed timeframe, relative to carbon dioxide.
Green heat: District heating that is generated using clean energy technologies or zero
emissions biofuels. Green heat may not be generated from the direct combustion of fossil
fuels. Examples of green heat include thermal energy generated from heat pump technology,
qualifying biomass, or qualifying biogas (renewable natural gas).
Green power: Electricity generated from renewable resources such as solar, wind, geothermal,
low-impact biomass, and low-impact hydro resources. Green power is a subset of renewable
energy, but does not include renewable energy systems that do not produce electricity, such
as solar thermal systems.
Green power product: A contractual purchase of o˝site green power. Green power may be in
the form of bundled green power products or renewable energy certiÿcates (RECs).
Gross ˝oor area (GFA): Consistent with ASHRAE & LEED, the gross °oor area is the sum of the
°oor areas of all enclosed spaces inside the building. Measurements must include walls and
therefore must be taken from the exterior faces of exterior walls. Enclosed parking and access
roads are excluded, as are air shaˆs, pipe trenches, chimneys, and penthouse spaces with
headroom height of less than 2.2 meters (7.5 feet).

73
15
GLOSSARY
Gross roof area: The total surface area of a building’s roof, including all covered sections,
projections, and overhangs. It is measured from the exterior faces of the roof’s structure.
Indirect emissions: Emissions that do not occur directly within the project site, such as
emissions associated with purchased energy, water use, waste, and transportation from
commuting.
Islanded grid: A small electricity grid that is not connected to the provincial grid.
Life cycle assessment (LCA): As deÿned by ISO 14040, LCA is a systematic set of procedures
for compiling and examining the inputs and outputs of materials and energy, and the
associated environmental impacts directly a˜ributable to a building, infrastructure, product,
or material throughout its life cycle. When the process is applied to a building, rather than the
building products and elements, it is referred to as whole-building LCA (wbLCA).
Location-based electricity grid emissions factor: An emissions factor for an electricity grid
that is based on the average emissions intensity of all types of generation within a deÿned
locational boundary.
Marginal electricity grid emissions factor: An emissions factor for an electricity grid that is
based on the emissions intensity of the peaking (non-baseload) generation within a deÿned
locational boundary.
Modelled ˝oor area (MFA): The total enclosed °oor area of the building, as reported by the
energy simulation soˆware, excluding exterior areas and indoor (including underground)
parking areas. All other spaces, including partially conditioned and unconditioned spaces, are
included in the MFA.
Near-term climate forcer: A greenhouse gas that has a short atmospheric life and a high
global warming potential, which results in a near-term warming e˝ect.
Net-metering: An arrangement with the electric utility that allows the export of excess green
power to the local grid in exchange for a credit on the building’s electricity bill.
Onsite renewable energy: Renewable energy that is generated onsite. Where a site is not
connected to the electricity grid, only the energy that can be consumed (or stored and then
consumed) onsite is considered onsite renewable energy.
Operational carbon: The emissions associated with refrigerant leaks, or the energy used to
operate the building.
Peak demand: The building’s highest electrical load requirement on the grid, measured and
reported in kW, re°ecting any peak shaving impacts from demand management strategies
including onsite renewable energy and energy storage.
Power purchase agreement (PPA): A power purchase agreement is a contract for green
power and the associated environmental a˜ributes that typically includes the purchase of a
signiÿcant volume of electricity under a contract that lasts for at least ÿˆeen years.

74
15
GLOSSARY
Primary heating system: The main system responsible for providing the base heating
requirements of a building or space under standard operating conditions.
Renewable energy: A source of energy that is replenished through natural processes or using
sustainable management policies such that it is not depleted at current levels of consumption.
Examples include solar and wind energy used for power generation and solar energy used for
heating. Air-source and ground-source (geo-exchange) heat pump systems do not constitute
renewable energy systems.
Renewable energy certiÿcate (REC): An authorized electronic or paper representation of the
environmental a˜ributes associated with the generation of one megawa˜ hour of renewable
energy.
Residual mix emissions factor: An emissions factor that has been adjusted to account for the
retiring of contractual arrangements (such as RECs) within a deÿned geographic boundary.
Seasonal coefficient of performance (SCOP): A measure of system e˛ciency calculated by
dividing the annual heating load of the building by the annual energy use for space heating.
Refer to the ZCB-Design v4 Energy Modelling Guidelines™
.
Service hot water: Heating water for domestic or commercial purposes other than space
heating and process application requirements.
Site energy: The amount of energy used on the building site.
Source energy: The amount of raw fuel that is required to operate the building, incorporating
all transmission, delivery, and production losses (such as in the generation and transmission of
electricity).
Thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI): The annual heat loss from a building’s envelope and
ventilation aˆer accounting for all passive heat gains and losses, per unit of modelled ˝oor
area.
Transition Plan: Refers to a Zero Carbon Transition Plan.
Upfront carbon: The embodied carbon emissions caused in the materials production and
construction stages (stages A1-5) of the life cycle before the building is operational.
Use stage embodied carbon: The embodied carbon emissions associated with materials and
processes needed to maintain the building during use such as for refurbishments (stages B1-
5). These are additional to operational carbon emissions.
Utility green power: Utility green power is a product o˝ered by some utilities in Canada where
the electricity and the associated environmental a˜ributes (in the form of RECs) are sold
together.
Virtual net-metering: An arrangement with the electric utility whereby green power
generation equipment is installed o˝site and the electricity produced is credited (deducted
from) the building’s electricity bill.

75
15
GLOSSARY
Whole-building life cycle assessment (wbLCA): The application of life cycle assessment to a
building.
Whole-life carbon: Emissions from all life cycle stages, encompassing both embodied carbon
and operational carbon together (stages A1 to C4).
Zero carbon building (ZCB): A highly energy-e˛cient building that produces onsite, or
procures, carbon-free renewable energy or high-quality carbon o°sets in an amount su˛cient
to o˝set the annual carbon emissions associated with building materials and operations.
Zero Carbon Transition Plan: A costed plan that outlines how a building will adapt over time
to remove combustion from building operations, and as a result, remove operational carbon
o°sets.
Zero emissions biofuel: Biogas or biomass fuels considered to be carbon neutral as the
amount of carbon released by combustion approximately equates to the carbon that would
have been released by natural decomposition processes.

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16
ACRONYMS
16
ACRONYMS
< Back to TOC Go to 17 RESOURCES >
BIPV: Building integrated photovoltaic
BFA: Built °oor area
CO2
e: Carbon dioxide equivalents
COP: Coe˛cient of performance
EUI: Energy use intensity
GFA: Gross °oor area
GWP: Global warming potential
HVAC: Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning
kWh: Kilowa˜ hour
LCA: Life cycle assessment
MFA: Modelled °oor area
NECB: National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings
PPA: Power purchase agreement
REC: Renewable energy certiÿcate
SCOP: Seasonal coe˛cient of performance
TEDI: Thermal energy demand intensity
VRF: Variable refrigerant °ow
wbLCA: Whole-building life cycle assessment
ZCB: Zero carbon building

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17
RESOURCES
17
RESOURCES
< Back to TOC
17.1 EMBODIED CARBON RESOURCES
National Research Council – National Whole-building Life Cycle Assessment Practitioner’s
Guide: Guidance for Compliance Reporting of Embodied Carbon in Canadian Building
Construction
h˜ps:/
/nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=533906ca-65eb-4118-865d-
855030d91ef2
This document provides practical guidance on how to assess and demonstrate reductions
in the estimated embodied carbon of designs for new construction or building renovation in
Canada. It is meant to complement and be used in conjunction with the National Guidelines
for Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment.
National Research Council – National Guidelines for Whole-Building Life Cycle Assessment
h˜ps:/
/nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=f7bd265d-cc3d-4848-a666-
8eeb1fbde910
This document provides comprehensive instruction for the practice of life cycle assessment
applied to buildings, based on relevant standards and keyed to various intentions. The goal is
to harmonize the practice of whole-building life cycle assessment (wbLCA) across di˝erent
studies and assist in interpretation of and compliance with relevant standards.
Strategies for Low Carbon Concrete: Primer for Federal Government Procurement
h˜ps:/
/nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=d15ccce0-277b-4eed-80ac-
d0462b17de57
Produced by the National Research Council through the Low-Carbon Assets Through Life
Cycle Assessment initiative˘, this primer introduces the concept of embodied carbon of
concrete, presents current industry best practices to reduce CO2
emissions associated with
concrete production, identiÿes approaches in mix design and speciÿcation, and provides a
high-level overview of the federal procurement process with potential insertion points where
new low-carbon concrete policies and procedures could be introduced into the federal
procurement process.

78
17
RESOURCES
Carbon Leadership Forum Resource Library
h˜ps:/
/carbonleadershipforum.org/resource-library/
The Carbon Leadership Forum is an organization at the University of Washington that works
to accelerate the reduction of embodied carbon within the building sector. They produce
numerous research papers and resources that are useful for practitioners, including:
• Carbon Leadership Forum Material Baselines for North America, August 2023
• Embodied Carbon Benchmark Study (work is underway on version 2)
• Tools for Measuring Embodied Carbon
Additionally, they include regional hubs throughout North America and an online community
where practitioners can discuss and pose questions.
The Carbon Smart Materials Pale˜e
h˜ps:/
/materialspale˜e.org/
The Carbon Smart Materials Palette, produced by Architecture 2030, provides a˜ribute-based
design and material speciÿcation guidance for immediately impactful, globally applicable and
scalable embodied carbon reductions in the built environment.
Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront
h˜ps:/
/www.worldgbc.org/news-media/bringing-embodied-carbon-upfront
Bringing Embodied Carbon Upfront is a ‘call to action’ report focusing on embodied carbon
emissions as part of a whole life cycle approach and the systemic changes needed to achieve
full decarbonization across the global buildings sector. It was produced by the World Green
Building Council.
17.2 OPERATIONAL CARBON RESOURCES
The GHG Protocol – A Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard
h˜ps:/
/ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard
The GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard provides requirements and
guidance for organizations preparing a corporate-level greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
inventory and forms the basis for the GHG quantiÿcation methodology used in the ZCB-Design
Standard.
The GHG Protocol – Scope 2 Guidance
h˜ps:/
/ghgprotocol.org/scope_2_guidance
The GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance standardizes how corporations measure emissions from
purchased or acquired electricity, steam, heat and cooling (called indirect emissions in the
ZCB-Design Standard).
< Back to 16 ACRONYMS

79
17
RESOURCES
National Inventory Report: GHG Sources and Sinks in Canada
h˜ps:/
/www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/climate-change/
greenhouse-gas-emissions/inventory.html
Each year, Canada submits a national GHG inventory to the United National Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The report from Environment and Climate Change
Canada covers human caused emissions and removals. The current emissions factors for fuels
and electricity in Canada are also published in the report.
The Time Value of Carbon: Smart Strategies to Accelerate Emission Reductions
h˜ps:/
/www.cpacanada.ca/en/business-and-accounting-resources/ÿnancial-and-non-
ÿnancial-reporting/sustainability-environmental-and-social-reporting/publications/time-
value-of-carbon-smart-strategies
Produced by CPA Canada, The Time Value of Carbon examines how to accelerate GHG
reductions by addressing near-term climate forcers (NTCFs), the short-lived GHGs that
signiÿcantly contribute to global warming.
Refrigerants & Environmental Impacts: A Best Practice Guide
h˜ps:/
/www.integralgroup.com/news/refrigerants-environmental-impacts/
This best practice guide by Integral Group is intended to help those responsible for the design,
installation, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of building services to make well-
informed decisions about the design of refrigerant-based systems. This guide is particularly
useful during initial design stages, when these systems are being considered.
Research & Development Roadmap: Next-Generation Low Global Warming Potential
Refrigerants
h˜ps:/
/www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/downloads/research-development-roadmap-next-
generation-low-global-warming-potential
This research and development (R&D) roadmap for next-generation low-GWP refrigerants
was prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy and provides recommendations that will help
accelerate the transition to low-GWP refrigerants across the entire HVAC&R industry.
17.3 AVOIDED EMISSIONS RESOURCES
Carbon O°set Guide
h˜p:/
/www.o˝setguide.org/
The Carbon Offset Guide is an initiative of the GHG Management Institute and the Stockholm
Environmental Institute, designed to help companies and organizations seeking to understand
carbon o°sets and how to use them in voluntary GHG reduction strategies. It may also be
useful for individuals interested in using carbon o°sets to compensate for their personal
emissions.

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RESOURCES
Guidelines for Quantifying GHG Reductions from Grid-Connected Electricity Projects
h˜ps:/
/www.wri.org/publication/guidelines-quantifying-ghg-reductions-grid-connected-
electricity-projects
This report explains how to quantify reductions in GHG emissions resulting from projects that
either generate or reduce the consumption of electricity transmi˜ed over power grids. It is a
supplement to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol for Project Accounting and was produced by the
World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development
(WBCSD).
17.4 ALTERNATIVE DESIGN EVALUATION AND TRANSITION
PLAN RESOURCES
New Buildings Institute – Building Electriÿcation Technology Roadmap
h˜ps:/
/newbuildings.org/resource/building-electriÿcation-technology-roadmap/
The Building Electrification Technology Roadmap is a guide for utilities and other organizations
developing, implementing and supporting electriÿcation projects to advance high-e˛ciency
technologies, reduce GHG emissions, and improve public health.
Green Building Council Australia – A Practical Guide to Electriÿcation
h˜ps:/
/new.gbca.org.au/news/gbca-media-releases/electrifying-future/
A Practical Guide to Electrification outlines the steps involved in delivering an all-electric
new building and the types of technologies used today to replace natural gas systems with
electric solutions. The guide was wri˜en for building owners, developers, facility managers,
consultants, and building professionals.
17.5 ENERGY EFFICIENCY RESOURCES
Low Thermal Energy Demand for Large Buildings
h˜ps:/
/research-library.bchousing.org/Home/ResearchItemDetails/8685
Developed by BC Housing, this guide aims to broaden the common understanding of how
large buildings can meet higher levels of performance as required by the ZCB-Design
Standard, and has a focus on current Canadian code requirements, construction practice, and
tested systems.
Building Envelope Thermal Bridging Guide
h˜ps:/
Developed by BC Housing, this guide aims to help the construction sector realize more
energy-e˛cient buildings by looking at current obstacles and showing opportunities to
improve building envelope thermal performance.

81
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RESOURCES
Advanced Energy Design Guide – Achieving Zero Energy
h˜ps:/
/www.ashrae.org/technical-resources/aedgs/zero-energy-aedg-free-download
The Advanced Energy Design Guide – Achieving Zero Energy series provides a cost-e˝ective
approach to achieving advanced levels of energy savings. Guides o˝er contractors and
designers the tools needed for achieving a zero-energy building including recommendations
for practical products and o˝-the-shelf technology. These guides have been developed
through the collaboration of ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the
Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with
support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).
The National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings
h˜ps:/
/nrc.canada.ca/en/certiÿcations-evaluations-standards/codes-canada/codes-
canada-publications/national-energy-code-canada-buildings-2020
Published by NRC and developed by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes in
collaboration with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), the National Energy Code of Canada
for Buildings 2020 (NECB) sets out technical requirements for the energy-e˛cient design
and construction of new buildings. The 2020 edition is an important step toward Canada’s
goal of achieving ‘Net Zero Energy Ready (NZER)’ buildings by 2030, as presented in the Pan-
Canadian Framework.
Illustrated Guide - Achieving Airtight Buildings
h˜ps:/
This guide from BC Housing is an industry resource to design, build, and test airtight buildings.
It also consolidates information on achieving airtightness in buildings, with a focus on larger
or more complex building types, while ensuring building enclosure performance, including
moisture management, thermal performance, and durability.
Climate Data for a Resilient Canada
h˜ps:/
/climatedata.ca
ClimateData.ca is a climate data portal produced collaboratively by the country’s leading
climate organizations and supported, in part, by the Government of Canada. The goal of this
portal is to support decision makers across a broad spectrum of sectors and locations by
providing the most up to date climate data in easy-to-use formats and visualizations.
17.6 IMPACT AND INNOVATION RESOURCES
Building-Integrated Photovoltaics
h˜ps:/
/www.nrcan.gc.ca/sites/www.nrcan.gc.ca/ÿles/energy/pdf/solar-photovoltaic/
NRCan_BIPV_Factsheet_EN.pdf
This factsheet by Natural Resources Canada provides details on BIPV in Canada including
deÿnitions, examples, and research activities.

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