ZEBx

The first ZEBx Decarb Lunch webinar of 2026 will be co-hosted with Canadian Home Builders’ Association of BC (CHBA BC). In this one-hour webinar, speakers Pauline Rupp of CHBA BC, Mark Bernhardt of Bernhardt Contracting and Henri Belisle of TQ Construction will draw on the latest CHBA BC data of over 8,500 as-built Hot2000 energy models to examine real-world building industry results and practical approaches to reducing carbon emissions in Part 9 residential construction. 

As the building sector strives to play a more active role in curbing global warming while also adapting to a changing climate, it’s becoming clear that some of the metrics guiding our progress—energy, cost, and carbon—can no longer be treated separately. Join ZEBx for a Decarb Lunch where reload and UBC Campus & Community Planning unveil findings from an investigation into how best to push forward with the higher levels of the BC Energy Step Code and BC Zero Carbon Step Code when cost and whole life carbon are also considered. 

As B.C. businesses electrify and cooling loads rise, managing peak electricity demand is becoming more important than ever.

Demand response programs are helping businesses to shift some of their electricity use out of peak demand periods, and putting money back into their pockets. Load shifting can result in a more stable and resilient energy system. Simple tactics can be employed to help commercial building owners and managers take advantage of BC Hydro’s Demand Response Behavioural program.

About this event

To many, building to BC Energy Step Code 4 and BC Zero Carbon Step Code Emissions Level (EL) 4 for Part 9 homes can seem ambitious — especially in the cold, cost-conscious East Kootenays. Yet real-world experience shows that high-performance, low-carbon homes can be built cost-effectively, comfortably, and reliably when design, construction, and energy advising work hand in hand.

What is the gold standard for new buildings? For years, two parallel discussions have been taking place. In one, there are those that elevate operational emissions reductions enabled by standards such as the Zero Carbon Step Code, Energy Step Code and Passive House, as well as regulations like the Vancouver Building Bylaw. In the other, it's all about the embodied carbon reductions through the use of low-carbon building materials, efficient design of space and form, and circularity. For our next tour, we bring it all together.

About this event 

This session will cover best practices for, and common barriers to, decarbonizing HVAC systems in existing commercial buildings, with a focus on Rootftop Units.  

In this ZEBx Decarb Lunch, we’ll share learnings from the City of Vancouver’s recent On-Site Barriers to Commercial Building Equipment Electrification Study, highlighting both the obstacles and practical solutions for decarbonizing HVAC systems. We’ll also hear about fuel-switching in action with a peek inside Vancity Credit Union’s pilot HVAC retrofit.  

As energy efficiency and carbon pollution become standard considerations for new and existing buildings, the supply chain is responding with new and innovative products that make energy-efficient and climate-friendly buildings more achievable than ever. 

About this event 

Extreme heat and poor air quality during wildfires are already affecting buildings, communities, and public health. Local governments and building professionals need practical strategies to address this challenge while advancing decarbonization goals. 

Join ZEBx for our September Decarb Lunch to explore practical, cost-effective strategies for reducing embodied carbon from pre-design through construction. 

For our fourth tour of 2025, ZEBx invites you to the recently completed Timbre and Harmony residential development by Brightside Community Homes Foundation. Located in Vancouver’s Grandview-Woodland neighbourhood, the project replaces two aging low-rise buildings that provided only 57 units of rental housing with a two-building, 157-unit complex.