The Pembina Institute’s Reframed Initiative is a research and convening platform focused on identifying whole‑building retrofit solutions and scaling retrofit activity. It brings together expertise from the construction industry, building owners, policymakers, and the financial sector to chart a clear path toward accelerating whole‑building retrofits. Since 2017, the Initiative has sparked cross-sector collaboration through a pilot involving six social and affordable housing retrofit projects in British Columbia.
As Canada works to meet growing electricity demand driven by electrification, there is increasing recognition that buildings must play a more active role as integral system assets. Whole-building retrofits, energy efficiency, load management, thermal storage, and distributed energy resources offer significant opportunities to improve affordability, reduce peak demand, and support grid modernization while lowering emissions. Through the Reframed Initiative, we aim to accelerate the adoption of retrofit solutions, foster cross-sector collaboration, and advance systems-level thinking, positioning buildings as a pillar of Canada’s resilient and low-carbon future.
