Tom-Pierre Frappé-SénéclauzeProgram Director, Buildings (on leave)

Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze is the director of the Pembina Institute's buildings program. Until 2022 he served as director for buildings and urban solutions at the Institute. Through fact-finding, convening, and coalition building, he facilitates the development and implementation of policies to reduce carbon pollution and energy waste from homes and buildings. Tom-Pierre has provided consulting services to local, provincial and federal governments agencies on topics ranging from energy labelling, PACE financing, to building codes and market transformation. He sits on resource planning and demand-side management advisory bodies for BC Hydro and FortisBC.

Tom-Pierre’s prior professional experience includes six years of field research on alpine glaciers in the Yukon, leading camps for youth empowerment through the arts every summer, over 10,000 lines of computational physics code, and strategic facilitation for more than 20 organizations.

Tom-Pierre holds a physics degree from L'Université Laval and a master's in geophysics from the University of British Columbia, and is a LEED accredited professional.

Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze's Recent Publications

B.C. gas utilities need to rethink their business models For B.C. to meet its net-zero commitments, the province’s natural gas system will need to look very different than today

Blog Feb. 23, 2023- By Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze

British Columbia is committed to meeting its net-zero emissions targets, but there are still questions about how they will reach that goal . One of the biggest being how are FortisBC and Pacific Northern Gas, the province’s two natural gas utilities, planning to meet the proposed cap on their system’s emissions?

Canada needs a better approach to net-zero home renovations Incentive programs need to meet homeowners where they are and set them on a path to zero-carbon homes

Op-ed Jan. 18, 2023- By Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze, Martin Luymes, Jay Nordenstrom

In order to maximize the potential benefits of a Green Buildings Strategy, actions need to be taken to improve the design and administration of green building incentive programs at the federal, provincial and municipal levels to ensure they are realistic and align with what building and homeowners need to complete effective deep retrofits. There are a number of issues that, if left unaddressed, will put Canada at risk of fumbling this opportunity and failing to meet its net-zero commitments.

Regulating Gas in B.C. to Achieve 2030 and 2050 Climate Goals Recommendations on the GHG Reduction Standard, DSM Regulation, and FortisBC’s revised renewable gas program

Publication Nov. 21, 2022- By Colton Kasteel, Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze

Renewable gaseous fuels, including biomethane and low-carbon hydrogen, are anticipated to play a role in B.C.’s long-term decarbonization, but their origin, end-uses and level of prominence in the long-term provincial energy mix are uncertain. In order for B.C. to meet the commitments laid out in the Roadmap to 2030, FortisBC Energy, the province’s main natural gas utility, will need to present a renewed vision for its business model.

Green Budget Coalition Recommendations for Budget 2023

Publication Nov. 9, 2022- By Cedric Smith, Simon Dyer, Colton Kasteel, Scott MacDougall, Binnu Jeyakumar, Dave Lovekin, Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze

The Green Budget Coalition, comprising 21 of Canada’s leading environmental organizations, urges the federal government to continue to seize this opportunity to transform society to address the twin climate and biodiversity crises, create sustainable jobs and ensure enduring prosperity and well-being for all. This document provides a comprehensive package of timely budget and fiscal recommendations.

When it comes to home resiliency, Canada can’t afford to wait As Canada begins consultation on the National Adaptation Strategy, Canadians must demand governments invest in making our existing housing net-zero.

Op-ed July 11, 2022- By Martin Luymes, Jay Nordenstrom, Tom-Pierre Frappé-Sénéclauze

We need to move beyond simply ‘building back better’ after extreme weather events strike and instead look at ways to make our cities and towns more resilient to the changing climate and corresponding economic realities. The building sector is the third largest contributor to carbon pollution in Canada. Heating is a major contributor to that; over half of the energy used for space heating and air-cooling comes from burning fossil fuels.