Webinar Series

Webinar The Sustainable Revolution: ESG has left the station and public builders are on board. A roadmap for the homebuilding industry to catch up.

Wednesday, December 13 | 2:00 PM Central
Stefanie Coleman

This presentation is a summary of a capstone project (Master of Environment and Business - University of Waterloo) delivered on June 24, 2023. The session will discuss the global state of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) today, and how ESG measuring and strategic planning, even for internal purposes, is important for building corporate resilience in the homebuilding industry. The academic research conducted for the capstone project included a review of public responses to the Securities Exchange Commission and Canadian Securities Exchange from top banks, investors, insurers and the construction industry, a review of the Top 10 publicly traded US homebuilders’ ESG reports, and a focus group and survey of small/medium sized leading homebuilders in Canada and USA. The results of this research identified material topics that builders should be aware of, the readiness of the industry for ESG reporting, as well as barriers, gaps and benefits to measuring and reporting environmental, social and governance topics. From these findings, recommendations and a step-by-step BERM (Builder ESG Roadmap) as part of the Builder ESG Toolkit was developed and will be presented. This capstone project will be divided into two white papers that will be peer-reviewed and published.

Learning Objectives:

1. Foundational understanding of what ESG is, what it covers, and the current state of ESG with trendlines of where it is going.

2. Learn about material issues for the finance industry stakeholders (investors, lenders), regulators, insurance, and other stakeholders and the potential impact on homebuilders.

3. Understand the business case for ESG integration.

4. Identify a proposed roadmap with practical action steps for homebuilders to integrate ESG into their businesses and be prepared for pending ESG reporting.

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Webinar Heating and Cooling Innovations for Decarbonization

Thursday, November 16 | 2:00 PM Central
Matt Evans

As jurisdictions across the country consider electrification policy, industry understanding of their electric options for heating and cooling is increasingly important. 

Attendees of this course will learn the benefits of innovative electric heating and cooling technologies, for examples:

• Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions from the building sector as a result of displacing natural gas, propane combustion and oil heating.
•  Increases in electrical efficiency as a result of replacing using innovative systems such as ductless minisplits and ground source heat pumps
• Utility bill savings for ratepayers as a result of technology efficiencies and the ability to shift electric consumption to parts of the day when renewable energy resources are abundant and electricity prices are lowest.
• Concepts such as dual-fuel heating and cold climate heat pumps.
• Attendees will be familiarized with the various types of heating and cooling systems.

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Webinar Water, Energy, & Carbon: How Saving Water Impacts Energy Usage and the Transition to a Carbon Free Industry

Thursday, November 9 | 2:00 PM Central
Jonah Schein

Most folks in the EEBA community know there’s a connection between water and energy (and as a result, carbon). On the one hand, we use huge amounts of water to generate electricity, and managing reservoir levels in a way that supports hydroelectric generation has become an increasing issue in the West. On the other hand, we use huge amounts of energy to extract, move, treat, and deliver water and wastewater to our homes. So how much energy does it take? How much energy and carbon can you save by reducing water? We’ll explore these questions using both national averages and local case studies.

Learning Objectives:

• Explain the relationship between water, energy, and carbon
• Express how and where energy is consumed in the process of supporting our homes with water
• Describe the factors that influence the energy intensity of different water supplies and specific homes
• Learn how WaterSense labeled homes certification and the tools provided by WaterSense can help address the energy embedded in water

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Webinar Insulation Strategies for Difficult Details

Thursday, November 2 | 2:00 PM Central
Matt Evans

Home insulation provides year-round comfort and savings and even if homeowners don’t talk about it, you’ll hear about it if there are any issues.  Attendees of this course will be able to:

• Demonstrate proper insulation methods, techniques, and best practices.
• Identify different insulation materials and describe the benefits of using each. 
• Discuss alternative insulation options beyond what is typical today.
• Discuss new insulation strategies and products.
• Identify a variety of insulation options for slab edge insulation, foundation wall insulation configurations, cantilevered balconies, and rim joists, for examples.
• Understand options for going beyond-code minimum insulation strategies.