Getting to Zero Research Project
Turning real-world data into practical building insights
Launching in January 2026
Please email us at gettingtozero@albertaecotrust.com to express early interest or ask questions about the project.
Project overview
In Alberta, the building industry has a significant role to play in reducing emissions by shaping how homes are designed, built and powered across the province. The Alberta Ecotrust Getting to Zero Research Project is working with the industry to reduce emissions by turning real-world data from low or zero-emissions buildings into insights that can be applied across Alberta.
We are working with designers, builders, consultants, contractors, developers and homebuilders of residential buildings in Edmonton and Calgary to gather and purchase data from their low or zero-emissions buildings.
The data gathered through the project will provide an accurate picture of how low and zero-emissions building strategies perform in practice, helping identify which approaches are most effective at reducing emissions. These insights will be shared with the industry to scale practical emissions-reduction strategies across the province.
What is a low or zero-emissions building?
A low or zero-emissions building is highly energy-efficient and generates minimal emissions from its operations and materials, and may use renewable energy.
The project is delivered through three research streams:
Operational emissions
Embodied emissions
Combined heat pump and natural gas heating systems
Project streams
Stream 1: Operational emissions
This stream collects data from new residential projects, in the design and construction phase, with low or zero operational emissions.
It aims to improve industry understanding of design strategies, construction requirements and explore trends related to the real-world costs of achieving high-performance homes.
This stream pays between $15,000 - $25,000 for data from eligible projects.
Stream 2: Embodied emissions
This stream collects data from new residential projects in the design and construction phase that use low-carbon materials.
It aims to survey Alberta’s current practice in construction-related embodied carbon, which is the emissions associated with the extraction, manufacturing, transportation, construction, replacement, and disposal of building materials or a portion of this total lifecycle. It will identify practical material substitutions, provide insights into cost implications, and highlight barriers and training needs for the broader adoption of low-embodied-carbon construction.
This stream pays up to $10,000 for data from eligible projects.
Stream 3: Combined heat pump and natural gas heating systems
This stream collects data from planned or recently completed residential projects that install combined cold-climate heat pump and natural gas heating systems.
It aims to better understand their real-world performance and emissions impacts, contractor practices, installation requirements, system sizing, electrical needs and controls, and tie this to energy performance to survey current practices for hybrid heating systems.
This stream pays up to $8,000 for data from eligible projects.
Timeline
Expressions of interest for all project streams will be accepted twice a year, once in the winter and once in the summer.
The 2026 winter timeline is:
- 1
January 20, 2026
Expression of interest portal opens
- 2
Late February 2026
Screening and shortlisting
- 3
Spring 2026
Decision-making and required document submissions
Project learnings
We will share project insights with the building industry to scale practical emissions-reduction strategies across the province. They will be shared through our Emissions-Neutral Buildings Information Exchange (ENBIX) initiative's resource library as case studies, reports, presentations and blog posts.
Learn more about ENBIX
Thank you to our funders
