The Alberta Ecotrust Retrofit Accelerator program offers free one-on-one coaching services to help building owners and managers make sustainable upgrades to their buildings. We also provide access to free desktop retrofit plans, which take a high-level look at your building, outline recommended upgrades in order of priority, and provide estimated costs, savings and emissions reductions.

We’ve created plans for nearly 8,000 buildings across Alberta (primarily in Edmonton and Calgary) and compiled them into an interactive map. These buildings have been analyzed using Audette’s physics-based modelling platform, which was developed by building scientists and trained on more than 800,000 unique energy model simulations. Modelled building types include multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs), long-term care facilities, offices, retail buildings, hotels, restaurants, warehouses and schools.

What is a desktop retrofit plan?

A desktop retrofit plan looks at your building as a whole and outlines which upgrades should be completed, the recommended order, and a financial analysis of estimated capital costs and potential savings. It provides a clear pathway for building owners to reduce emissions and, in many cases, lower operational energy costs. Proactive planning can also boost asset value, extend building lifespan, enhance tenant comfort and modernize building systems. 

Traditionally, retrofit plans are created after an energy auditor conducts an on-site assessment of your building. In this case, our desktop retrofit plans have been developed remotely using Audette’s advanced modelling platform to provide portfolio-level insights on retrofit planning. Each desktop retrofit plan includes:

• A retrofit roadmap and project schedule

• The total and incremental cost of retrofits

• Financial metrics, such as return on investment (ROI), net present value (NPV), and year-over-year cash flow

• Your building's current carbon emissions and its reduction potential by 2050

Alberta’s building owners and managers can contact us to receive their complimentary desktop retrofit plans and free coaching services to guide them through the retrofit journey. Larger portfolios can also enjoy complimentary access to their plans with login credentials to Audette’s software through March 2027.