Charlotte Drache-Lambert
Director of Programs and Customer Engagement
Search Results for:
Maia Smith
UX Designer
Announcing the OPEN Virtual Energy Score: Mapping the Way to Greener Homes in Saskatoon
October 24th marks a significant milestone as OPEN Technologies launches the first expression of our innovative retrofit roadmap tool for homeowners and cities. Starting Tuesday, each of the nearly 70,000 ground-oriented homes in Saskatoon will receive a virtual energy score and a roadmap to improve the efficiency and comfort of their home. The sum impact… Read more »
Johanna Fulda
Senior Software Developer
OPEN Technologies to Support Montreal’s Pioneering Building Benchmarking Program
(La version français en suit) We pleased to announce a strategic partnership with the City of Montreal to support the City’s By-law for the Disclosure and Rating of GHG Emissions from Large Buildings. This collaboration also supports the Montréal Climate Plan: Carbon Neutrality by 2050. This by-law is the first of its kind to be… Read more »
Guillaume Hammadi
Senior Software Developer
City of Calgary Continues BenchmarkYYC With a 5-Year GRID Commitment
OPEN Technologies Signs Five-Year Agreement with the City of Calgary for GRID Benchmarking and Reporting Platform Vancouver-based OPEN Technologies is thrilled to announce a significant milestone in its ongoing partnership with the City of Calgary. The company has officially inked a five-year commitment with the City for the continued use of OPEN’s GRID benchmarking and… Read more »
M’Beth Schoenfeld
Data Scientist
Senior Fullstack Engineer (Frontend Focus)
About Us The built environment contributes roughly 40% of annual global emissions. Around the world, governments, utilities, capital providers, and portfolio managers are transforming the market forces that shape our cities. OPEN’s data and software tools help them to make pro-climate decisions with confidence, by providing actionable insights on the best pathways to achieve energy… Read more »
Affordable Housing Navigator Expands to Existing Buildings!
OPEN Technologies is working to bring insights on building performance and retrofit potential to existing multi-unit residential buildings, in addition to the new construction in the tool’s original scope. As you may recall, in 2021, OPEN Technologies was selected as one of the fourteen projects to be awarded funding in the first round of the… Read more »
Saskatoon and OPEN Make a Move on Home Energy Efficiency
Saskatoon Homeowners will soon have access to a powerful new software tool to help them understand their homes’ energy footprint, and potential for improvement. The City of Saskatoon has engaged OPEN Technologies to deliver an online tool to boost homeowner knowledge and motivation to embark on an energy efficiency journey. Each of the 62,000… Read more »
The Digital Transformation of Carbon Policy for Buildings
At my last “regular” job, I was leading two corporate priorities for a national corporate real estate firm. The first was our corporate ESG strategy, and the second was our digital transformation initiative. My background is in policy development, and I was hired as the ‘sustainability guy,’ and was then ‘volunteered’ for the digital transformation… Read more »
A Tragic Passing and a Wonderful New Arrival
As things transition into what’s a major holiday season in many cultural traditions, OPEN has had more cause than expected to reflect upon the things that matter most in life. We are a small team of mission-driven professionals dedicated to solving technical challenges in service of climate change mitigation. But we are also a small… Read more »
November Newsletter 2022
Our November 2022 Newsletter is available here: https://us12.campaign-archive.com/?u=1f9bbcb38af022b119e785dc1&id=e4af7d15f8 Inside: What’s new with the Affordable Housing Navigator, and other project updates!
October Newsletter 2022
Check out our October 2022 newsletter! Inside: reflections on the 2022 Municipal Elections, and more. Read it here: https://us12.campaign-archive.com/?u=1f9bbcb38af022b119e785dc1&id=3430546827
September Newsletter
The newsletter for September 2022 is now available! Check it out to learn more about our upcoming ZebX presentation, and for some exciting project updates. Don’t forget to look for the signup link in the footer: OPEN Technologies September 2022 Newsletter
August Newsletter
Have you read our August Newsletter? This month we’re announcing some new Building Benchmark BC participants, and welcoming Jesse Sherlock, OPEN’s new Director of Technology. Read all about it here, and look for the signup link in the folder: OPEN Technologies August 2022 Newsletter
Nanaimo goes full disclosure!
The City of Nanaimo has joined leading BC municipalities in Canada’s largest voluntary building energy benchmarking program – Building Benchmark BC. The program supports cities as well as building owners and managers who opt into the voluntary climate and energy disclosure. In return for participating, building owners and managers will receive a detailed energy and… Read more »
July Newsletter
Our newsletter for July 2022 is now available! We’ve got some exciting project updates that we can’t wait to share with you. Check it out, and look for the signup link in the footer: OPEN Technologies July Newsletter
June Newsletter
Check out our June newsletter! Highlights include our new market research report, and welcoming a new member of the OPEN Technologies team. Check it out here, and don’t forget to look for the signup link in the footer: OPEN Technologies June Newsletter
Ottawa’s Better Buildings Strategy takes the next step forward with the deployment of GRID
Ottawa will use the innovative ‘climate tech’ software to track emissions and support building owners in becoming more energy efficient. Ottawa building owners and managers will soon have one-click access to detailed information on how their buildings are performing, helping them lower their properties’ greenhouse gas emissions. As one of the first actions in the… Read more »
Stuck
“Stuck: Why home electrification is lagging in British Columbia and what must be done to break the deadlock on residential carbon retrofits”—summarizes the findings of 9 months of market research conducted by OPEN Technologies and Vancity Credit Union.
Report: “Stuck “- Redirect
May 2022 Newsletter
Our May 2022 Newsletter is now available! Inside: Exploring the homeowner retrofit journey, our DiscoverEE presentation and more! https://mailchi.mp/15199f6d8390/may-2022-newsletter
A Personal Journey on the Path to Home Decarbonization – A Play in One [never-ending] Act
As with many complexities in life, when it comes to home decarbonization, two seemingly opposing things are true at once. First, we need to do this. Energy used in the operation of BC homes accounts for 12% of the province’s total carbon footprint…in urban areas like the City of Vancouver, that accounts for 60% of… Read more »
April 2022 Newsletter
Our April Newsletter has the latest on what the OPEN Team has been up to this month! Check it out for details on our upcoming event, and for some exciting project updates: https://mailchi.mp/e1862d676bc1/april-2022-newsletter
A message from Dave – Networking, and Canada’s 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan
So, two things happened last week that were big, and somewhat unexpected for me. The first was that I went to a net-working event. It was crazy. Going into a room with the intention of touching people (hand shakes, hugs, elbow bumps) and something I was sure that had gone the way of cruise vacations-… Read more »
March 2022 Newsletter
Check out our March Newsletter! Inside – a recap of Building Benchmark BC Year 2, a new way to view the Icebox Challenge, and some exciting industry updates. This month, we are also welcoming some new OPEN team members. Look for the signup link in the footer – https://mailchi.mp/dbb3595a3599/march-2022-newsletter
Announcing the Building Benchmark BC Awards!
This year, in addition to the Annual Report, we wanted to do something special for our program participants and recognize the hard work they’ve put into Building Benchmark BC. As such, OPEN Technologies presents the Building Benchmark BC Awards! The inaugural Building Benchmark BC Awards recognize excellence in improving building, climate, and energy performance across… Read more »
Gaurav Vijayvargia
Senior Software Developer – Custom Projects
Welcoming some new OPEN team members… and also Dave!
OPEN Technologies is welcoming some new additions to our team at the end of this month! This includes OPEN co-founder, Dave Ramslie, who will be joining us full time as Chief Operating Officer on March 28th. Dave’s work at OPEN will be to support Donovan and the rest of the team in product management and… Read more »
Building Benchmark BC Annual Report 2022
The second annual report for Building Benchmark BC is live at buildingbenchmarkbc.ca! A steadily growing number of British Columbia building owners are positioning their properties for forthcoming standards in building energy and carbon management by voluntarily reporting their emissions and energy use through the Building Benchmark BC program. The Building Benchmark BC Year Two Annual… Read more »
February 2022 Newsletter
Our February newsletter is now available! Inside: BBBC Year 2 Report coming soon, the latest on the Icebox Challenge, and some exciting career opportunities. Look for the signup link in the footer – https://mailchi.mp/8dbf63048865/february-2022-newsletter
January 2022 Newsletter
Our first newsletter of 2022 is now available! This month, we’ve seen a major expansion for BuildingPathfinder.com, an we couldn’t be more excited to share it. Look for the sign-up link in the folder to get updates for 2022: https://mailchi.mp/7f8ea889e334/january-2022-newsletter
Efficiency Nova Scotia
Efficiency Nova Scotia is Canada’s first energy efficiency utility, tasked with driving efficiency across Nova Scotia’s built environment. Their benchmarking program has been confirmed for the 2020 and 2021 reporting cycles.
Calgary Energy Benchmarking
Calgary launched its voluntary benchmark and disclosure program in 2019 and has been using GRID to support program management and data disclosure since the start. The program includes a range of commercial, public sector, and civic sector buildings.
Embodied Carbon Pathfinder is now live!
We are pleased to announce that one of our favourite legacy projects has seen a major scope expansion. The PathFinder tool, which has been helping users to test building design scenarios for their operational energy and emissions for several years, is now being complemented by the Embodied Carbon PathFinder. This free web app will now… Read more »
December 2021 Newsletter
Our last update of 2021! This month, we are excited to announce our CMHC award, some new and noteworthy industry updates, and wish all of our followers a happy holiday season. Look for the link in the footer to signup for 2022: https://mailchi.mp/187267b5eefe/december-2021-newsletter
OPEN Awarded CMHC Housing Supply Challenge Funding
OPEN Technologies’ Affordable Housing Navigator is one of fourteen projects to receive implementation funding through CMHC’s Housing Supply Challenge. As watchers of this space may recall, in May 2021 the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) awarded OPEN Technologies $200,000 to develop a proof of concept for an Affordable Housing Navigator. The CMHC Housing Supply… Read more »
November 2021 Newsletter
It’s been a busy Fall for OPEN Technologies, and we’ve got some exciting updates in our November newsletter, including our move (back) to Gastown, the Icebox Challenge feature at COP26, and an ACEC Award of Excellence for ThermalBridge.ca. Read more: https://mailchi.mp/8087ba5eb6d9/november-2021-newsletter, and look for the sign-up link in the footer to receive monthly updates!
Test Product
Here is the body.
Gordon
Floor Manager
July 2021 Newsletter
Check out our July Newsletter! This month, we are welcoming some new faces to the OPEN Technologies team, as well as highlighting a number of new and noteworthy industry resources and reports. Click on the link to view: https://mailchi.mp/4056662ac1a9/july2021, and look for the signup link in the footer to subscribe!
Toronto Moves on Performance Rules for New and Existing Buildings
This past week, the City of Toronto City Council passed two distinct sets of regulations to improve the climate and energy performance of the city’s news and existing buildings. Here’s the scoop on each. Existing Buildings: The Net Zero Existing Buildings Strategy What it Does First, the city passed the Net Zero Existing Buildings… Read more »
June 2021 Newsletter
Our June 2021 newsletter is now live! This month we are featuring the latest additions to Building Benchmark BC, and our funding award from CleanBC! Check it out, and look for the sign-up link in the footer: https://mailchi.mp/90518e65a85d/june2021
Province of British Columbia Invests in Building Benchmark BC
This past month, the Province of British Columbia awarded the Open Green Building Society—OPEN Technologies’ affiliate non-profit—$425,000 to grow Building Benchmark BC across the province and extend the initiative for a third year. Building Benchmark BC is one of 21 projects that received funding from the CleanBC Building Innovation Fund, which supports innovative low-carbon, energy-efficient… Read more »
May 2021 Newsletter
Our newsletter for May 2021 has the latest on Building Benchmark BC, our CMHC award, and the Nova Scotia debut of GRID through Efficiency Nova Scotia! Click on the link to check it out, and look for the sign up page in the footer: https://mailchi.mp/2554bda74389/may2021
Nova Scotia Unlocks the Power of Building Energy Benchmarking with GRID
Nova Scotia building owners and managers will soon have one-click access to detailed information on how their buildings are performing, helping them lower their properties’ greenhouse gas emissions. They will do so because in March we licensed our GRID benchmark and disclosure software to EfficiencyOne—the non-profit organization operating in Nova Scotia as Efficiency Nova Scotia.… Read more »
CMHC Shortlists OPEN Project Under Housing Supply Challenge
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) recently shortlisted OPEN Technologies as one of 21 organizations to receive funding under the first round of its Housing Supply Challenge. The federal crown corporation awarded us $200,000 to tackle a critical challenge to affordable housing supply: How can affordable housing providers reduce the number of cancelled projects… Read more »
Justine Wiklo
Business Analyst
Building Benchmark BC Annual Report 2021
Year 1 of Benchmark BC was a great success, showing the readiness of municipal and private sector owners to benchmark and disclose their performance. We exceeded our recruitment targets by doubling our number of partner jurisdictions and recruiting over 500 buildings… a total of almost 5 million square metres of gross floor area. Our participants… Read more »
Calgary redirect
EWRB 2018 Redirect
OPEN Letters: Technologies at Work
If you are reading this, chances are that your work is related to the built environment in some way, as a builder, designer, property manager, energy efficiency advisor, policy maker, or advocate. And if you’re not terribly familiar with this young company called “OPEN Technologies” (ie. us), then you may find yourself wondering … “okay,… Read more »
An OPEN Letter on Climate Justice in the Urban Realm
Like many people around the world, our team at OPEN Technologies has watched the current struggles in American cities with horror and concern, coupled with admiration for the many brave people stepping in to demand real, fundamental change. And like so many young organizations with the privilege of distance and security from many of the… Read more »
Net-Zero Navigator
is a free, web-based, and cloud-enabled optimization platform that unlocks the full potential of parametric whole-building energy modelling. Developed in partnership with Dr Ralph Evins and his team at the University of Victoria.
GRID Privacy Policy
Last modified: June 24, 2020 INTRODUCTION Open Regenerative Technologies Inc. doing business as Open Technologies and our affiliates and subsidiaries (“Company” or “we” or “us” or “our”) respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it through our compliance with this policy. This policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect the information that… Read more »
GRID Terms & Conditions
Last modified: June 24, 2020 GRID Terms & Conditions The participation by you, your company, your organization, your employees and staff (as applicable) (collectively, “you”, “Participant”, “Partner Organizations”) in a benchmarking program (“Program”) using the GRID software tool, all of the information that you submit to Open Regenerative Technologies Inc. doing business as, Open Technologies… Read more »
Building Benchmark BC featured in the Journal of Commerce
B.C. pilot to analyze, release building performance data A new pilot project to gather data on building performance is gaining momentum in B.C. More than 50 of the province’s commercial real estate owners and managers have agreed to voluntarily measure, report and disclose their buildings’ energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions with Building Benchmark BC.… Read more »
Building Benchmark BC
Sixteen of British Columbia’s largest municipalities – representing ~75% of the eligible large buildings in the province – participate in this multi-year pilot, which is also administered by our affiliated OPEN Green Building Society.
Building Benchmark BC is supported by participating jurisdictions plus NRCan, Real Estate Foundation of BC, and CleanBC Building Innovation Fund
Blog
Op-Ed from Donovan Woollard & Dave Ramslie: Commercial Real Estate and the Climate Challenge
By the end of this decade, B.C. will have cut greenhouse gas emissions from commercial buildings by 40 percent. Guess how the province will do it? CleanBC, the province’s climate action plan, outlines a range of policies and actions intended to drive down greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and help bring B.C. closer to its target… Read more »
Daniel Eden
GRID Product Manager
Smart Surfaces
is a tool that provides urban decision-makers a cost-benefit model of using surfaces that reduce urban heat island effect, absorb carbon and/or reduce run-off.
Three for All
is a campaign to promote judicious implementation of the BC Energy Step Code. OPEN Green Building Society was a member of the Three for All coalition and acted as its secretariat.
Justin Belanger
Software Developer
Andrew Shopland
Software Developer
Ryan McCuaig
Senior Advisor, Technology
Donovan Woollard
Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Eesmyal Santos-Brault
Co-founder, OPEN
CEO, Quantified Citizen
Christian Cianfrone
Co-founder and Chief Decarbonization Officer
Dave Ramslie
Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer
ZEBx
is an industry hub that facilitates knowledge exchange to accelerate market transformation.
PathFinder
allows designers, engineers, and energy modellers of Part 3 buildings to explore the energy performance impact of a range of design options.
CaGBC Disclosure Challenge
OPEN was grateful to be a part of the core working group for CaGBC’s early push to show private sector support for building energy performance transparency, and to run the program’s disclosure elements on GRID since the 2018 reporting cycle.
The Building Envelope Thermal Bridging Guide
organizes thermal bridging performance data, ie. the rate of heat transfer through a building envelope, into an easily accessible resource for engineers, designers and energy modellers looking to mitigate heat escape.
Shift
provides building industry participants with a clear picture of how the Step Code will shift the anticipated demand from low to high performance building components across Metro Vancouver.
GRID
Confident policy making, asset management, and investment require accurate performance data. Energy benchmarking is the process of tracking and recording a building’s energy performance over time and comparing that performance to other buildings in its class.
GRID helps jurisdictions run energy benchmarking and disclosure programs, providing a data backbone to inform policy development in service of energy and carbon efficient cities.