The vision of SNEBRN is to perform the research that will facilitate widespread adoption in key regions of Canada, by 2030, of optimized NZEB energy design and operation concepts suited to Canadian climatic conditions and construction practices. We aim to influence long-term national policy on the design of net-zero energy buildings and communities in association with our partners. We will train over 100 highly qualified personnel, thereby providing the leaders who will go on to join universities, industry and government and provide further innovations and work to overcome the barriers to our vision.

The main network goal is to develop optimal pathways for achieving zero average annual energy consumption at both the building and neighbourhood levels. This will be achieved through combinations of dynamic building methods that integrate a number of technologies: building-integrated solar systems, high performance windows with active control of solar gains, short-term and seasonal thermal energy storage, heat pumps, combined heat and power technologies, and smart controls. We will aim for simultaneous reduction of energy demands and shifting of peak loads through techniques such as predictive control at the building and  neighbourhood scales.