Thank you, Madam Chair.
In regard to innovation, I mentioned the dual challenge of developing new solutions but also reducing the cost. I'll just give you a sense of the kind of work that is being done, both by our national energy lab, CanmetENERGY, which is focusing on that, and also through the funding that we are providing to innovators and entrepreneurs out there who might have some great ideas to up our game in this regard.
We are working on software and simulation type solutions to try to, again, be able to pinpoint the areas of opportunity and be able to help drive decision-making by consumers, firms, and investors as well.
Another area we're looking at is cheap retrofits. One cool concept that the folks are working on is about applying some prefabricated panels on top of a building. You can do this without disrupting the people living in it. They are able to use all sorts of laser and imaging technology so they are able to snap this very quickly. They can build it in a factory, plunk it on a house, and make it look more beautiful and more comfortable. It's very cheap to do, and it leads to dramatic energy efficiency improvements in that house. That's the kind of approach. In plain language they call it “putting a jacket on a house”. It's the same kind of idea, making it very comfortable and beautiful, and it's very cost-effective. These are the kinds of things that smart researchers are trying to come up with.
All in all, for these research, development, and demonstration projects related to houses and buildings around the country, we've got some $60-some million set aside for that job.
I can skip slide 10, but you see that these are more of the tools that are out there and that we're working in particular with northern communities. We have unique challenges to address to make sure we develop solutions that are suitable to their needs.
In closing, our focus is very much on implementation.
I'm very happy to answer any questions the committee might have.