To avert the worst impacts of climate change, the Government of Canada is committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. The Net-Zero Act, which became law on 29 June 2021, enshrines in legislation Canada's commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

In addition, the NECB 2020 contains multiple new changes over its 2017 predecessor, including, among others, reducing the maximum allowable thermal transmittance for windows, doors and above-grade opaque assemblies, and reducing the maximum allowable lighting power densities for interior and exterior lighting. The NECB 2020 is an important step toward Canada's goal of achieving net zero energy ready buildings by 2030.

For the first time, the NECB 2020 includes progressive performance tiers to maximize energy efficiency in new construction. This new approach sets the direction for industry and enables provinces and territories to incrementally adopt higher levels of performance within one code. The NECB 2020 has four tiers of performance improvement, with the last tier yielding at least a 60% reduction in energy consumption over the baseline tier 1.

Lastly, and building on the actions in the Pan-Canadian Framework (2016) and Canada's strengthened climate plan (2020), the 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan (2022) reflects input from provinces, territories, Indigenous Peoples, the Net-Zero Advisory Body and interested Canadians on what is needed to reach Canada's more ambitious climate target of 40%-45% emissions reductions by 2030.