Climate Emergency: Home Heating and Cooling

Thanks for all your feedback. Staff are now reviewing and analyzing comments and input received, and developing the report to reduce carbon pollution and increase climate resilience in Vancouver’s detached homes.

Nearly 60% of Vancouver's carbon pollution comes from burning natural gas (which is methane, a fossil fuel) for space and water heating in our buildings. Carbon pollution, also known as greenhouse gases or emissions, causes climate change and contributes to smog and air pollution, which impacts our health and environment.

That’s why, in 2020, City Council approved the Climate Emergency Action Plan (CEAP), our roadmap to cut Vancouver’s carbon pollution in half by 2030 and do our fair share in preventing climate breakdown.

The good news is by changing how we heat and cool our buildings, we can:

• Increase home comfort
• Better prepare our homes for extreme temperatures and wildfire smoke
• Do our part to dramatically reduce Vancouver’s emissions

Through our 2016 Zero Emissions Building (ZEB) Plan, we’ve reduced carbon pollution from new buildings, which now produce 70% less carbon pollution than they did in 2007.

Now, through CEAP, we’re focusing on reducing emissions from existing buildings.

This phase of engagement is now complete

This phase of engagement focused on the following proposed regulations for detached homes:

• Recommend to City Council that new space and water heating equipment (such as furnaces and hot water tanks) be more energy efficient, and/or use renewable energy when the old equipment needs to be replaced (due to end-of-life)
• Recommend to City Council that major renovations to perform additional energy efficiency improvements
• Highlight resources and supports for residents

Residents were invited to get involved in the following ways

• Provide input via a feedback form, or visit the form with this external link. Comments were received from Wednesday January 18 until Sunday March 6, 2022.
• Attend a public workshop (1.5 hours each, hosted online):
  • Wednesday, February 2 at 7 PM (complete)
  • Saturday, February 26 at 10 AM (complete)
• Watch a video overview of the Home Heating and Cooling program by our Green Buildings team here: external link to YouTube (12 minutes)
• Ask our team a question below, or by contacting green.buildings@vancouver.ca
• Sign-up for our monthly Greenest City newsletter for updates, information, and opportunities to stay involved