Actions Needed to Electrify British Columbia’s Buildings - CleanBC’s plan for the building sector is a promising start to a clean energy

Since the current pace of heat pump installations is falling short of the level necessary for most buildings to be transitioned to heat pumps by 2030, the province should set interim targets for heat pump uptake (as a percentage of installations) to ensure the market transformation occurs at the necessary pace. [...] This will support the work of the Building to Electrification Coalition, the organization behind the BERM, and provide context for regular feedback to and from the HVAC industry. [...] follows in the footsteps of municipalities such as Vancouver and Toronto.8 It also builds on the work of the BC Energy Step Code Council,9 formed by the province to support implementation of the Step Code, which has been working with government and industry partners to craft a framework that local governments in B. [...] While the CleanBC Plan does mention the province’s intention to provide more funding for retrofits, the 2022 budget falls short of the level of incentives needed to ensure a rapid scale-up of a retrofit economy. [...] will cover these issues.) Over the next two years, regulations and programs that send a clear signal for the electrification of buildings and the rapid scale-up of deep retrofit services must be established in order to ensure that the progressive commitments made lead to on-the-ground action.