CALGARY— Kari Hyde, Senior Analyst, Buildings, made the following statements in response to this announcement from BC Hydro and the Province of British Columbia's CleanBC program.
“The Pembina Institute congratulates BC Hydro and the Province of British Columbia through their CleanBC program on the launch of the MURBs Retrofit Program. The program will support building owners, property managers and strata councils in conducting preliminary assessments and studies to help develop decarbonization plans as well as rebates to decrease capital costs. The offering fills a gap for market rental, condo and co-op buildings, which have been historically underserved by retrofit programs.
"Electrification with clean electricity is an efficient and affordable way to decarbonize the B.C. buildings sector. By providing rebates that support electric vehicle charging infrastructure−alongside heating, cooling and ventilation, and window and lighting upgrades−BC Hydro will help prepare buildings for the new energy economy. Switching to electricity is key to help drive down GHG emissions and the building sector’s reliance on fossil-fuels. Electricity- and fossil-fuel heated buildings are able to take part in the MURBs retrofit program.
“BC Hydro’s MURBs Retrofit Program is a good step in helping establish pathways to electrification and adoption of clean energy towards reducing building emissions. Further government, utility supports, and funding are needed to enable deeper building envelope retrofits−such as insulation upgrades and air sealing−to ensure access to healthier, safer and climate-resilient homes.”
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Contact
Sarah Snowdon
Senior Comms Lead, Pembina Institute
416-838-3423
Background
Report: Healthy Buildings in a Changing Climate: Improving health with multi-unit residential building retrofits
Blog: Split incentive or common ground? Rethinking tenant and building owner perspectives on deep retrofits for equitable climate solutions?
Op-Ed: If we want more people driving electric, Ontario should make new buildings EV-ready
Report: Deep Retrofit Supply Chain Analysis: Scaling capacity to decarbonize Canadian residential buildings
