Aligning energy efficiency with climate goals

British Columbia leads in Scorecard rankings for the fourth year in a row, having earned 55 points out of 100. The province continues to be a place to watch for best practices in policy.

Planned initiatives under the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 include making all new buildings zero carbon and requiring space and water heating to be 100 per cent efficient by 2030. Others include requiring energy efficiency labels during home sales, and capping GHG emissions from natural gas utilities.

The province is funding significant GHG reductions in industry and re-aligning natural gas conservation strategies. However, utility provider targets for energy savings are not fully aligned with the province’s climate ambitions. Policymakers need to find a new framework to let utilities—subject to regulatory environments that are notoriously risk-averse—be part of exploring ways to achieve robust energy savings.

The province’s need for energy efficiency goes beyond reducing GHGs and energy bills. Extreme heat events have caused deaths in BC. As such, there’s a need to outfit homes with efficiency upgrades such as better insulation and heat pumps—which also provide air conditioning—so residents can adapt to the impacts of climate change.

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