Resources Listing

Despite the benefits of heat pumps, household uptake across the country is lagging behind what’s required to be consistent with Canada’s emissions and resilience targets. Providing greater clarity on the costs of different heating and cooling technologies is a key aspect of accelerating uptake, because it can help improve the information available to consumers and…

The heating and cooling equipment that Canadians rely on has big consequences for their finances and their environment. To meet the growing need for cooling, many people are buying central air conditioners and pairing them with their existing heating source. But in doing so, they inadvertently miss an opportunity to get high-efficiency, low-emissions heating and…

Home energy labels help tell the story about the energy used in our homes. It takes 16% of all the energy we consume to power the 16 million buildings in Canada that are used for residential purposes. This comes at a cost, with the average household paying $2,200 annually on energy bills. Lowering energy consumption…

While the BC Building Code regulates all new construction, its application to existing buildings, especially when considering energy efficiency, is not as straightforward or well understood. In the absence of a clear Provincial framework to guide low carbon retrofits in existing buildings, local governments can comprehensively support retrofits in their community by advancing policies and…

The Community Energy Association (CEA) contributed to BC’s 2025 CleanBC review by gathering input from local governments, Indigenous communities, and regional climate networks across the province. The collected submissions emphasized the need for a provincial energy strategy, sustained local government funding, better data, workforce development, and stronger climate leadership. Following the release of the CleanBC…

Recognizing the need for greater clarity and consistency, BC Hydro partnered with the Community Energy Association (CEA) to examine the permitting challenges facing local government staff and installers, and to identify opportunities to modernize municipal approaches to solar and battery permitting. This Solar & Battery Permitting Guide—developed in consultation with local governments, installers, utilities, and…

This tool helps municipal staff and elected officials use their available but underutilized regulatory powers to advance efficient electrification and achieve their climate goals. It offers practical, legally vetted guidance tailored to BC’s legal context and the realities of BC local governments, both large and small.

This article highlights how EV batteries, which sit unused most of the time, can provide value through vehicle-to-grid (V2G), home backup power, demand response, grid flexibility, carbon credit generation, and second-life energy storage applications. The article proposes an “EV Value Stack” or “EV Revenue Stack,” where EV owners, utilities, charging companies, and automakers can benefit…

This report examines how electric vehicles (EVs) can interact with and support Canada’s electricity grid through vehicle-grid integration (VGI) technologies. It evaluates smart charging (V1G), vehicle-to-load (V2L), vehicle-to-home/building (V2H/V2B), and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications, outlining their benefits, technical readiness, and impacts on grid operations and EV batteries.

This project, conducted in partnership with BC Housing through the UBC Sustainability Scholars Program, investigated the barriers and opportunities associated with energy sharing between EVs and buildings during emergencies, and EVs and the grid during normal operations. BC Housing’s commitment to sustainability, climate resilience, and energy equity provides a strong foundation for exploring how these…