Coming in May 2022, the City of Vancouver Council will be voting on draft regulations that set greenhouse gas (GHG) emission limits for existing buildings. Starting with buildings 100k sq. ft, or greater, the draft regulations introduce energy benchmarking and reporting requirements in 2023 and set specific targets for carbon intensity limits (kg CO2e/m2 /year) starting in 2026, as well as streamline existing energy upgrade regulations in the Building Bylaw (including the removal of requirements). This is part of the City’s Zero Emission Building Retrofit Strategy (ZEB-R) to incrementally decrease carbon pollution from existing buildings to zero before 2050.
While the comprehensive details won’t be released until just before the draft regulations go to Council, City staff’s recommendations will also include a regulatory roadmap until 2030 and funding for programs and services via a new Commercial Retrofit Accelerator Centre.
BOMA BC has been an important stakeholder in ongoing consultations for the City’s Zero Emission Building Retrofit Strategy. During several engagement sessions over the last year, we advocated for:
February 2022: BOMA BC to continue engagement with City of Vancouver staff as draft regulations are finalized.
March 2022: BOMA BC and City of Vancouver to host informational webinar for members to collect feedback).
May 2022: City Council votes on draft regulations.
Stay tuned to hear more about the City’s draft regulations. If you have any questions or would like to share your thoughts about this initiative, please contact Zach Segal, our Director of Government Relations at zsegal@boma.bc.ca, or 604-684-3916 x. 225.