The city says its new “green building rezoning policy” that comes into effect today will not include banning the use of natural gas in buildings, despite suggestions to the contrary from the B.C. Liberals and FortisBC.
The city issued a statement Saturday, just hours after the Liberals held a news conference claiming the city will ban the use of natural gas. The statement reiterated what city officials have said since city council adopted the policy in November 2016.
“The city wishes to clarify that it is not banning the use of natural gas in Vancouver,” said the city in response to Vancouver-Quilchena Liberal candidate Andrew Wilkinson’s claim that a ban was coming into effect.
The city says its new policy aligns with the provincial government’s introduction of the B.C. Energy Step Code announced April 11, 2017. The “step code” is an amendment to the B.C. Building Code.
“How a developer meets those targets is up to them,” the city said. “It can involve a mix of better insulation, thicker windows and better design, as well as opting for renewable energy. Developers can choose to build new buildings with natural gas, provided they can meet the energy efficiency targets (50 per cent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions).”
Wilkinson held a news conference Saturday and claimed city council wants to ban natural gas in Vancouver. He said in a written statement after the news conference that “we think that is wrong and needlessly adds costs to consumers, home buyers and restaurateurs.”
In the back-and-forth Saturday between the city and the Liberals, Fortis BC issued a statement saying it “strongly supports repealing the ban on natural gas in the City of Vancouver. Our more than 100,000 Vancouver customers should have the right to choose their energy source.”
FortisBC contends the city’s new policy focuses on reducing emissions between 50 to 70 per cent in rezoned buildings and “will effectively eliminate the use of natural gas for space and water heating in rezoned buildings.”
“To state that the provincial and City of Vancouver energy policies are aligned is incorrect and misleading,” FortisBC said.
The Liberals quoted information from FortisBC suggesting a family of four would spend $1,500 more per year, if they were required to use electricity over natural gas for space and water heating alone.
The city says its new policy sets energy efficiency and emissions targets only for new buildings, and only if a developer seeks a rezoning. The city pointed out the new policy has the support of the Urban Development Institute.
“The province states that the Vancouver region will need to invest over $10 billion in preparing and adapting to climate change due to sea level rise and increased storms and droughts,” the city’s statement concluded. “Only by reducing [greenhouse gas emissions] today can we ensure this number does not increase.”
@Howellings
