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A pathway to resilient, zero-emission buildings in Metro Vancouver

Buildings will help shape our low carbon future by using clean and renewable energy, becoming highly energy efficient, and supporting human health through design and location.

Looking for more detail on our building-related strategies?

Download the Climate 2050 Buildings Roadmap

We envision healthy buildings.

By 2050, residents throughout the region will live and work in resilient, zero-emission buildings. Our homes, shops, schools and offices will be efficient; they’ll require less energy to operate, and they may even generate some of their own power on site. Flood protection, shading, air filtration and cooling will be standard, so we’ll be safer, more comfortable and better prepared to deal with our already-changing climate.

Buildings last a long time. So the decisions we make today will determine the amount of emissions they create well beyond 2050.

Our commitment: A region that is both carbon-neutral and resilient to the changing climate by 2050.

Today, 1/4 of our emissions come from our buildings – including our homes.

Our apartments and houses, offices and industrial buildings, shops and schools – all are key to our fight against climate change. In fact, the 500,000 buildings in Metro Vancouver generate 4 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year. The contributor of more than 90% of these emissions? The natural gas we use to produce heat and hot water.

To achieve our target of zero-emission buildings, we need to shift away from natural gas to clean and renewable energy for space and water heating.

Addressing climage change is a 2-part process

Mitigating greenhouse gases with zero-emission buildings.

Adapting to the irreversible effects of climate change with more resilient buildings.

Expected climate change impacts

Expected Climate Change Impacts

Our goals: zero-emission, resilient buildings by 2050.

These 7 strategies are helping us reach our goals.

Taking a whole building approach

To achieve our goals, we need to reduce our energy use, transition to clean and renewable energy sources and improve our buildings’ overall resiliency to the changing climate.

Improving Building Efficiency Info Graph

Real-life solutions that work.

Heat pumps

Installing high-efficiency electric heating and cooling equipment – like a heat pump – is usually the quickest, most economical and most permanent way to achieve a zero-emission building. In the winter, a heat pump warms your house by bringing heat indoors from the ground or outside air. In the summer, it pulls heat from inside and moves it outside. At the same time, the heat pump filters indoor air, making your home more resilient to smoky air from wildfires

How District Energy System Works Infograph

District energy sytems

Metro Vancouver is home to 18 district energy systems (2021) – centralized plants that efficiently heat all the buildings within a concentrated area (like a university campus or high-density neighbourhood). By transitioning our existing district energy systems from natural gas to electricity, we have the opportunity to simultaneously de-carbonize whole clusters of buildings throughout the region

What can I do?

While reaching our goals will require a number of large, structural changes, there are also things that we can do on an individual level every day. Most importantly, use less energy – whether that means air-drying your clothes, turning down the heat or taking shorter showers.

Ready to make a bigger move? If you’re able to make the switch from natural gas to electricity, you’ll reduce your home’s overall emissions by 94%.

Climate-ready buildings benefit everyone.

We know that implementing the necessary changes will require commitment, financial investment, collaboration, and a focus on social equity. But we’re committed to ensuring that the results will benefit us all.

When our buildings are zero-emission and resilient, they’ll withstand the effects of extreme weather, have less impact on the environment, and support our health. Cool spaces will offer relief during extreme heat; buildings with air-filtration systems will providesmoke-free space during wildfires. At the same time, better buildings will be a big boost to the economy, as energy-saving retrofits create thousands of jobs, unlock a massive market for made-in-BC high-performance materials and equipment and contribute billions to our GDP.

Metro Vancouver’s Climate 2050 strategy brings local context to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development goals, which are intended to meet the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations. Our Buildings Roadmap aligns with the UN’s 11^th goal, aimed at making all human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.

Buildings is one of Metro Vancouver’s ten Climate 2050 priorities.

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Buildings

A pathway to resilient, zero-emission buildings in Metro Vancouver​

​​We envision healthy buildings.​​​