March 2023

Are you a homeowner looking for help and advice to make your home more comfortable and resilient in hotter weather, and to reduce your carbon pollution by switching to renewable energy?
 
The Home Energy Navigator Program (formerly called Bring It Home for Climate) is a free program available for Vancouver homeowners to help make informed, cost effective and climate-wise decisions for home energy upgrades of any size. The recently rebranded program offers the following services:

• Free virtual home energy check-ups for single family homes, small co-ops and stratas in Vancouver
• Clarity about the many rebates and grants available to help you make the switch from fossil fuel heating and hot water equipment to an energy efficient electric heat pump
• A personalized retrofit roadmap for your home with advice on comparing quotes, selecting contractors and more

The program’s goal is to help reduce carbon pollution from homes and buildings. Nearly 60% of the carbon pollution in Vancouver comes from burning natural gas, a fossil fuel, for space and water heating.
 
YOUR TURN
 
Register with the Home Energy Navigator Program to connect with an Energy Concierge who can discuss your project in a free virtual consultation and advise on next steps in your retrofit journey.
 
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY

Have you been thinking about trading your car in for a more climate-friendly way of getting around?
 
The SCRAP-IT Program provides BC residents with a free transit pass or a rebate to help you purchase an e-bike when you scrap a qualifying vehicle. Incentives include:

• $750 towards a new e-bike
• An unlimited 8-month adult transit pass
• A 16-month stored value transit pass (a value of $50 per month)

What do cooper’s hawks, lady beetles, western bumble bees and spotted towhee’s all have in common? They are all residents of St. George St. between E. 5^th Avenue and Broadway, home to the future St. George Rainway, which began construction this past February. The Rainway will re-design the street into a blue-green system that manages rainwater while also creating a connected biodiversity corridor. In 2022, City staff worked together with a group of citizen scientists to help understand the current conditions along St. George Rainway.
 
Using iNaturalist to collect data, 164 unique species, including several indicator bird and bee species, beneficial insects, invasive species and one species of special concern were identified. By understanding what currently uses the space, we have been able to make design recommendations, like creating micro-habitat features to support a wide variety of biodiversity that will provide food, water and shelter for creatures big and small. 
 
YOUR TURN
 
Learn more by reading the St George Rainway bioblitz report back and become a citizen scientist yourself by joining the iNaturalist community!
 
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY

In Vancouver, nearly 60% of our carbon pollution comes from burning natural gas, a fossil fuel, to heat our buildings and hot water – and we’re working to change this. In May 2022, Council approved regulations to reduce carbon pollution in existing large commercial and multi-family buildings, which accounts for half of our total building-related carbon pollution. Starting in January 2025, large multi-family buildings greater than or equal to 9,290 m² (100,000 ft²) will be required to report their annual energy use.
 
To support this new requirement, the City is offering free consulting services to support energy and carbon benchmarking and reporting for 100 multi-family buildings in Vancouver. The data gathered will expand the City’s understanding of Vancouver’s large buildings, help identify opportunities for energy and carbon use improvements, connect building owners with customized support and resources and support the development of future policies informed by accurate building energy details.
 
This work supports our Climate Emergency Action Plan and can help building owners and managers understand what they can do to increase energy efficiency, reduce utility costs, increase building comfort and support climate goals to reduce carbon pollution.
 
YOUR TURN
 
Multi-family building strata members, owners and managers interested in receiving free consultant support to benchmark their data can check their eligibility and apply to participate in this program.
 
SUPPORTING: CLIMATE EMERGENCY