Summary of Key Asks for Advancing a Made-in-BC Strategy for Heat Pumps in Low-Rise MURBs
Note: The following summary represents a preliminary synthesis of ideas and priorities emerging from UCL’s 5th Dialogue Session at SFU Vancouver Climate Day on September 26th, 2025. These are not final recommendations. A detailed summary report will be circulated to partners for review and feedback in the coming weeks.
BC’s low-rise multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs) house thousands of residents, many of whom are low-income and vulnerable to extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and rising energy costs. Retrofitting these buildings with low-carbon heat pumps will improve health and safety, preserve affordable housing, and create major economic opportunities.
Scaling up this work requires coordinated, province-wide leadership and a clear economic development strategy. Over the past 18 months, Urban Climate Leadership (UCL) has convened more than 200 leaders from the private, public, and community sectors to co-design and shape a Made-in-BC approach.
1. Aggregation at Scale
Set a bold provincial target to retrofit 5,000+ low-rise MURBs over five years, grouping buildings for efficiency.
Establish a long-term coordination mechanism to oversee aggregation, financing, and implementation.
Ensure consistency and long-term funding (10–15 years) and embed equity by prioritizing vulnerable residents and high-risk heat zones.
Develop a clear data-driven system to track progress with transparent metrics on installs, costs, and health/safety benefits.
2. Workforce Development
Build on the excellent existing post-secondary skills training curriculum (e.g. BCIT, local colleges, TECA)
Develop a standardized, province-wide training and accreditation system for HVAC, electricians, plumbers, and sheet-metal workers. Support Skills Trade BC. Partner with Indigenous and regional training centres to expand access.
Create a two-tiered certification system that distinguishes between residential and industrial HVAC work.
Expand micro-credential programs province-wide with an emphasis on equity and accessibility, and provide training subsidies.
3. Concierge Services
Create permanent, province-wide concierge services to simplify and accelerate retrofits, coordinating across CleanBC, ZEIC, utilities, and municipalities.
Build a one-stop-shop platform on the CleanBC website, standardize branding and marketing.
Collaborate with NRCAN, Canada Infrastructure Bank, Build Canada, program-related investors, and other relevant stakeholders to commit $50 million per year over five years to stabilize programs with multi-year funding, support local governments and property management companies, and ensure concierge access for Indigenous and remote communities.
4. Multi-Level Government Coordination
Appoint a cabinet-level champion to align ministries (Housing, Energy and Climate Solutions, Health, Jobs, Innovation, Finance, and Environments) - incorporate retrofits in the industrial policy, drive heat pump market transformation, recognize housing as critical infrastructure, mandate coordination across governments, and ensure shared standards and accountability.
Coordinate with federal programs to unlock funding and workforce development.
Federal and Provincial governments to work with industry to identify supply chain manufacturing opportunities for made-in-Canada equipment.
Adopt province-wide standards to advance BC based manufacturing and innovation in BC (e.g., Higher Efficiency Equipment Standards, Building Performance Standards, Monitoring and Verification of Energy Reporting and Fast-Track approvals).
5. Technology, Manufacturing, and Innovation
Focus on deployment leadership and niche innovation, emphasizing load management, standards modernization, and regulatory agility.
Lead nationally by influencing the 2027 CSA and CE Code updates, implementing load management standards, supporting BC innovators developing advanced technologies, and streamlining approvals through collaboration with Technical Safety BC and PowerLabs.
6. Finance and Funding
Create a $500M Retrofit Superfund blending federal, provincial, utility, pension, and philanthropic investment into a Retrofit Investment Facility or Heat Pump Enablement Fund. Blend grants, forgivable loans, loan-loss reserves and C-PACE.
Fund open-source business case tools, and tie funding to measurable outcomes, including emissions, health, and housing benefits.
Collaborate with provincial and federal Rental Protection Funds to ensure that energy-efficient heat pumps are included in the portfolio upgrades for buildings transitioning from private to public holdings.
7. Data and Transparency
Implement a centralized data registry to track building performance, emissions, and retrofit progress.
Facilitate data sharing among utilities by utilizing citizen and sensor data.
Require landlord disclosure of building performance and integrate this data into capital planning and financing decisions.
8. Building Political Will and Public Communications
Public engagement and narrative framing are essential. Center messaging around 'Keep it Cool'—positioning heat pumps as tools for cooling, health, and resilience.
Promote the Right to Cool, highlight lived success stories, engage youth and educators, and encourage municipalities and grassroots groups to amplify the message.
Ensure communications are accessible and multilingual.
The transition to heat pumps in BC’s low-rise MURBs represents one of the province’s most immediate opportunities for climate resilience, housing preservation, and economic renewal. Implementation will protect residents, preserve affordable housing, create nearly 50,000 skilled jobs, cut up to 0.73 MtCO₂e annually, and build a self-sustaining retrofit industry within a decade.
