An aggressive timeline for new energy step code requirements for new buildings in Port Moody will increase construction costs from one to eight per cent depending on their size, says the city’s senior sustainability and energy coordinator, Chris Brown.
But not doing so will end up costing homeowners much more to retrofit their homes when provincial regulations for new homes kick in three years later and will prevent Port Moody from meeting its own climate action goals to reduce greenhouse gases, says Mayor Meghan Lahti.
Tuesday, Sept. 10, a majority of councillors sided with the mayor, as they approved a timeline that will see carbon-based heating, cooling and cooking systems eliminated from development applications for new residential and commercial buildings by Jan. 1, 2027. That’s three years sooner than required by provincial regulations.
In a presentation, Brown said the new rules would not apply to any development currently in the approval pipeline that achieves first reading from council by the end of this year.
Lahti said given the sheer number of development proposals coming to the city, if the changes don’t kick in sooner rather than later, residents in new developments will be on the hook to bring their homes in line with provincial regulations that take effect in 2030.
“These changes are coming regardless of when,” she said of the new rules to eliminate heating, cooling and cooking systems that currently contribute about 46 per cent of the city’s carbon gas emissions. Instead, they would all run on electricity. “We don’t have an option here, we have to do this.”
But Coun. Dilworth said the price is still too high, especially when there is an urgent need to build more homes to achieve housing targets that have also been mandated by the province.
“Yes we have a climate crisis and yes we have a housing crisis,” she said. “The challenge here is finding the balance addressing both equally and in tandem.”
Coun. Callan Morrison agreed.
“We have to give and take and you’re not going to be able to solve all of it,” he said. “I am concerned about providing affordable housing and developers have to be able to deliver it on time.”
Brown said if Port Moody slows its timeline for energy step code requirements to the province’s pace, the city won’t be able to achieve its climate action goal to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions 80 per cent from 2017 levels by 2030.
That’s of paramount importance, said Coun. Amy Lubik.
“Anything we can do right now to meet our climate targets and be a leader is really important,” she said. “It’s important to get fossil fuels out of homes.”
Coun. Samantha Agtarap agreed Port Moody must act boldly.
“We need to do everything we can to make things more energy efficient,” she said.
