Whereas electric baseboard heating is widely used as a more environmentally friendly option to heat homes; And whereas the cost of heating homes with electric baseboards is higher than other commonly used energy sources such as natural gas: Therefore be it resolved that the provincial and federal government be encouraged to support the development of alternative home heating products that are more affordable to consumers, yet sensitive to environmental sustainability targets.
Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources The Province is currently working to create a roadmap for the future of B.C. energy that will drive innovation, expand energy-efficiency and conservation programs, produce new energy responsibly and sustainably, and create investment and good long-term jobs across the province. As part of its work to build a clean growth future for the province, the Government is inviting public input on a number of topicsan intentions paper on clean and efficient buildings was released summer 2018, and, in 2019, another will be released on low carbon energy. In the intentions paper for clean, efficient buildings, actions for consideration include a Low Carbon Buildings Innovation Program to support research, commercialization, and demonstration of high performance designs and technologies. Affordability in environmentally sustainable home heating can come from reduction in energy demand from the building envelope, efficiency of the home heating technology, and reduction in capital or installation costs for the heating technology. The Province has been working in all of these areasfor example: funding development of higher performance windows built in BC, doing exploratory work on natural gas heat pumps, and funding a field study of electric heat pump water heaters. The Province has also been advancing energy efficiency in both buildings and equipment through the BC Building Code and Energy Step Code, and the Energy Efficiency Standards Regulation. Minimum energy performance standards often generate economies of scale and market learning that result in declining prices. Amendments to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Regulation have helped to make more renewable natural gas available as a low-carbon energy option. These changes have supported FortisBC in working with municipalities and farmers to acquire and inject biomethane from landfills, sewage, and manure into its system. Other amendments to this regulation have enabled BC Hydro to invest in electrification, which could result in incentives that make options like electric heat pumps more affordable. The Province is currently developing a new retrofit incentive program to complement existing utility programs for households, businesses, the public sector, and low-income segments. The program will include incentives for low-carbon high-efficiency technologies, and also provide partnership opportunities for municipalities wishing to provide complementary incentives or co-promote the program.