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August 11, 2025
The BC Retrofit Accelerator is kick-starting climate and energy upgrades in hundreds of large residential and commercial buildings across the province.
After another season of record heat and wildfires, the BC Retrofit Accelerator (BCRA) is seeing strong uptake, supporting climate and energy upgrades in hundreds of large residential and commercial buildings across the province.
After one year of operation, over 700 large buildings have enrolled in the BCRA, representing over 48,000 homes in apartments and condos and 960,000 square metres of commercial real estate.
Together, those buildings represent more than 48,000 homes in condos and apartments and nearly five million square metres of floor space — the equivalent of 3,000 NHL-sized ice rinks or a 2,240-storey Empire State Building.
Meeting urgent climate and comfort needs
The program offers hands-on guidance to owners and operators of large properties — including strata councils — to adopt proven technologies such as heat pumps, electric water heating, and advanced heat-recovery and ventilation systems. By timing upgrades with regular renewals, the BCRA aims to cut carbon pollution and improve comfort and resilience in homes and workplaces across B.C.
“Building owners planning system renewals and upgrades are increasingly grappling with the impacts of extreme weather, from heat waves to wildfire smoke,which are becoming more frequent and severe,” said Melina Scholefield, Executive Director, ZEIC. “We’re hearing from strata councils and building owners that cost-efficient heating and added cooling have become top priorities — and electric heat pumps deliver both. Through the BC Retrofit Accelerator, we’re providing hands-on support to make these upgrades happen, reducing costs and carbon while improving comfort.”
By the numbers (year one)
- 700+ buildings enrolled (commercial, strata, and rental housing)
- 48,000+ homes represented in apartments and condos
- Nearly five million m² of floor space retrofitted or planned for upgrades
- 37 municipalities represented, led by Vancouver (79 buildings), Victoria (59), Burnaby (22), and New Westminster (18)
Local impact, healthy communities
Communities across B.C. are already seeing the benefits:
“In New Westminster, we’ve seen first-hand how this kind of support can empower strata councils and building managers to move forward with the retrofits our communities need,” said Sarah Maleska, Community Energy & Emissions Specialist, City of New Westminster.
Port Moody Councillor Samantha Agtarap added: “As a condo owner, I’m experiencing it directly — our building has begun the journey, and the program is giving us the guidance we need to time climate and energy upgrades with renewals and rebates, boosting comfort today while cutting emissions for the future."
“We are seeing more frequent and severe heat events in our region and our communities are faced with an urgent need to adapt. Retrofitting existing buildings with heat pumps presents a promising strategy to provide much needed cooling to people,” said Dr. Brandon Yau, MD, MPH, CCFP, FRCPC, Medical Health Officer, Vancouver. “The BC Retrofit Accelerator helps expand access to building upgrades that can protect population health in the face of a changing climate.”
“As a health researcher and advocate for the ‘Right to Cool,’ I’m seeing the impacts of climate change more clearly every year — from dangerous heat waves to smoke-filled skies,” said Liv Yoon, Assistant Professor, School of Kinesiology, University of British Columbia and Affiliate with the UBC Centre for Climate Justice. “These conditions put people at real risk, especially seniors, children, and those with underlying health conditions. Building upgrades like heat pumps, modern ventilation, and improved indoor air systems can protect health during heat and smoke events. Programs like the BC Retrofit Accelerator are helping make those improvements a reality, enabling more people have access to safe, comfortable, and resilient homes. Ensuring equitable access to cooling means pairing technology upgrades with policies, tenant protections, and community-level planning so that no one is left behind in extreme heat or smoke."
Communities enrolled in the BC Retrofit Accelerator
Current to October 2025, and inclusive of commercial, market and non-market rental, and strata condo building streams.
Building for a climate-ready future
Buildings are responsible for 25 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in Metro Vancouver and eight per cent provincewide. Over its three-year mandate, the BCRA aims to deliver 500 decarbonization plans and support deep energy retrofits at 127 properties across B.C.
The program is delivered by ZEIC in collaboration with key housing and building sector associations, including the BC Non-Profit Housing Association, Building Owners and Managers Association of British Columbia, Condominium Home Owners Association of BC, LandlordBC, and the Aboriginal Housing Management Association.
Funders include Natural Resources Canada’s Deep Retrofit Accelerator Initiative, the Ronald S. Roadburg Foundation, Metro Vancouver Regional District, ZEIC, and other contributors.
