Skip to main content
Search
VEC - Vancouver Economic Commission
  • Vancouver’s Economy
    • Vancouver’s Economy »
    • Economic SnapshotKey metrics and indicators
    • Key IndustriesEstablished and emerging sectors
    • Competitive AdvantagesWhat makes Vancouver unique?
    • Economic ReconciliationA city of reconciliation
    • Living in VancouverWhy choose Vancouver?
    • Working in VancouverTransform your career
  • Programs
    • All Programs »
    • Economic Transformation LabA research think-tank
    • Angels for Climate SolutionsStartup and investor training program
    • Project GreenlightTechnology pilot program
    • Zero Emission TransitionEconomic action plan
    • Circular Economy NetworkSeries of six free events
    • Circular Reverse Pitch 2.0Circular solutions event
  • Research
    • All Research »
    • Vancouver Economy ReportSpring 2023
    • Beyond GDPA new framework for Vancouver
    • Carbon Markets in BCA guide to carbon markets
    • The Just TransitionOverview & best practices
    • A Just Circular Economy of FoodA “Right to Food” Framework
    • Cross-Border Investment GuideHow to invest in Vancouver
  • How Can We Help?
    • How Can We Help? »
    • Request DataEconomic and sector metrics
    • Relocate your businessWhere to start
    • Funding and InvestmentOpportunities in Vancouver
  • About Us
    • About Us »
    • Our Purpose
    • Meet the Team
    • Board of Directors
    • Advisory Board
    • Careers
    • Communication Preferences
  • Media
  • Events
  • Blog

BC Heat Pump Technology Attraction Strategy

Actionable steps towards decarbonization

BC Head Pump Strategy Header Image feautres a technician installing an indoor air conditioning unit on the wall of a home

Building a foundation for BC’s most important electrification technology

Why heat pumps?

Across BC, The use of fossil gas in buildings accounts for 11% percent (7.0Mt) of British Columbia’s greenhouse gas emissions; in urban centres, such as Vancouver, they represent 54 percent of emissions. Almost all of these emissions are produced from heating water and spaces – therefore, electrifying these processes is a critical step towards addressing, and reducing, the built environment’s carbon footprint.

Heat pump technologies and products play a key role in advancing BC’s building electrification, climate action, and economic development goals. Strategies focused on increasing market demand via regulations and incentives are important; however, the BC market also needs tactics to catalyze and attract new technology, with a goal of ramping up the volume and diversity of heat pumps supplied by global manufacturers. That’s where the BC Heat Pump Strategy comes into play.

The BC Heat Pump Technology Attraction Strategy

The BC Heat Pump Strategy was created by BC Building to Electrification Coalition (B2E) and the Vancouver Economic Commission (VEC) as a roadmap to achieve the following:

  1. Identify the availability, needs and gaps of heat pump technologies in BC
  2. Identify and understand barriers to addressing these gaps
  3. Develop actions and implementation steps to overcome barriers

Read the Strategy

Exceeding Initial Forecasted Market Demand

Heat pumps represent a major economic opportunity. In 2019, VEC estimated the total market for green building technologies would exceed $3.3 billion by 2032. Since then, this estimate has radically increased thanks to decarbonization plans like the City of Vancouver’s Climate Emergency Action Plan, Metro Vancouver’s Climate 2050 Roadmap and the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030. Heat pumps have evolved into a critical element of BC’s green economy.

Keep Reading

  • Green Buildings Market Research: product demand and job forecasts
  • SHIFT: interactive market demand data for green buildings
  • ZEETAP: Zero Emissions Economic Transition Plan

Leveraging heat pumps: barriers and solutions

The BC Heat Pump Strategy was created to ensure British Columbians have access to an affordable supply of high-performance heat pumps. Below is a snapshot of barriers and proposed solutions:

Market Size

The most significant barrier is the cost and complexity of introducing a new heat pump technology into a modest demand market.

Proposed solutions

  • Collaborate with leading jurisdictions and industry partners that have similar heat pump technology needs.
  • Undertake bulk procurement of products “missing” from the market. 
  • Ramp up Canadian manufacturing with a focus on domestic market needs.
  • Streamline the certification process.

Workforce capacity

Lack of a qualified workforce or adequate labour capacity to design and install heat pumps poses reputational risk to manufacturers.

Proposed solutions

  • Invest in workforce training programs.
  • Establish a BC heat pump centre for research, demonstration and training.

Safety and performance

Manufacturers’ concerns include:

  1. Incompatibility with NA regulations despite existing high-performance products.
  2. Energy efficiency standards overlook existing product value and performance.

Proposed solutions

  • Review standards to enable low-GWP refrigerants.
  • Explore opportunities to increase the use of cold-climate performance metrics.

Read the strategy

Developing a strong, resilient and sustainable supply chain for heat pumps and other building decarbonization technologies won’t be an overnight process. However, now is the time to make investments for the long-term – the result could be well-paying, stable jobs and a boost to BC’s reputation as a global leader in climate action.

To learn how we can collectively achieve this goal, read the BC Heat Pump Technology Attraction Strategy.

Read now

How to get engaged

To learn more about electrification technologies in BC, visit the BC Building to Electrification Coalition website. For further details about the BC Heat Pump Strategy, email Peter Sun, economic transformation analyst at the Vancouver Economic Commission, at psun@vancouvereconomic.com.

Get in touch

 
 

In partnership with


 
 

 
 

Related Initiatives and Resources

Action Plan

Zero Emissions Economic Transition Plan

ZEETAP aims to help businesses and individuals address challenges related to the just and equitable transition to a zero-carbon economy.

➔ Download now

Market Research

Green Building Product Forecast

In 2019, VEC estimated $3.3 billion in demand for green building products across Metro Vancouver as an outcome of the implementation of the BC Energy Step Code. This data provides a baseline of the demand for heat pumps and other, related products.

➔ Read more

Sector Profile

Green Building Design and Construction

VEC has developed a huge variety of programs and research related to green buildings, touching on topics from finance to embodied carbon, resilience, and the circular economy.

➔ Learn more

Related Content

See Our Resources
  • Programs | Green Economy, Resilience

    Vancouver’s Zero Emissions Economic Transition Action Plan

  • Projects | Green Economy, High Impact Investment, Capital

    Shift

  • Research | Green Economy, High Impact Investment, Capital

    Green Buildings Market Research

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

General Contact

  • Phone: +1 604-632-9668
  • Toll Free: +1-866-632-9668
  • Email us
  • 500-555 W 8th Avenue
    Vancouver, British Columbia
    V5Z 1C6
Events
  • Angels for Climate Solutions Pitch Night Finale
  • Angels for Climate Solutions Top 15 Pitch Night (2023)
  • Future-proofing Vancouver: Food Security beyond Food Surplus

View all events

Sign up for VEC’s newsletter!

We respect your privacy. Your email will never be shared.

VEC respectfully acknowledges that it is located on the unceded ancestral territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ / sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

© 2023 Vancouver Economic Commission


  • Communication Preferences
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
Vancouver Economic Commission