Air conditioning coming soon: Cooling to be mandatory in new homes in Vancouver
Life in Vancouver is about to get a little cooler, thanks to a new requirement tucked into a council-approved report on bylaw and policy updates.
City council approved earlier this week an omnibus climate emergency building report, recommendations in which included that new buildings must have built-in air conditioning.
That policy comes into effect starting in January 2025, and is one of several changes to the city's building bylaw including reductions in energy and carbon emissions in residential and commercial buildings.
The "cooling requirement" is only for residential units in Part 3 buildings, which in B.C. means they're taller than three storeys or exceed 600 square metres (6,458 square feet) in area.
These buildings will have to be "served by active mechanical cooling" capable of keeping the building at 26 C or cooler when windows are closed, those behind the report said.
The goal, they wrote, is to keep residents of multi-family homes safe from overheating.
“I think heat and smoke, unfortunately, we are going to be seeing that more frequently and severely as time goes on,” said Sean Pander, the green building manager for the City of Vancouver.
"We need to start protecting our residents against these changes,” he continued.
The policy approval comes just weeks before the anniversary of a so-called "heat dome," an environmental phenomenon that saw temperatures soaring past 40 C in a province where many do not have air conditioning, unlike some places like Ontario where these rules are already in place.
Hundreds of people died in B.C. during days of extreme heat last year, and climate experts warn the heat dome likely wasn't an isolated event.
"One of the people in my building died in the heat dome. And a friend of mine, a person in her building died because of the heat dome. So, AC is really important in the coming years,” said Vancouver city councillor Jean Swanson.
Jennifer Baumbusch, an associate professor of nursing at UBC, said the policy is a good first step, but the changes aren’t happening soon enough.
"People want to know what's happening this summer. What help is coming this summer? What's being done to prepare for what we know is coming this summer with another heat dome potentially or heat waves?” she said. “I think there's an urgency here that's not being addressed."
The city said there are plenty of incentives for homeowners to install heat pumps, which can cool their homes this summer, but multi-family buildings are a challenge.
"We’re a little bit further behind on introducing heat pumps in the multi-family building space, and we're just beginning programs,” said Pander.
He added that the city is working with provincial partners to install more air conditioning units in residential buildings, but installation won’t begin until later this year.
According to the city's report, the majority of buildings currently being developed are already incorporating some kind of air conditioning.
It won't be cheap. City staff cited a study that estimated the lowest cost of these types of systems would still be $8 to $10 per square foot, and most designs cost more than that.
Staff members wrote that prices could drop in the years before the requirement is in place as technology advances.
They suggested those behind new construction should expect a budget increase of up to 3.5 per cent, and that they should try to incorporate cooling systems with heating to save money.
Staff said developers reported that their own studies showed "significantly higher" prices.
The rules coming into effect in three years will only apply to new builds, so owners and renters of apartments in pre-existing buildings will have to find their own solutions.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.