Despite what their energy bills might say, those living in high-end, modern condos marketed as being energy efficient may in fact be using as much as four times more power than those living in older, smaller buildings, a new report from BC Hydro suggests.

According to "High-powered high-rise," apartment-dwellers in B.C. pay an average of $43 per month in hydro bill – less than half of the $103 paid by those living in detached homes.

But the utility says those numbers only tells part of the story.

According to the research, as much as half of a condo tower’s total energy use is not reflected in individual energy bills because the power is used for communal amenities such as swimming pools, hot tubs, gyms, elevators and lighting in hallways and lobbies. The money for those aspects of a building's consumption, the report added, usually come from common-use accounts covered by strata fees, not individual hydro bills.

"This means that even if the individual units in newer high-rise buildings are energy efficient … and owners' costs are low, the electricity used to power all the high-consuming 'extras' must also be accounted for," the report said, adding that "this has created a disconnect between a condo dwellers' perceived and actual energy footprint."
 

Old vs. new: A look at usage numbers

BC Hydro said if the residents of a typical high-rise built between 2010 and 2017 were to share the cost of the their building's overall energy use, each would pay around $40 more on their bills.

This means that the energy footprint of those living in newer condo buildings can be several times larger than those residing in older apartments.

"Even amongst electrically heated high-rise buildings, BC Hydro data shows newer buildings (those building after 2010) use more than twice the amount of electricity of high rises built in 1980," the report said.

The data also shows that the average building with five storeys or more built in 2010 uses just over 1 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, which is more than four times the 235,000 kilowatt hours used by low-rise dwellings built in the 1980s.

"This increase in electricity usage is largely because newer high-rises typically have more suites, larger common spaces and more luxurious amenities – all of which lead to a higher electricity consumption," the report read.

In low-rise buildings, the common-use consumption accounts for an average of just 29 per cent of the building's overall usage, BC Hydro said.
 

BC Hydro's 'shifting customer profile'

And these types of high-consumption dwellings are only becoming more common, according to the utility.

The report said the number of condo buildings in the province has nearly doubled since the 1980s, with the biggest growth period (65 per cent) coming between 1999 and 2009.

Since 2011, BC Hydro saw a 22 per cent uptick in the number of accounts tied to condos and apartments, which now make up almost a quarter of the utility's 470,000 residential customers.

"Based on Statistics Canada data, it can be assumed that the number of condos in B.C. will increase over the coming years," the report read, adding that there are more than 45,000 units currently under construction.
 

What's the solution?

But "High-powered high-rise" suggests energy consumption doesn't have to keep rising with the number of condo buildings in the province.

Since the majority of a building's energy use goes towards lighting, heating , cooling and ventilation systems, he report offered several solutions, including the use of sensors that make sure the lights are only on when a space is occupied – a move it said could help reduce wasted electricity by up to 30 per cent.

BC Hydro is also recommending lighting upgrades, saying switching to energy-efficient lighting can cut costs by up to 40 per cent and also reduce a building's cooling costs.

The report also said automated HVAC systems "go a long way in improving the energy efficiency of a building's heating and cooling systems" – helping reduce consumption by 30 per cent.

While those recommendations would affect the way buildings are built and operated, report also offered ways for individual condo dwellers to reduce their footprint, including:

  • Shading windows on sunny days to reduce the need for fans and air conditioning
  • Using a ceiling fan, which can affect a room's temperature by as much as 10 per cent
  • Installing draft-proofing material around doors and windows to help keep cold air out in the winter

The full report follows. Vieweing this on our mobile beta site? Tap here for a compatible version.