2025 BC Building Electrification Scorecard

March 2026

The Building to Electrification Coalition has issued its annual Building Electrification Scorecard, assessing B.C.’s progress towards electrifying space and water heating and cooling systems in new and existing buildings, with the province earning a “B” grade for 2025. 

Over the last five years, the actions included in the BC Building Electrification Road Map (BERM) have helped to consolidate efforts to advance building electrification across the province. The actions have provided a measure for shared progress which has been tracked and reported on annually by the Building to Electrification Coalition (B2E). Steady progress has been made across many areas, with much to celebrate since BERM’s release in 2021. 

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Alongside the 2025 updates, this piece reflects on progress since 2021 and looks ahead to the next phase of the BC Building Electrification Roadmap.

Major wins

  • The Province of British Columbia introduced the Zero Carbon Step Code (ZCSC), as an amendment to the B.C. Building Code in May 2023. This voluntary framework allows local governments to regulate GHG emissions in new buildings. As of March 10, 2025, all new buildings in B.C. must meet ZCSC Emissions Level 1.
    • More than 30 communities across B.C., representing nearly 50% of new residential building starts, have adopted the ZCSC. 
  • Vancouver adopted an Annual Greenhouse Gas and Energy Limits By-law in 2023, targeting large existing commercial, multi-family and hotel buildings. This supports a shift towards healthier, more affordable, and more resilient buildings.
    • Energize Vancouver, a city-wide initiative to reduce emissions through energy tracking and annual reporting, provides support to building owners to meet the requirements.
    • Most large office buildings currently exceeding the 2026 GHGI limit are expected to achieve compliance through tune-ups (re-commissioning/optimization), which may also result in operational cost savings.
    • The Capital Regional District, in collaboration with the District of Saanich and City of Victoria have also launched a Building Benchmarking Program.
  • BC Hydro’s application to the BC Utilities Commission to amend its distribution extension policy took effect July 5, 2025. Changes to interconnection tariff charges are expected to lower connections costs for many customers, accelerate connection timelines, and better balance cost sharing and improve cost predictability for those increasing electrical service capacity.
  • The introduction of the Home Performance Contractor Network, now with more than 800 residential heat pump contractor members, has improved installation quality by requiring best practice training for all contractors looking to access provincial rebates.
  • Speaking of heat pumps, 13% of households in B.C. now use a heat pump in their heating system, an increase of over 300% since 2006.
  • Low-carbon, concierge style owner support programs have been introduced for most major building types. For smaller residential buildings, programs like Home Energy Navigator, Home Energy Savings Program and Retrofit Assist are helping homeowners navigate the retrofit process and support the adoption of heat pumps. For larger buildings, the BC Retrofit Accelerator brings together a number of partners to deliver support programs.
    • For condos: ZEIC (Strata Energy Advisor)
    • For apartments: Landlord BC (Rental Apartment Retrofit Accelerator)
    • For non-profit housing: BCNPHA and AHMA
    • For commercial buildings: BOMA BC (Decarb Accelerator)
  • The Province also updated the Demand-Side Measures Regulation, discontinuing the ability for utility providers to offer rebates for gas equipment that is less than 100% energy efficient. As a result, current and future equipment offers from the gas utility involve heat pumps (e.g. dual-fuel rooftop units).
  • CleanBC has shifted residential rebates toward the income-based Energy Savings Program, embracing an equity lens to rebate distribution. The program delivered nearly 6,000 residential retrofit rebates in 2024/25, including more than 3,500 for heat pumps, representing a 16% increase from the previous year. Notably, installations of high-efficiency residential heat pumps exceeded gas furnaces in 2022/23.
  • Industry collaboration has strengthened though the B2E Coalition, which now includes more than 250 members,  representing all parts of the building industry in the transition to electrified buildings. Members value the network’s knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and connecting activities and together are working to address barriers and find solutions that advance building electrification. B2E is led by a Leadership Council and supported by three committees focused on  communication, improving industry capacity, and solving technical challenges.
    • A Heat Pump Working Group was also established to implement parts of the BC Heat Pump Technology Attraction Strategy. Over the course of almost three years, this group became a go-to source for on the ground temperature check for the B.C. heat pump supply chain members, and advanced work on new refrigerants and new technologies.

 

Setbacks

Progress on building electrification has not been without setbacks. The repeal of the provincial carbon tax in 2025 has effectively reduced the consumer cost of gas, challenging the economics of moving to building electrification. Upfront capital costs for heat pumps remain higher than gas alternatives, and building owners making decisions primarily on economics may find it harder to justify if operating costs are not significantly lower. While switching from gas to electric in residential homes can still result in overall cost savings, the loss of the carbon tax has made gas even cheaper. 

 

Next Steps

Beyond the wins and setbacks, the level of industry knowledge on building electrification in B.C. has grown significantly over the past five years. While difficult to quantify, this industry knowledge is critical to the success of market transformation. Thousands of people across the province have now worked on a building electrification project, and tens of thousands of buildings have been retrofitted or constructed to rely primarily on clean, high-efficiency electricity for heating. The growth of this hands-on experience is arguably the greatest value of the various policies, incentives, pilot projects, and training that has occurred since 2021.

There is still significant work required to transform the building sector to a low carbon future. In 2025, the Province undertook a review of the CleanBC plan which was led by independent climate-policy experts and informed by input from organizations and communities across the province. CleanBC Review, released in late 2025, reaffirmed the need for a focus on policies, programs, financing, and incentives that enable building electrification. Strong provincial leadership will be essential to reduce emissions across the building sector in B.C. Many of the review’s recommendations - including adoption timelines for the Zero Carbon Step Code (ZCSC) by climate zones, moving forward with a Highest Efficiency Equipment Standard (HEES), and supporting workforce training – align with the direction outlined in the BERM. 

B.C. has made significant progress since the launch of the BERM in 2021, yet there is plenty to do in the years ahead. Many stakeholders from across the building sector and across the province were engaged to chart a path forward for building electrification in a new political and economic environment.

The refreshed 2026 Building Electrification Road Map, launching in spring 2026, will provide direction to governments and the building industry to continue reducing emissions from the building sector through electrification for the next five years and beyond. The updated roadmap will highlight priority actions, emerging opportunities, and practical pathways to help the sector navigate the next phase of market transformation. 

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