BY PAUL MANLY
Nanaimo city council recently approved the zero carbon step code, and it’s set to take effect in July 2024. I’d like to dispel some misconceptions about it that have been fuelled by campaigns from Fortis and fossil fuel lobby groups.
The zero carbon step code is not a ban on natural gas. It applies exclusively to new buildings and sets a standard for greenhouse gas emissions, effectively eliminating space or water heating through fossil fuels. However, new homes can still have a gas fireplace as a secondary heat source and a gas stove for cooking.
The B.C. government plans to fully enforce the zero carbon step code by 2030, and they’ve granted municipalities the authority to put it into effect earlier. Nine municipalities, including Vancouver, Victoria, and Saanich, have already opted to do so. The code came into effect in Vancouver in January 2022, and there are still gas fireplaces being installed in new construction there.
The code will result in more electric heat pump installations in new homes. A study conducted by the B.C. government and industry found that electric heat pumps heat homes 6-8 times more efficiently than natural gas furnaces. What’s more, electric heat pumps can cool homes during summer heat waves. That’s important because we know that extreme heat events, like the 2021 heat dome that killed more than 600 people in B.C., will become more common as a result of climate change.
In a 2020 survey by the Canadian Home Builders Association, nine out of 10 respondents said they either ‘really want’ or ‘must have’ an energy-efficient home. An ‘overall energy-efficient home’ was listed as the third-most desirable feature prospective homeowners look for.
I completed my third home energy retrofit last year and installed my second heat pump. The first has been running smoothly for 18 years. With this retrofit I also installed solar panels which have supplied approximately 80 per cent of the energy needs for my zero-emission home. Building new homes to be energy efficient is cost-effective because those homes won’t require expensive retrofits in the near future.
With regard to concerns about power failures, gas furnaces do not function during power outages because they have components that require electricity. Current building standards ensure that new homes maintain warmth longer than older homes during power failures. And stand-by generators are comparable in price to gas fireplaces and will keep homes warm and fridges operating during outages.
There is enough power available to meet the demands of zero-emission homes. B.C. Hydro currently has a surplus of power and they are going to be implementing plans to increase power production through a request for proposals for clean energy from private producers. Much of this power will be produced at the local level.
Natural gas is not as ‘natural’ as it sounds. It’s extracted through a process called fracking, which involves breaking apart shale formations. This method contaminates millions of litres of freshwater and releases harmful toxins into the air. Government studies show that ‘fugitive gas’ escapes during production and delivery at an unacceptable rate. Natural gas primarily consists of methane, which is 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than CO2. Simply put, it is accelerating climate change. If those big environmental impacts feel abstract and far away, consider this: research has shown that using gas in homes releases cancer-causing benzene and asthma-inducing nitrogen oxide into the air people breathe.
Forest fires have been raging across the country all summer, droughts have led to crop failures, the Arctic is melting, storms and floods are destroying communities, and the costs of climate change are mounting for all Canadians. The Earth’s climate is changing naturally, but scientists have been clear that humans are accelerating the process at an alarming rate, and fossil fuels and deforestation are to blame.
In Nanaimo, we are doing our small part to reduce GHG emissions.
Paul Manly is a Nanaimo city councillor, and the views expressed are his own.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Council’s home energy decision lacks context
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Council thanked for climate action