New Vancouver Program Allows Builders To 'Go Green' With Solar Energy

Builders installing solar hot water systems in new houses in Vancouver will get a financial break - but they'll have to move quickly.

Today, Vancouver City Council approved the Solar Homes Strategy, which will finance up to 50 per cent, about $3500, of the cost of installing a solar hot water system. The incentive will be available for 15 months to 50 new houses on a first-come, first-served basis. It begins next month and is a partnership between the City of Vancouver, SolarBC, Terasen Gas and Offsetters, a carbon asset management company and supplier of carbon offsets. SolarBC, which provides incentives, training and facilitates the installation of solar hot water systems, will distribute the funding.

Water heating accounts for a quarter of residential energy use and, in Vancouver's climate, solar hot water systems can provide up to 60 per cent of the energy required for water heating. By replacing the energy needed to heat water in a house with solar energy, up to two tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions can be eliminated annually.

Vancouver already has the greenest building code for new houses in North America. The City demonstrated leadership in green buildings through its commitment in 2004 to achieving LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold for new municipal facilities. The development and installation of on-site renewable energy is critical towards achieving Vancouver's future target of carbon neutral new construction.

Mayor Gregor Robertson announced last week that GHG emissions have been reduced in Vancouver by 11 per cent from their peak in 2000 to 2.7 million tonnes per year - despite a population increase of 27 per cent. The City is also on track to meet Kyoto targets for 2012 of six per cent below 1990 levels. Mayor Robertson is currently in Copenhagen attending the Climate Summit for Mayors.

The solar program follows on the heels of Vancouver's 2008 Green Homes Program which requires all new houses to be 'solar ready' by installing a pipe connection between their roof and their water heater, facilitating the solar installation process.

In addition to offering the incentive, the program will monitor the performance of the systems and the annual energy savings in each home, establishing the viability of solar hot water systems and the value of energy savings for the homeowner.