Government is making regulatory changes that will reduce energy bills for British Columbians, and support the Province’s energy objectives, including electricity conservation and greenhouse-gas emission reduction targets.

Amendments to the Energy Efficiency Standards Regulation, under the Energy Efficiency Act, include new and updated energy efficiency standards for gas fireplaces, residential heat pumps, general service lighting, windows for smaller-buildings and consumer electronic products. The changes will come into effect from June 2018 to January 2020.

“Our government committed to making life more affordable, and these changes will help British Columbians save more than $25 million on their energy bills by 2025,” said Michelle Mungall, Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources. “Better performance standards provide families and businesses with energy-efficient options that will conserve energy and lower greenhouse-gas emissions." 

The new and updated standards will result in 1.14 million gigajoules per year of energy savings in B.C. by 2025, which is equivalent to the energy requirement of 10,400 average homes. These standards also will reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 27,500 tonnes in B.C. by 2025, which is equivalent to taking 7,000 light-duty vehicles off the road. 

“To meet our greenhouse-gas reduction targets, we know serious work is needed to accomplish emissions reduction,” said George Heyman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy. “These amendments represent our continuing commitment to take real leadership on climate change.”

The Energy Efficiency Standards Regulation sets energy-performance standards for devices that use, control or affect the use of energy such as windows, household appliances, space-heating systems, water heaters, lighting and some industrial equipment.

The Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources regularly consults with stakeholders and the public on proposals for new standards and updates to existing standards. This the sixth major amendment to the regulation since 2006.

Learn More:

Detailed information on the standards can be found in the technical bulletin located here:
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/electricity-alternative-energy/energy-efficiency-conservation/policy-regulations/standards