Summary

• Power Smart 2.0 is helping businesses, large industry and public institutions cut costs, boost reliability and accelerate decarbonization
• At Holy Family Hospital, a new rooftop solar array featuring 370 panels will generate approximately 273 megawatt hours of clean electricity each year, which is enough to power nearly 30 homes
• The installation is part of a broader suite of energy-efficiency upgrades that have reduced the hospital’s carbon emissions by 85%

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With support from BC Hydro’s Power Smart program, Providence Health Care has completed a major rooftop solar expansion at Holy Family Hospital, marking the largest solar installations on a health-care facility in British Columbia.

“Providence Health Care is showing what’s possible when large organizations and government embrace clean energy, electrification and conservation,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Energy and Climate Solutions. “Through BC Hydro’s Power Smart 2.0 energy-efficiency plan, we’re prioritizing conservation as the most cost-effective way to meet growing demand. Projects like the Holy Family Hospital solar installation and additional energy-efficiency projects bring this work to life, helping reduce emissions, improve resilience, save energy and lower operating costs.”

Through the BC Hydro Power Smart program Providence Health Care was provided nearly $120,000 to support its energy-efficiency transition, including:

• installation of 370 solar panels, expected to generate 273 megawatt hours annually, which is enough to power nearly 30 homes
• lighting upgrade across the facility that delivers about 50,000 kilowatt hours in annual energy savings
• mechanical system upgrades expected to save about 61,000 kilowatt hours per year

This project is one of many underway throughout the province, demonstrating the effect of Power Smart and the importance of B.C.’s $1-billion investment to expand the program.

Power Smart 2.0 delivering value for B.C. businesses, institutions

Projects such as Holy Family Hospital are part of BC Hydro’s new Power Smart 2.0 plan, which is helping commercial and industrial customers reduce energy costs, improve reliability and decarbonize operations.

Through expanded incentives, technical support and new tools targeting large-scale users, Power Smart 2.0 enables organizations such as hospitals, manufacturers, commercial buildings and industry to:

• lower operating costs by improving energy efficiency and reducing peak demand
• accelerate electrification by replacing fossil-fuel systems with clean electricity
• unlock capital for reinvestment, with quicker payback on energy projects
• increase resilience with technologies, such as on-site generation and storage
• fund salaries for energy managers
• stay competitive in a lower-carbon economy

“We’re proud to support projects like Holy Family Hospital’s solar installation and energy-efficiency upgrades,” said Charlotte Mitha, president and CEO, BC Hydro. “Through Power Smart 2.0, we’re helping commercial and industrial customers reduce costs, improve efficiency and use clean electricity to modernize their operations, all while easing pressure on the grid.”

BC Hydro’s Power Smart 2.0 plan is expected to deliver 800 megawatts of capacity savings and 2,200 gigawatt hours of energy savings over three years, which is enough to power hundreds of thousands of homes. By reducing peak demand and improving overall system efficiency, the plan helps keep electricity affordable for all customers, while supporting B.C.’s growing economy.

Creating the largest solar installations on a health-care facility in British Columbia

Built in 1954, Holy Family Hospital has undergone a sweeping modernization. Providence has replaced outdated mechanical systems, introduced advanced thermal gradient header technology, and completed a lighting upgrade supported by BC Hydro. These changes have reduced the hospital’s carbon emissions by 85%, while improving comfort for patients and staff, which is an increasingly urgent priority as summer heat waves become more frequent.

“Hospitals and care homes must remain safe and comfortable in a changing climate,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health. “These upgrades not only cut emissions and reduce costs, they enhance patient-care environments and support long-term sustainability across our health system.”

The project is part of a broader effort to modernize aging facilities, reduce emissions and improve comfort for patients and staff, while lowering operating costs. These energy and infrastructure upgrades have resulted in lowering Holy Family Hospital’s annual energy bills by $23,000.

The improvements reflect Providence’s accelerating decarbonization efforts across its network of 18 hospitals, long-term care homes, hospices and clinics throughout the Lower Mainland.

“Projects like this show how we connect climate action with patient care,” said Fiona Dalton, president and CEO, Providence Health Care. “By upgrading our buildings and using clean energy, we lower emissions, improve comfort for patients and staff, and make our hospitals stronger for extreme weather. This supports the health of people and communities over time.”

Scaling clean energy across Providence’s network

Providence’s clean-energy transformation extends beyond Holy Family Hospital:

• St. Vincent’s: Brock Fahrni long-term care home is the organization’s first net-zero carbon facility
• Mount Saint Joseph Hospital is undergoing electrification work that is expected to cut emissions by more than 90%
• microgrid feasibility study is underway at St. Vincent’s: Honoria Conway-Heather assisted-living facility
• new St. Paul’s Hospital, nearing completion, is targeting LEED Gold certification with advanced low-carbon energy systems

These projects demonstrate how large organizations can leverage BC Hydro’s Power Smart programs to modernize infrastructure, reduce emissions and deliver long-term value.

Quick Facts:

• By 2030, BC Hydro’s $1-billion Power Smart 2.0 plan is expected to deliver:
  • 800 megawatts of capacity savings
  • 2,200 gigawatt hours of annual energy savings, which is enough to power 220,000 homes
  • more than $2 billion in avoided or deferred electricity infrastructure cost

• Power Smart 2.0 will generate an estimated $1.4 billion in GDP and support 3,500 jobs each year

Learn More:

• To learn more about BC Hydro’s Power Smart 2.0 plan, visit: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2026ECS0024-000567