Whole Building Design

The Power Smart Whole Building Design offer is designed for commercial, institutional and multi-unit residential new developments or major building retrofits that can save 100,000 kWh*, and are in the early stages of the design process. Whole Building Design is a customized building approach that looks at your building as a single, highly integrated system to create a high-performance building at a lower cost.

Building for performance

The Whole Building Design offer provides financial incentives, resources and technical assistance to help building developers:

• Identify energy saving strategies early in the design process
• Evaluate alternative design options and make a business case for implementation
• Offset a large part of the incremental capital costs of the energy-efficient equipment or measures in the proposed high-performance design

The Whole Building Design offer also includes tools to help building developers and designers prepare a business case that demonstrates the benefits of the investment. Upon completion of the project, you will receive valuable Power Smart recognition for program participation.

The offer

• Energy Study Funding. We will fund up to 100% of an energy study to develop a high-performance design that delivers energy savings compared with a conventional building design. BC Hydro will fund 50% for an approved energy study cost and an implementation bonus incentive for the remaining 50% if half of the savings identified / recommended in the energy study are implemented.
• Capital Incentives. If the energy efficiency measures in the system design involve added costs, then BC Hydro may also provide incentives to help qualified projects implement the improved design, based on the amount of savings the building will achieve.* Incentives for this program have multiple TIERs to compensate for the larger capital cost for the implementation of more energy efficient savings measures.

* Minimum criteria apply. Projects are considered qualified once certain guidelines have been met.

Eligibility

The Whole Building Design offer is for new commercial or multi-unit residential buildings projects that are:

• Capable of saving at least 100,000 kWh
• Early in the design process