Feasibility studies for multi-unit residential buildings
Funding to create an in-depth plan for your project
Funding is available to help with the cost of a professional feasibility study at your apartment or condo building. This offer is part of the Multi-Unit Residential Building Retrofit Program.
Available to stratas, market rentals, and equity co-ops, take this important step to get the information and plans you need before starting a building retrofit project.
On this page:
The offer
A feasibility study is completed by a consultant who’s a member of the Alliance of Energy Professionals. They analyze the options, costs, impact, and savings of retrofitting a specific system at your building. The output of the study allows you to form a business case to make your decision.
Funding for 100% of study costs is available, up to a maximum of $30,000. Funding doesn't cover tax.
How it works
- Hire a consultant who will perform the study. They'll need to be a member of the Alliance of Energy Professionals.
- Your consultant will identify the study scope and complete the study proposal.
- If the cost exceeds the maximum funding for this offer, determine how you'll fund the remainder. Depending on your building ownership type, you may need time to get approval and gather funds.
- Apply online. You'll need the required documents, completed by your consultant.
- We'll review your application. Once it's approved, you'll sign a funding agreement, and the consultant can complete the study.
- They'll provide you with a detailed study report outlining the costs and benefits of your planned project. You'll return to your online application and submit the required documentation. This must be done within six months of application approval.
- If approved, we'll process the payment in accordance with your agreement.
Eligibility
- Available to purpose-built rental, condominium, and equity co-op buildings.
- Must be located in BC Hydro's service territory [PDF, 90 KB].
- Available to low-rise apartment, high-rise apartment, and stacked townhome buildings, three storeys or higher with common area lighting and central mechanical systems.
- Studies are to inform retrofit projects. New construction projects aren't eligible.
- Commercial spaces in mixed-use buildings aren't eligible for this offer. Instead, see business energy saving incentives.
- Multiplexes and side-by-side rowhomes or townhomes aren't eligible. Instead, see our residential home rebates.
How to apply
Applications are completed online once you have a study proposal from your consultant.
You'll be prompted to log in to the Conservation and Energy Management (CEM) Hub first.
Don't have a CEM Hub profile yet? Register now.
To apply, have the following document complete and ready to upload.
- Study proposal (required) – Completed by your consultant, a proposal for your feasibility study including the scope and associated cost. Download the proposal template [XLSX, 122 KB]
If your proposed project includes any of the below upgrades, it's a custom project:
- Electrical infrastructure upgrades.
- Any building envelope upgrades other than window-only retrofits.
- Central hydronic heat pumps that have supplemental electrical resistance or natural gas fired heating.
- Central heat recovery: Includes heat recovery from sewage or wastewater or exhaust air heat recovery.
- Central hydronic or domestic hot water heating that is electric resistance only.
- Heat pumps that aren't air-to-air systems, i.e. they're water-to-air, air-to-water, or water-to-water.
- Lighting redesign that includes changes to the light quantity and/or mounting locations, or projects that add a networked lighting control system.
Once your study’s complete and you've received the study report, return to your online application. Declare that it’s complete and provide your final documents.
You'll be prompted to log in to CEM Hub first.
You'll need to have the following documents ready to upload.
- Study report (required) – The final feasibility study report from your consultant outlining the options and costs for the specific system you’re planning to upgrade.
- Workbook (required) – Completed by your consultant, includes your project's measures, costs, energy savings, and more. Download the workbook template [XLSX, 527 KB] | Download the custom project workbook template1 [XLSX, 237 KB]
- Invoices (required) – Copies of the itemized invoice(s) for your study.
One or more of the following documents may also be required. Check your funding agreement to confirm.
- Energy calculation – The custom energy and/or lighting calculations to determine the energy savings for your project. For lighting projects, provide a lighting calculator per site. For mechanical projects, provide a custom calculation per site. Download the lighting calculator template [XLSX, 2.8 MB]
- Product specification sheets – A copy of the manufacturer's specification sheet(s) for the equipment recommended to install.
1 The criteria for custom projects is noted in the section above.
Related offers
Opportunity assessments
If you're not sure where to invest in your multi-unit residential building, start with an opportunity assessment. Get funding for a professional, high-level assessment that will identify where you’ll get the most value.
Rebates for equipment upgrades
Get rebates to offset the cost of energy-efficient upgrades for your building. Includes heat pumps, windows, lighting, water heating and more.