In this edition:
We've entered into a funding and support agreement with the association that represents mechanical contractors in B.C. (Image courtesy mcabc.org)
BC Hydro signs on as first pillar partner of the MCABC
The Mechanical Contractors Association of BC (MCABC) is the driving force for professional development and industry excellence for mechanical contractors and their sub-trades in B.C. Their cause has now been bolstered by our formal role as the association's first pillar partner.
Through this partnership, we'll provide funding and support to continue delivering educational programs and training for MCABC members. These programs focus on strengthening members' core competencies and developing new, leading-edge practices.
"BC Hydro has always prioritized education, so this is a natural fit,” said Kim Barbero, CEO of the association. "MCABC is grateful to BC Hydro's commitment to the success of the mechanical contracting industry."
The MCABC is critical to advancing our energy efficiency programs and products. Their members provide professional services and they install products in buildings all over B.C., including high-rises, institutional and government buildings.
Our Market Transformation team and Alliance of Energy Professionals will now be able to work more closely than ever with the MCABC.
"BC Hydro will get important insights on market barriers and opportunities," says Bertine Stelzer, industry partner lead with market transformation. "It will help us to shape our programs and support the mechanical contracting industry as one of the key partners who are powering our economy."
MCABC spearheads several initiatives in B.C., including:
- Standardizing practices and training to ensure smooth code implementation and energy transition.
- Efficiently implementing cooling requirements.
- Partnering with BC Hydro to advance building commissioning requirements.
Learn more about the MCABC, their educational opportunities, and upcoming events.
Basic diagram of an underground service connection that’s included in our overhead and underground connections information page.
We're reducing connections costs for new customers
As of July 5, 2025, our updated Distribution Extension Policy will lower the cost of connections for many new customers. The policy will help speed up connection timelines and better balance cost-sharing between customers.
The change should help developers by providing greater cost certainty, supporting affordable housing projects (including larger multi-unit developments and the electrification of homes and businesses.
After engaging closely with customers and stakeholders, we applied to the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) for updates to the policy in June 2024 and the application was approved on March 5, 2025.
The BCUC also approved changes to make electrification easier in Non-Integrated Area (NIA) communities. These communities will have the same extension policies as other areas, and NIA customers will now pay the same rates as those in integrated areas.
Learn more about the policy and the customer transition period that started on April 22, 2025.
BC Hydro is part of the Power Efficient Design Consortium, which is working on Canadian Electrical Code amendments to enable strategies for the installation of electric heat pumps while avoiding costly electrical service upgrades.
Power efficient design could help reduce the costs of service upgrades
We're working with partners to enhance the understanding and application of power efficient design (PED) in buildings.
The goal of PED is to use various strategies that limit peak electricity use, ensuring that power demands stay within the limits of the building's electrical service when new loads are added. PED is an important strategy to enable a lower-cost transition to electric heating, cooling, and electric vehicle (EV) charging.
It can also help denser new developments in existing neighbourhoods. By avoiding higher-capacity, more expensive electrical services, PED keeps construction costs down while enabling more electrification.
"Like other utilities, BC Hydro has noticed customers being reluctant to further electrify their building when they discover they'll need a higher service connection," says Tom Berkhout, an energy and climate consultant who has represented BC Hydro on the PED discussions. "PED is something that can give them other options."
Since last summer, we worked with organizations across Canada, including the City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, and the Zero Emissions Innovation Centre. Together, we've proposed a set of Canadian Electrical Code (CEC) amendments, submitted to the CSA Group to support PED technologies and more closely reflect actual electricity use in buildings.
Some proposed amendments from the Consortium for Power Efficiency include:
- Allowing the use of energy management systems to safely cap electricity demand in a building at any given time.
- Designing buildings with efficient heating, cooling, lighting, and appliances to minimize peak power use.
- Avoiding oversized electrical systems by using accurate historical data and/or load calculation methodologies to better estimate electrical capacity requirements.
- Using batteries or thermal storage to supplement peak power needs and avoid service upgrades.
If approved, the amendments would be included in the 2027 edition of the CEC.
We've also supported two recent load management best practices guides from BC Housing:
- Single family homes [PDF, 1.2 MB]
- Multi-family buildings [PDF, 3.31 MB]
These guides are intended to help home and building owners work with their electrician to reduce their peak load, potentially eliminating the need for service upgrades when adding new loads, like EV chargers or heat pumps.
For a general overview of PED, see the Consortium for Power Efficiency's PED guide.
Engineer and outdoors enthusiast Ryan Gregory (shown here with his son Bear) brings building science smarts and a passion for affordable high-performance homes to his new position with our Market Transformation team..
Q & A: Ryan Gregory goes all in on building science and affordability
He only joined our Market Transformation team a couple months ago, but professional engineer Ryan Gregory brings with him a wealth of building science experience. The University of British Columbia (UBC) grad spent nine years with RDH Building Science and over six years at a series of start-ups in B.C. and along the West Coast. As a program manager at BC Hydro, he's already demonstrated passion and expertise in helping drive Landlord BC's energy efficiency retrofits.
Today, we talk to Ryan about how he arrived at his personal mission to close the gap between affordability and high-performance building. Note that this Q & A has been edited for brevity.
Powering Communities: How did you first get interested in building science?
Ryan Gregory: I was studying physics and engineering at UBC, and on day one John Straube's Building Science for Building Enclosures book was dropped on my desk. It opened my eyes to aspects of buildings I hadn't been aware of.
PC: What is it about building science that struck you as most illuminating?
RG: I was intrigued by the idea of buildings as this web of interdependent systems. Despite that complexity you could design a building to achieve a high level of performance by following relatively fundamental principles.
PC: You wound up working for years at RDH and gained an international perspective working in the U.S. What did those experiences teach you?
RG: The importance of the long view when it comes to buildings. It can be expensive upfront to construct higher-performing buildings, so it's important that we find ways to drive affordability. It's not an easy problem to tackle if you don't understand the regulatory landscape intimately.
PC: Where do building standards stand in B.C. compared to Washington and California?
RG: The whole West Coast is at the forefront in a lot of ways, but here in B.C. we're in an ambitious space and emerging as leaders. We're starting to approach buildings as part of an interconnected energy ecosystem, rather than simply end-use consumers. Over the long term, that is going to be a much more resilient system than what's been done historically.
PC: Startups can be a volatile, heady mix of risk and reward. What brought you from that world to BC Hydro?
RG: Startups unfortunately don't have the luxury of having a long-term focus! I had my eye on BC Hydro for a while because of the programs and partnerships and the unique way they can drive things forward, particularly through code development.
PC: Codes and standards development drives efficiency and decarbonization but can be challenging in terms of building costs. How do we keep it affordable?
RG: My goal would be to demonstrate that affordability and high performance aren’t irreconcilable goals. At BC Hydro, we're in a position to help bridge that gap between affordability and high performance.
PC: Where do you think the industry today stands on the adoption of ambitious new codes and standards?
RG: We're all united around this common cause in addressing the climate emergency. At BC Hydro we want to lead people through these changes and find ways to solve problems around affordability.
PC: How's the buy-in from builders these days?
RG: In a recent conversation with BC Housing, a survey found 60% of builders are already meeting upper-level steps of the Energy Step Code. That’s quite a change in a short time, and possible due to engagement with the step code.
PC: There are still vocal critics of some aspects of the codes. What's your take?
RG: Some level of pushback is inevitable—and that’s a good thing. It means we're leading and living up to our commitments to the community and standards development. That said, we take that feedback seriously. Listening to those concerns is a key part of what we do, and it helps us keep improving the codes to make it easier to build or retrofit buildings in smarter, more sustainable ways.
3 case studies: mapping tools, missing-middle housing, efficient construction
We partner regularly with local governments to discover innovative ways to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and minimize community disruptions.
Our latest case studies highlight what we’ve learned from these collaborations:
- Using mapping tools to support shared capital planning
- Digging up the road once, in Surrey and beyond
- Lessons from missing-middle housing in Vancouver
We'll keep updating our BC and local government partnerships page, so check back for more updates.
If you have questions, or ideas for collaboration, reach out via localgov@bchydro.com.