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Opportunity assessment funding

Contractors reviewing construction blueprints on a table a construction site.

Identify energy-saving opportunities with a high-level building assessment

Funding is available to get a professional opportunity assessment of your building as part of the Social Housing Energy Savings Program.

An opportunity assessment will provide you with a high-level assessment of your building energy systems to identify short and long-term projects that would improve energy efficiency or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

These assessments are completed by an energy consultant or staff with appropriate designation at BC Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA) or BC Housing.

The offer

Get funding to cover up to 100% of the assessment cost, to a maximum of $6,000 for consultants and $4,500 for BCNPHA/BC Housing staff. Funding doesn't cover applicable tax.

Opportunities may include:

  • Transitioning to high-efficiency heating and cooling systems.
  • Upgrading the building envelope/windows.
  • Upgrading to energy-efficient LED lighting and more.

For a full outline of the requirements, download the Opportunity Assessment Guideline [PDF, 358 KB].

How it works

  1. Talk to your Key Account Manager at BC Hydro. They’ll be your main point of contact and will help you complete your application.
  2. Hire a consultant or approach BCNPHA or BC Housing for internal support. If you hire a consultant to perform the assessment, they’ll need to be a registered member of the BC Hydro Alliance of Energy Professionals. 
  3. Site visit. If you hired a consultant, they’ll visit your site(s), identify the assessment scope, and provide you with a quote. 
  4. Retrofit information. Your consultant will provide a retrofit opportunity register (a completed Opportunity Assessment Workbook), outlining the opportunities at your building.
  5. Submit your documentation. Complete and submit your opportunity assessment documentation within 90 days of application approval date.
  6. Funding payment. When your opportunity assessment is approved, we’ll process the payment. If required, it can be made directly to the consultant, BC NPHA, or BC Housing.

Eligibility

  • Must be a non-profit housing provider, housing co-operative, local government/provincial housing authority or Indigenous housing provider operating a multi-unit residential building.
  • Building or facilities must be in BC Hydro’s service area [PDF, 177 KB] or City of New Westminster.
  • Spaces being retrofitted must be common areas or in-suite, as defined by the conservation measures. Recreational spaces can qualify.
  • All proposed equipment must be new. Proposed retrofits must seek to reduce electrical energy consumption for space heating, ventilation, common area water heating, kitchen equipment, lighting, refrigeration and/or pool heating in the premises.

How to apply

To start an application, please reach out to the BC Hydro Social Housing team at socialhousing@bchydro.com.

Already approved? Submit your final documents

Once your assessment is complete, contact the BC Hydro Social Housing team at socialhousing@bchydro.com to submit your final documents.

You'll need to have the following documents ready to submit.

  • Opportunity assessment report (required) – The final report of your opportunity assessment, prepared by your consultant.
  • Opportunity assessment workbook (required) – Completed by your consultant, it includes the results of your assessment, including a retrofit opportunity register and building data. Download the Opportunity Assessment Workbook template [XLSX, 308 KB]
  • Invoices (required) – Copies of the itemized invoice(s) for your assessment.