Coquitlam city council should start requiring heat pumps in buildings this year. The buildings of today will still be around in 2050, which is the target year for net zero emissions under the international standards that Coquitlam adopted in 2021’s environmental sustainability plan. We know mandating heat pumps is essential as buildings (along with personal vehicles) are one of the main sources of greenhouse gases in the region. The cost of heating a home with a heat pump is comparable to that of a furnace, but it creates zero emissions, and provides cooling during the increasingly hot summer months. With a climate plan as a top priority for Coquitlam City council in 2022, they should be seriously looking at creating a heat pump requirement this year.
The City of Coquitlam has very little policy to encourage the adoption of heat pumps. At the moment there is a $500 rebate through a bulk purchase agreement which expires July 1st, 2022. Otherwise there are no policies or incentives. Other cities have encouraged or required heat pumps in both old and new buildings through a combination of incentives and policies. The City of North Vancouver and the District of North Vancouver are offering a $2000 rebate for homeowners that install a heat pump. But the cities don’t even need to spend any money in order to increase the adoption of heat pumps. The City of Vancouver has required zero emissions heating and hot water in all new low-rise buildings as of January 2022, and all new multi-family buildings as of May 2022. Smaller cities like North Vancouver and Port Moody have also created policies that require the installation of heat pumps in new construction. Why hasn’t Coquitlam created a heat pump policy yet?