54% of all Greenhouse Gases (GHG’s) generated in the City of Vancouver are produced by the construction and operation of buildings, both residential and commercial. To reduce that number, the Vancouver City Council adopted two ambitious targets in 2008: 1) to reduce community GHG emissions to 33% below current levels by 2020, and 2) to have all new construction in Vancouver be GHG-neutral by 2030.

To that end, the Council created the Green Homes Program, designed to lower emissions and increase energy efficiency by requiring that all new building permit applications for one- and two-family homes meet a specific set of requirements that will improve air quality, as well as provide homeowners with the ability to easily install roof-mounted solar energy systems and electric vehicle charging systems in the future.

Vancouver City staff estimate that new homes built to comply with the Green Homes Program will consume up to 33% less energy than houses built to previous Building By-law standards.

The website – linked at upper right – provides an overview of the Program and additional “good to know” information regarding building green.