Building up: Policy options to accelerate the construction of energy efficient buildings in B.C.

Buildings are the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in British Columbia and are a significant contributor to climate change. To mitigate this, energy efficient construction needs to be adopted. Current market penetration of energy efficient buildings is very limited in the province. While B.C. has a plan to regulate new construction by 2032, additional complementary policies are required to facilitate this transition. This paper determines gaps in the existing market transformation policy framework advanced by the provincial government through a comparative case study analysis of policies in France, Belgium and Germany. Following this, three policy options are analyzed for their applicability to B.C. Based off of this analysis, a mandatory labelling program and a performance-based rebate are recommended for implementation.