With rising demand for air conditioning and heat pumps, strata corporations are tightening restrictions in response to escalating electricity shortages.
Rising temperatures and drier conditions in recent years have led to a surge in demand for portable and mini-split air conditioners, especially among Lower Mainland residents living in high-density housing without central air conditioning.
Since 1950, air temperatures over the surrounding lower Fraser Valley have shown a clear increase of 0.07C, suggesting significant future climate changes, according to a report by the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium.
The report states that in the coming decades, Vancouver residents can expect warmer summer temperatures, with more extreme heat days and heatwaves; warmer winter temperatures with less frost; less rain during the summer months; more precipitation falling in fall, winter and spring; and other concerning changes.
Extreme heat waves are expected to become more frequent and intense, as exemplified by 2021’s deadly heat dome, where Canada's record-high temperature of 49.6C was set in Lytton, B.C.
The surge in demand for air conditioners following this event prompted questions about why many Lower Mainland buildings lacked these amenities.
Over the past few years, usage of air conditioners in B.C. homes has increased by 20 per cent, a trend likely to continue, according to BC Hydro.
The number of B.C. residents using air conditioners has increased by more than 50 per cent since 2020, when only a third of households were equipped with them, the utility said.
Portable air conditioning units are the most popular choice in B.C. due to their price and versatility, as well as not requiring permanent installation and minimal strata permitting.
An estimated 730,000 units are being used throughout the province, with an increase of 350,000 in the last three years, added BC Hydro.
Despite the demand, not all individuals possess access to these amenities, leading to provincial intervention.
In 2023, the B.C. government adopted new building codes requiring all new buildings to have one living space that doesn’t exceed 26C, as well as announcing a three-year, $10-million program to install 8,000 portable air conditioning units across the province.
However, the popularity of heat pumps has started to catch up with air conditioners since 2023, according to Reliance Home Comfort spokeswoman Julia Sutton, whose company specializes in installing such devices.
In 2021 and 2022, demand for traditional air conditioners exceeded heat pumps by a margin of seven to one. By 2023, demand was even, she said.
The increased comfort, quietness and efficiency of these products has led to their growing popularity.
“It’s likely that heat pumps will grow in popularity and demand for heat pumps will exceed air conditioners,” said Sutton.
In addition to this year’s increase in demand for units in townhomes, stratas, row houses and condos, demand among Reliance’s customer is coming from single-detached homes.
The costs for air conditioning and heat pumps does not only vary on the size and model, but also on different by-laws and permits depending on the location.
According to Sutton, a City of Vancouver by-law requires a new air conditioning system to be in the form of heat pump equipment, which can cost more than a traditional air conditioner due to their dual capabilities of cooling and heating.
Additionally, permits can also vary in price, as cities in the lower mainland usually charge $150, while other municipalities could charge upwards of $1,000.
The increase in demand and concerns over health risks due to rising temperatures draw the question of how stratas have changed their regulations to accommodate the installation of these units.
Dealing with stratas can be particularly challenging, as they may impose strict documentation requirements and restrictions.
More municipalities are requiring contractors to do electrical load calculations for units interested in air conditioning, but sometimes also for the entire complex.
Depending on how the electrical structure is set, stratas can also require a complete electrical overhaul, which can be a significant investment, said Sutton.
Specific sound and visual requirements can also delay processing even further, costing the residents more money.
“Although we are seeing more stratas allowing cooling equipment, it is still a notable challenge,” Sutton said.
However, it seems restrictions for air conditioners and heat pumps will get even stricter in the future, due to the strain in the city’s power supply because of surging demand.
Condominium Home Owners Association of B.C. (CHOA) executive director Tony Gioventu said these restrictions are vital in order to ensure buildings can cope with the increased demand for air conditioning units.
“The challenge for a lot of strata corporations is that there is a possibility that there may be a significant demand in the power that is currently supplied to each unit in a building, or the overall power capacity of the building,” he said
This and the increase of electric vehicle charging is increasingly drawing more power from buildings, even causing blackouts in some communities.
“Vancouver is going to be introducing their own energy management plan, because everyone's realizing we have buildings with problems as a result of heat pumps,” he said. “We have buildings that are blacking out, such as large townhouse communities because they reach their capacity.”
The management plan will ensure the city is keeping track of increased demands in power supplies, as nobody is maintaining a central database of what the changes will be in any given neighbourhood, he added.
Gioventu said CHOA is encouraging stratas to look closely at their electrical systems before they give permission for installations, working to facilitate this as much as possible for the consumer while minimizing potential problems.
When done correctly, heat pumps can easily cost between $25,000 and $40,000, and installations also have visual and safety implications, which will remain strict going into the future.
However, rising temperatures are putting stratas in a tricky spot where this is now a safety and health factor, leading stratas to cross the line for people with medical conditions who need cooler temperatures.
“I feel for the strata councils right now,” he said. “They're struggling with balancing these issues and getting pressured by an owner who wants to install the heat pump and says, ‘I have a right to do this.’ Well, no, you don't. It's going to be subject to meeting all of these conditions. It's much more complicated than people realize.”
