City Council Workshops

0:00 But as I mentioned, this work is more than just reducing emissions. These types of home improvements can advance multiple city goals and community priorities. First, and most importantly, as we hear from the community thinking about health, safety, and comfort, these improvements can help protect residents during extreme heat, wildfire, smoke events, improve air quality, and ensure people can maintain safe and comfortable temperatures in their home. These things can also reduce energy use and potentially lower utility bills, helping make homes more affordable to operate, as well as reducing pressure on the electrical grid. However, of course, the actual savings will depend on the home, the improvements made, and how the heating and cooling systems are used. Additionally, improvements can support long-term livability and durability of homes, ensuring that they remain safe, functional, and comfortable over the long term,

0:56 and finally, there's an opportunity for economic benefits when we think about local jobs and training opportunities and retrofits in related construction. So all of these benefits on the previous slide do not always come together automatically. Different improvements address different needs and programs can be shaped in different ways. Therefore, we aimed to understand the needs of Vancouver residents, what supports are already available, and where there may be opportunities for the city to provide additional support to achieve these goals. With this in mind, we approached the project in three different ways. First, reviewing the existing landscape. So we took a look at what our housing stock looks like, thinking about the types and ages of homes in the community, reviewing the climate vulnerability analyses conducted by the comprehensive plan team to understand where residents and homes may face great challenges, and how they can be improved. So we took a look at the existing landscape, and we took a look at what our housing stock looks like,

1:56 and we took a look at the types and ages of homes in the community,

6:26 and we looked at the types and ages of homes in the community, and we took a look at the types and ages of homes in the community,

7:26 and we looked at the types and ages of homes in the community, and we took a look at the types and ages of homes in the community, duplicate any efforts,

8:15 and we took a look at the types and ages of homes in the community,

12:46 to support fuel switching, and we took a look at the types and ages of homes in the community, one of the most effective ways to drive down greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, the opportunities are limited by legal and program constraints in the program administrators that we have talked to. This leaves an opportunity and a unique role for the city to play as we are able to support fuel switching opportunities, which can help us reduce fossil fuel consumption in the community. So this brings me to my next question, around what could the city's role look like? Because most improvements to existing homes are voluntary, the city has an important role to play in encouraging and supporting action to reduce emissions from residential buildings. I do want to be clear that the city does not currently have dedicated resources to implement these approaches, so these are just potential options to consider if funding and staff capacity become available. Each of these steps provide an important opportunity,

13:44 but contributes in different ways to climate benefits. So on the one end of the spectrum, you'll see is the information approach. This includes things like workshops, online tools, and guidance for existing programs and rebates. This can also be educational about the programs or educational about the programs. So for example, we spoke with a resident who participated in an existing program and heard that there was confusion around how to turn on their heat pump, and this led them to go several days without heat. We also heard from others that mentioned they weren't aware that they needed to change or clean the filter. So we want to make sure that any program that is offered in the community is widely known about, but also utilized to its full benefit. Overall, this approach would require a lot of work, and I think it's important to be aware of that. So I think it's important to be aware of that. This approach would require generally less investment from the city, but it would not necessarily address barriers like upfront costs or the complexity of completing improvements,

14:44 which might reduce its benefit to the climate. A second and more involved approach is around helping residents to navigate the process. This could mean connecting them with programs and trusted contractors, helping understand how incentives work together, or providing more hands-on support as they move through that project. This takes quite a bit of time, and it takes greater resources, especially when it comes to staff capacity, but it may have the potential to increase climate benefits as people might be more likely to follow through with improvements if they have dedicated support. And finally, the city could consider a funding role, providing financial assistance such as grants, rebates, or low-cost financing to help afford improvements that might otherwise be out of reach for many residents. This could have a more direct impact on climate benefits, but of course would also require greater financial resources. I do want to note that these approaches are not always stand-alone.

15:43 The city could combine elements of each or take a phased approach over time, again, depending on the resources available. Another important consideration is who the city might prioritize in this work, because each audience faces different barriers and benefits from the types of support. These aren't necessarily mutual. These aren't necessarily mutually exclusive audiences, but given limited resources, the audience we prioritize will shape what kind of support we can actually focus our efforts on. So for single-family homeowners, there may be an opportunity to build on the city's existing programs and resources to provide more coordinated support. For instance, expanding the CURE program to more households who could benefit from it, or providing additional support to help current participants take a more comprehensive home improvement approach. This might include education on the technologies or additional financial assistance to help address gaps

16:42 in the existing offerings. When we think about renters and property owners, on the other hand, Vancouver has a significant amount of smaller rental properties, including duplexes and other plexes, that may not be covered by requirements that apply to some of the larger multi-family buildings. Across these audiences, there are different ways the city could be involved. For example, at the inform level, this might be about providing workshops requested by participants, thinking about some of those DIY home improvements. It could also be about connecting property owners with information on existing resources. However, with any approach, we would of course want to consider tenant protections and how to minimize any disruption to residents. However, I will note that when we spoke to property owners, they did not express a desire specifically in the climate-friendly homes area. So, strategies for single-family homeowners may be more effective in the near term, given their agency and motivation to act.

17:42 And then lastly, I just wanted to talk a little bit about the different tradeoffs of program goals that could shape the approach. The first is between depth and reach. This is where we're thinking about how a program could invest more in each home to support more comprehensive improvements and potentially take that whole-home approach. However, it means serving fewer homes. Additionally, if we choose an approach focused on depth, this might likely mean that the city would have to take the role as a funder. On the other hand, if we think about taking an approach focused on reach, where we spend less per home, but there are more households served, this, the tradeoff here is that the improvements might be less comprehensive. We're also thinking about the balance between greenhouse gas emissions reductions and broader community benefits. For instance, if we focused on emissions reduction as a top priority, we might focus on replacing gas furnaces

18:41 with heat pumps for anyone in this circumstance, versus with a broader benefit approach, we might prioritize things like insulation and filtration, which can make homes more healthy and comfortable, especially during a wildfire smoke event, for example. These are not either/or options, but rather choices that would shape the design of any future city approach, depending on the outcomes that a bond would want to prioritize and the resources available. So with that, I will just highlight some of the key takeaways from this research and engagement. First is that existing programs provide an important foundation, and we really want to take the opportunity to build on the programs here at the city and complement those existing resources, rather than starting from scratch. Residents request support in that navigation piece, around identifying what improvements are appropriate from their homes, and how they can navigate the process

19:39 and systems that are in place. Third, a whole home coordinated approach, rather than thinking about individual services, could help sequence improvements better, leverage existing programs, and address multiple of the goals that we presented that could be for community benefit. Fourth, single family homeowners and smaller rental properties present potential opportunities for targeted support, however different approaches are needed for each. And finally, the city's role will depend on available funding and staff capacity. While there are no available resources for this work presently, staff recommends exploring the possibilities, as programs like this can not only help greenhouse gas emissions reductions, but keep homes in the community safe, affordable, comfortable, and resilient to the changing climate. So with that, I would like to open it up for comments and feedback. And specifically, I have two questions to pose for you.

20:38 The first is, you know, thinking about these different audiences, you know, is, do you have a preference around which audience should be prioritized, or how to split our resources between the two? And the second is, given current resources, what is the appropriate role for the city to play? So with that, I will pause here. Thank you. Thank you so much. All right, councillors. Yes. Mr. Perez, go ahead. Hi. Thank you. Hopefully, you can hear me OK. Can you please go to the last slide with your key takeaways? Yes, thank you. I love the whole home coordinated approach. For the single family homeowners in small rental properties, I suggest coordinating with the Realtors Association to find strategies that are acceptable for both landlords. And homeowners alike, I think there's some opportunity

21:37 to explore how best to have a broader approach with that. Those are just some of my immediate reactions to the information that you shared. I also wanted to know the tracking of the four different programs that you have listed between Department of Commerce, Clark Public Utilities. I know that we can track our own funds with the use of that. But I wasn't sure if there was a coordinated effort with the other parties to track implementation of those programs when we talk about helping homeowners navigate the affordability piece. And I think that's the number one question is, how can I afford home improvements? And that's where I would like to focus. I like the broader outreach approach so that we could--

22:33 that we could cast a wider net to our residents and work with our partners to be able to collectively look at in-depth approaches rather than us doing the deep dive. And I think you had another one. If you look at the slide, you had it in the middle. It was outreach or in-depth-- anyway, keep going. I think you get the point. So the purpose is to cast a wider net, not deep dive. Greater gain and work in coordination with organizations and our local municipalities to really address the core question of, how can I afford this? And with that measuring and tracking,

23:32 what can I do to get the best out of it? And I think that's the number one question I would like to ask. I think that's the number one question I would like to ask.

23:39 And I think that's the number one question I would like to ask.

31:54 And I appreciate that we're getting to have this conversation.

31:58 And I think that's the number one question I would like to ask.

City Council Workshops

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