Vancouver housing non-profit Brightside Community Homes Foundation is embarking on a portfolio-wide retrofit, with hopes of bringing its climate impact to net-zero by 2035.

Operating 27 multi-unit residences that house 1,400 to 1,500 residents, Brightside serves independent seniors, families and people with disabilities.

The move to minimize its greenhouse gas emissions emerges from the desire to address the pollution from multifamily buildings, William Azaroff, Brightside’s CEO, said in an interview with Sustainable Biz Canada. Buildings as a whole contribute 25 per cent of Metro Vancouver’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The push to complete the retrofits by 2035 puts Brightside ahead of most net-zero targets that plan for 2050. The non-profit “would rather be aggressive and perhaps get really close but miss that target than to pick a more obviously achievable date like 2040 or 2045,” Azaroff said.

Before the net-zero plan, it started with Passive House redevelopments from 2018 to 2019 and energy efficiency upgrades (increased insulation, LED lighting, better boilers) on buildings such as Collingwood Tower. When Brightside’s board pushed the organization to be more ambitious in 2021, it developed a sustainability strategy that evolved into the net-zero strategy.

That branched out into pilot projects in 2022 that examined the feasibility of upgrading the 31-unit Moreland Kennedy House and 42-unit Gordon Fahrni House. Moreland Kennedy House is the first building undergoing a retrofit, with the financing for Gordon Fahrni also secured.

Brightside’s first retrofits

All the windows and patio doors at Moreland Kennedy House are being replaced from single pane to double pane. A roof with more insulation to enhance energy efficiency is being installed.

To eliminate use of natural gas-powered appliances, an electric heat pump will be added for heating, cooling and hot water.

A cooling system will be introduced to every suite, emphasizing climate resilience with the net-zero plan. The importance of cooling became apparent to Brightside when a lethal heat dome swept over British Columbia in 2021 as it was developing its net-zero strategy, putting many of its vulnerable senior occupants at risk.

Minimizing resident disruption during the retrofit is critical to Brightside. Michaela Neuberger, the executive director of Affine Climate Solutions, a consultant to Brightside, explained the heating and cooling heat pump is a centralized system, so contractors do not need to enter every unit to replace the equipment.

While Brightside the window and patio door replacements will be more intrusive, the non-profit will follow a staggered process to minimize the impact. Residents will be moved into an empty suite for a day while the construction team and trades do their work, and occupants will return when it is finished.

In the long run the retrofits pay off. “What’s really important is to not just look at the upfront costs but look at the total cost of ownership,” Neuberger said. “It’s only when you take that longer-term view that your retrofits pencil out.”

The work on Moreland Kennedy House is expected to be finished by December. A retrofit will happen at a larger scale on Gordon Fahrni House, which will begin in the fall.

The majority funding partner for the retrofit of Moreland Kennedy House is Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Canada Greener Affordable Housing program. Brightside has applied to CMHC to fund three additional retrofits.

In addition, Brightside plans to redevelop some buildings in line with net-zero standards.

The expected impact of the retrofits

The first two upgrades will take the first steps in significantly reducing carbon from Brightside’s portfolio. The retrofit at Moreland Kennedy House will reduce approximately 69 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year; over 90 tonnes will be eliminated at Gordon Fahrni House.

Brightside plans to launch a new retrofit every six months, depending on the financing, Azaroff said.

An aim of the non-profit is to finish six to seven retrofits by 2027, which will cut the greenhouse gas emissions from its portfolio by 37 per cent. By 2035, the goal is to eliminate 99 per cent of the 1,690 tonnes of carbon from its 2021 baseline.

But the retrofits only cover approximately 16 per cent of its total greenhouse gas emissions. Brightside estimates the other 84 per cent stems from its supply chain, which are a trickier matter to overcome as they lie outside of its direct control.

So far, Brightside has taken steps to chip away at its supply chain emissions by informing some of its suppliers and vendors about its net-zero strategy, Azaroff said.

“My hope is they will tell us about their own sustainability or net-zero strategies; or by seeing our improvements, next time we need a supplier and we do an RFP (request for proposal), this will become part of our supplier-vendor engagement.”