Best way to zero carbon?

Just over a month has passed since View Royal announced its decision to implement the zero carbon step code, and there have been questions in the community as to the best way into a cleaner future.

Started through a partnership with the View Royal Climate Coalition (VRCC), View Royal is just one of the communities to join on, with Saanich and Victoria as leaders. This decision followed the signing of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty and was View Royal’s commitment to support the ‘Sue Big Oil’ campaign.

What is the Zero carbon step code?

The Zero Carbon Step Code (ZCSC) is a voluntary plan introduced by the province to reduce building emissions in new buildings. Starting Nov. 1, 2023, new Part 9 buildings, which include houses and certain other small buildings under a certain height and width, will be zero carbon; this means space heating, water, heating and cooking will become electric, which View Royal Mayor Sid Tobias says is an important thing to note.

“Electrical is the choice because it is potentially the lowest in BC [in Greenhouse Gas emissions],” says Tobias. “Not all provinces could boast that, but seeing how our electric energy is made by hydro, it has a lower carbon imprint.”

While View Royal’s focus to create a cleaner future is clear, some in the community have questioned whether electricity is the only way towards reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG). Fortis BC, a company focused on finding alternative energy forms, says it has a different route.

What is renewable gas? 

Many people are familiar with natural gas, which is a fossil fuel containing around 90% methane, a powerful GHG that View Royal is trying to eliminate. The difference in natural gas and renewable natural gas (RNG) is biomethane—methane that comes from biological sources, like waste, animal matter, decomposing matter, and more.

“We're doing a project with the CRD Hartland landfill to bring on renewable gas, which comes from landfills, wastewater treatment plants, green waste, farm waste and all those facilities who produce methane when all that matter decomposes,” says Jason Wolfe, director of energy solutions at Fortis

When organic waste decomposes, it naturally releases biogas, a GHG containing carbon dioxide, methane, and other gases caused by decomposing matter released into the atmosphere; before this biogas can escape as GHGs, Fortis’ suppliers capture and separate the gases from the methane to purify it.

“I think for View Royal and many other communities, it's really understanding what’s available out there,” says Wolfe. “Our goal is to lower emissions to decarbonize, but right now the only option is electricity and there are challenges with that, so you really do need more than one option.”

Fortis BC says that RNG is used by injecting it into the gas system, which mixes it with conventional natural gas. Overtime, the more RNG that is added to the gas system, the less conventional natural gas is needed, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels. In 2022, Fortis BC reported that its customers avoided approximately 776,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).

 “We've been bringing on so much renewable gas, in part to meet both customers' needs and the provincial policies; we have put an application in front of a regulator that will provide 100% renewable natural gas for all new residential buildings,” says Wolfe. “That actually meets all those code requirements and gets the emissions down below the level actually that's in the code and that would be a first in North America—no one else has this ability, they want to reduce emissions and they think electricity is the way to do it.”

Comparing electricity and renewable gas

When looking at both options, many might be confused as to which service is better, but the answer isn’t that simple. When comparing the cost, work involved, and GHG emissions, it can be purely dependent on the user's opinion.

According to Hydro Energy BC in 2022, for the average household, it is less expensive to heat a household with an electric heat pump than a natural gas furnace, with the cost difference being $731 per year for natural gas, compared to $642 per year with an electric pump. Fortis’ more recent report shows the cost of RNG heating to be around $805 on Vancouver Island for 2023, a similar cost to that of natural gas in the area.

In terms of carbon, BC is one of the few jurisdictions in the world with an electricity grid that can deliver close to 100% zero-emissions electricity to power homes, businesses and vehicles. Because RNG uses GHG emissions from waste to create low-carbon energy that is used instead of conventional natural gas, it is not considered a fossil fuel. Despite this, RNG is not completely carbon neutral, and also has potential methane leakage. In a 2020 report done by Emily Grubert, an associate professor of sustainable energy policy at the University of Notre Dame, methane leakage from biogas production and upgrading facilities suggest that leakage can be around 2% up to 15%.

While the benefits of electric energy are high, the difficulty is that houses need to reinstall proper equipment to conduct the sources. In View Royal’s case, only new units will be installed with electric heating. In turn, regardless of the leakage, RNG is a better option compared to natural gas, and can be used in the same systems. RNG is a good alternative to reducing gas emissions, and a slower step than gas to electricity.

What does this mean for the future of sustainable energy?

“It's interesting being asked to justify why we’re making this change now after the decision; what we've done is [follow the ZCSC] earlier, and the motivation for that was our advisory committees were recommending that we advance the implementation of the code to identify the impact on the environment,” says Tobias. “This is what happens when you don't have the building codes that support a changing environment and a changing climate, so what we're trying to do is get ahead of it.”

On Sept. 20, the Pembina Institute—a clean energy think tank—sent a letter signed by over 30 members of the industry to local government mayors and councillors across BC, calling on them to vote to adopt the province’s new voluntary ZCSC. Despite View Royal adopting the full-plan earlier, members of the community would end up having to transition to the highest-tier of code by 2030 regardless.

“As practitioners, professionals and advocates in the buildings sector, we are urging local governments to recognize these capabilities and adopt the highest tier of Zero Carbon Step Code no later than 2025,” says the Pembina Institute.

While View Royal has moved to the highest tier, citizens are still able to decide what their energy will look like over the next few years, unless purchasing a Part 9 building. Meanwhile, more and more jurisdictions throughout the province are encouraged and expected to jump on board the ZCSC.