About this event

Many households in British Columbia burn fossil fuels (mainly gas) in furnaces, fireplaces, boilers, domestic hot water heaters, and kitchen appliances. In order to meet climate targets set for 2030 and 2050, a swift shift to electric alternatives is needed.

Open Technologies’ and Vancity's report Stuck: Why home electrification is lagging in British Columbia and what must be done to break the deadlock on residential carbon retrofits explores the homeowner journey from gas to electricity and the actions needed to accelerate a transition to low carbon homes. This webinar, hosted by B2E and the Home Performance Stakeholder Council (HPSC), will focus on both the homeowner and contractor experience in retrofitting to clean electric alternatives. You will hear from Open Technologies and three BC contractors who will share their insights on real-life challenges and solutions on the path to home decarbonization. 

Speakers:

Donovan Woollard, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Open Technologies

After starting in the non-profit sector, he has spent the last fifteen years working to launch, build, and scale businesses that strive to address critical climate, environmental, and social challenges. In addition to OPEN, past and current experience includes:

- Co-Director of RADIUS, a social innovation hub and venture incubator at SFU’s Beedie School of Business, where he is now an Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Advisor

- Founding investor, board member, and team member of Persephone Brewing Company;

- COO of Offsetters (Nature Bank), Canada’s leading carbon offset and carbon management firm; and

- Board member for a range of entrepreneurial organizations.

Donovan has a Master of Business Administration from UBC’s Sauder School of Business, a Post-Baccalaureate Diploma in Community Economic Development, and an undergraduate degree (Hon.) in philosophy.

Heathe Thompson, Director at Combined Comfort Systems

Combined Comfort Systems provides professional HVAC services for residential and commercial properties throughout Greater Vancouver. Heathe is the co-owner and director of business development. He has over 30 years experience in the HVAC industry and over 15 years of installing residential heat pump technologies. 

Benjamin Thomson, Owner/Installer at HVAC Strong Mechanical

HVAC Strong Mechanical is a relatively new company in Prince George, BC. Benjamin has over 10 years experience in the HVAC industry and specializes in residential retrofits.

Steve Warner, Owner/Manager at Rapid Cool Mechanical 

Rapid Cool Mechanical is based in Kamloops, BC, and specializes in residential retrofits and commercial projects. With over 25 years in the HVAC industry, Steve sells and installs a variety of heat pump technologies including ductless and geothermal systems. 

Hosts:

B2E is a BC-based member-driven coalition whose purpose is to create opportunities for multiple stakeholders to work collaboratively to identify and address barriers to electrification and take actions that contribute to a meaningful market shift to low-carbon building electrification. B2E is a convener and knowledge hub of building electrification best practices hosted by the Zero Emissions Building Exchange (ZEBx).

The Home Performance Stakeholder Council (HPSC) is a not-for-profit society that supports the growth of the home performance industry in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Their mission is to increase the supply and demand of qualified home performance service providers by supporting market growth, capacity building, and quality workmanship.