Keeping Your Home Cool in a BC Heat Wave: Air Conditioning, Strata Rules and Safety

In BC's 2021 heat dome, 98% of the heat-related deaths happened indoors, most of them in homes without adequate cooling. For homeowners and buyers, here is how to keep a home cooler in a heat wave: BC's heat warnings, cooling short of a heat pump, strata rules on air conditioners, what to check when you buy, free air conditioners for people at risk and the signs of heat illness.

The short version

Why indoor heat is the risk

The BC Coroners Service found 619 heat-related deaths in the 2021 heat dome, between June 25 and July 1. Its review panel reported that:

• Indoors. 98% of the deaths occurred indoors, most in homes without adequate cooling, such as air conditioners or fans.
• Older and alone. 67% were 70 or older, and 56% lived alone.
• Where. 74% of the deaths were in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authority regions.

PreparedBC's extreme heat guide says risk increases at indoor temperatures above 26°C, and temperatures above 31°C can be dangerous. Keep easy-to-read thermometers in the rooms you use; if your home stays at 31°C or more, people at risk should plan to go somewhere cooler.

How BC's heat warnings work

Environment and Climate Change Canada issues heat warnings, and the BC Heat Alert and Response System sets three colour-coded levels. The temperatures that trigger them differ across the province's heat zones.

• Yellow. Unusually high daytime and overnight temperatures for at least two days. This is the most common warning.
• Orange. Very high daytime and overnight temperatures for at least three days. Uncommon, and a signal to check regularly on people at higher risk.
• Red. Orange conditions with temperatures rising day over day for at least three days. Rare, and dangerous, especially indoors without air conditioning.

For the most serious heat, the Province can also issue a BC Emergency Alert. EmergencyMapBC may list cooling centres and public cool spaces near you.

Cooling a home without a heat pump

• Shade the windows. BC Hydro says closing blinds and drapes can block up to 65% of the heat, and suggests outside shades for south- and west-facing windows.
• Use the night air. PreparedBC suggests keeping doors and windows closed from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., then opening them and using fans, including kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans, to pull cooler air through.
• Keep one room cool. Choose the room that stays coolest and focus your efforts there.
• Know what a fan can do. BC Hydro estimates a fan running nine hours a day costs about $7 for a whole summer, but HealthLink BC says that above 30°C, fans alone may not prevent heat-related illness.

If you have air conditioning, use it; PreparedBC notes it doesn't need to run at full strength to help. A portable unit vents hot air through a hose in a window. A window unit is usually more efficient but blocks part of the window, and BC Hydro notes that some stratas don't allow them. In BC Hydro's example, a 1.2 kW portable unit running eight hours a day uses about 9.6 kWh; multiply by the rate on your bill to estimate the cost. It suggests about 25°C when you're home, and off when you're out. A heat pump heats and cools more efficiently; see Heat Pumps in BC for rebates, costs and what to check.

Strata rules on air conditioners

In a strata, the Strata Property Act's standard bylaws apply except where your strata has filed different ones, and under them:

• The exterior needs approval. You need the strata corporation's written approval before altering the exterior of the building, or doors, windows or skylights on the exterior. For changes to your strata lot, the strata must not unreasonably withhold approval.
• So does common property. The same goes for altering common property, including limited common property. Either way, the strata can make you agree in writing to take responsibility for the expenses.
• Noise counts. You must not use your strata lot in a way that causes a nuisance or unreasonable noise, so think about where a unit's hum will carry.

Your strata's own bylaws or rules may also cover portable units and window kits, and a window unit or a vent through an outside wall is likely to involve a window or the exterior. A change that would significantly alter the use or appearance of common property needs a 3/4 vote at an annual or special general meeting, so council can't approve it alone. Ask council what is allowed and get any approval in writing; see Renovating a Condo and Strata Bylaws in BC.

Buying a home with summer heat in mind

When you view a home on a mild day, think about how it will cope with a heat wave:

• Sun and windows. Units with large south- or west-facing windows and no outside shading are more likely to overheat, and upper floors are more exposed.
• Cross-ventilation. A unit that faces one direction, or has few windows that open, is hard to cool with night air.
• Cooling and the rules. Is there a heat pump or air conditioning, and do the bylaws allow it? Council minutes can show past requests, approvals and complaints.
• When it was built. The BC Building Code requires new homes with a building permit applied for on or after March 8, 2024 to have at least one living space that can stay at or below 26°C, through design, built-in cooling or both. Plug-in window units don't count. BC's codes don't apply in the City of Vancouver, which has its own building bylaw.

Ask how warm the home gets in summer. For how a townhouse compares with a condo or a house, see Buying a Townhouse in BC.

Free air conditioners for people most at risk

BC Hydro gives free portable air conditioners, with installation, to people who are current clients of their regional health authority's Home Care Program or Mental Health and Substance Use Program and have a recommendation letter from that program.

• No working unit. You aren't eligible if you already have a functioning air conditioner.
• Consent. Renters need their landlord's consent. In a strata, check your bylaws before you apply.
• Funding. Units are offered first come, first served, subject to funding.

If a parent or neighbour might qualify, ask their care team about a letter; BC Hydro notes it is not a doctor's note, and clinicians issue it at their discretion.

Heat illness: signs and when to call 9-1-1

HealthLink BC lists signs of heat-related illness that range from mild to severe:

• Watch for. Heavy sweating, pale, cool, moist skin, muscle cramps, dizziness or fainting, headache, nausea, a rising heart rate, very dark urine and a fever of 39°C or more.
• Heat stroke. Unusual confusion or decreased alertness, seizures, unconsciousness, and red, hot, dry skin in the late stages. It is a life-threatening emergency: call 9-1-1 and keep trying to cool the person until help arrives.

Mild heat exhaustion doesn't change mental alertness, so confusion is a warning sign. People 65 and older, people with chronic or mental illness, people who live alone, pregnant people and young children are at higher risk; HealthLink BC suggests checking on them regularly, especially in the evening, when indoor temperatures are highest. PreparedBC suggests a heat buddy who checks on you, and checking on neighbours who are alone or homebound several times a day.

Questions homeowners often ask me

What indoor temperature is too hot?

PreparedBC says risk increases above 26°C indoors and that 31°C or higher is dangerous for people who are susceptible to heat. If you can't bring your home below that, people at risk should spend the hottest hours somewhere cooler, such as a cooling centre.

Do I need strata approval for an air conditioner?

It depends on the unit and your bylaws. Under the standard bylaws, altering the exterior, an exterior window or common property needs written approval, and some stratas don't allow window units. Ask council before you buy one, and keep any approval in writing.

Is a fan enough in a heat wave?

Not once it gets very hot. HealthLink BC says fans alone may not prevent heat-related illness above 30°C, and PreparedBC says they shouldn't be the main way to cool people at risk. Use them to pull in cooler evening and early-morning air.

Do newly built homes in BC need air conditioning?

Not exactly. For permits applied for on or after March 8, 2024, the BC Building Code requires at least one living space in each home that can stay at or below 26°C, through design, built-in cooling or both. The City of Vancouver has its own building bylaw.

Who can get a free air conditioner from BC Hydro?

People who don't already have a working air conditioner and who get a recommendation letter from their health authority's Home Care or Mental Health and Substance Use program. Units depend on funding and go first come, first served, so ask the care team early.

Getting your home ready for summer? Read about wildfire risk and your home in BC or see the strata documents to read before you buy.

This article is general information, not medical or professional advice. The details come from HealthLink BC, PreparedBC, the BC Centre for Disease Control, the BC Coroners Service, BC Hydro, the BC Building Code and the Strata Property Act, and were current at the time of writing; your strata's own bylaws and your health care provider's advice apply to your situation. For the Province's extreme heat guidance, see PreparedBC's extreme heat page.