Ross Gordon

Most people think of air leakage as a comfort problem: a draft by the window, a cold floor. It also affects how a home behaves in a fire, how much wildfire smoke gets inside, and how much you pay to heat the place. Here is how those pieces connect. Fire: leaky homes can burn faster … Read more

Updated October 15, 2026. FortisBC has just announced a dual fuel heating rebate, and BC Hydro’s heat pump rebate for electrically heated homes is still available. Which one applies depends on how you heat your home today. Heating with gas? FortisBC’s new dual fuel rebate FortisBC is offering a $4,000 dual fuel heating system rebate … Read more

If you’re replacing your furnace with a heat pump in BC, you’ve probably hit a requirement you weren’t expecting: a heat load calculation. Your rebate application asks for a completed CSA F280 heat load calculation summary form. Your HVAC contractor may or may not be able to do one. And if you start searching for … Read more

If you have CMHC mortgage insurance and you’re planning to make your home more energy efficient, there’s money waiting for you—and it’s not from a temporary government program. The CMHC mortgage insurance premium refund for energy-efficient homes is a permanent program once you lock it in that can return 25% of your mortgage insurance premium when you … Read more

You’ve turned up the thermostat. You’ve added a space heater. You’ve put plastic film over the windows. And still, that one room is always cold, the floors are uncomfortable, and you’re wearing a sweater indoors in January. You’re not imagining it. And turning up the heat more isn’t the answer. You’re just paying more to … Read more

You’ve submitted permits in BC for years. You know the process. But Step Code documentation keeps coming back with requests for information, corrections, or outright rejections. Every resubmission means carrying costs. Delayed starts. Rescheduled trades. Frustrated clients. The irony is that most Step Code rejections aren’t about failing to meet the energy targets—they’re about documentation … Read more

If you’re planning a major renovation in the City of Vancouver, you’ve probably heard about REUP—the Renovation Energy Update Program. And if you’ve tried to understand the requirements, you’ve probably been confused by outdated information, conflicting advice, and unclear thresholds. Good news: the program was simplified in September 2025. But there are still requirements that … Read more

If you’re a BC homeowner still heating with natural gas or electric baseboards, 2026 might be the year you seriously consider a heat pump. Not because someone told you to. The economics, the regulations, and the technology have all shifted, and for most homes a heat pump is now the obvious choice. But “obvious” doesn’t … Read more

If you submitted a Greener Homes Loan application before the October 1st, 2025 deadline, you’re probably wondering what’s happening with your file. The short answer: it’s coming, but it’s taking a while. Current Processing Times Due to the high volume of applications submitted just before the deadline, processing times have been averaging 3-4 months. This … Read more

ARG Energy is now a registered Energy Advisor member of BC’s Home Performance Contractor Network (HPCN). We’re proud to be one of the first Energy Advisor firms in the City of Vancouver, the Sunshine Coast, and several other Greater Vancouver municipalities to achieve HPCN registration. What Is the Home Performance Contractor Network? The HPCN program … Read more