Article content To convert a restaurant from natural gas to electricity for cooking and patio heating would cost an average B.C. restaurant $800,000, according to a study released on Wednesday.
The study was commissioned after several municipalities, including Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Victoria and Nanaimo have introduced bylaws banning natural gas in newly constructed buildings ahead of a zero-carbon provincial mandate that takes effect in 2030. Phasing out natural gas in B.C.
does not apply to existing buildings, but the and the are worried the municipal moves are a foot in the door toward just that. “It’s a huge fear, everything is going electric,” said , owner of burger-bar chain and a member of the B.C.
Restaurant Hall of Fame. “For any potential business initiatives coming down the road, everybody’s going to say should we reinvest in the (required) capital now with these potential risks ahead of us going down the road? “That’s a big ask for the industry. At what point does the straw break the camel’s back?” The study, carried out by consulting firm Pacific Solutions Contracting, was based on a 3,500-square-foot restaurant.
The cost of converting it from natural gas to electricity included $450,000 for renovations and new equipment, plus $340,000 for ongoing costs such as insurance, taxes, internet, loss of business for about a month, and food wastage. “There are multiple problems,” said Bill Tieleman, director of the B.C.
Coalition for A.