What Is Renewable Natural Gas? A Low-Carbon Energy Option for BC Homeowners

May 22 2025

What Is Renewable Natural Gas? A Low-Carbon Energy Option for BC Homeowners

Building a Greener Future Starts at Home

As homeowners in Metro Vancouver continue to look for ways to reduce their environmental impact, one area that offers real potential for change is home energy use. At Shakespeare Homes, we’re always exploring ways to help our clients build and renovate homes that are not only comfortable and efficient but also more sustainable.

That’s why we’re proud to support and help educate our community about Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)—a cleaner, low-carbon alternative to conventional natural gas. Through our partnership with FortisBC, we’re helping homeowners understand how RNG can be an easy, effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—without the need to replace existing appliances or make costly upgrades.

If you’ve ever wondered how you can make your home more eco-friendly without sacrificing the comfort and convenience of natural gas, this guide is for you.

Why Natural Gas Is So Common in BC Homes

In Metro Vancouver and across British Columbia, natural gas is a popular choice for home energy. It’s reliable, cost-effective, and supports a wide range of everyday uses in residential settings. Whether by design or homeowner request, many local homes are equipped with natural gas systems for:

Space heating (furnaces, boilers, and baseboard heaters)
Water heating (hot water tanks and on-demand systems)
Fireplaces (for both warmth and ambiance)
Cooking appliances (like gas ranges and ovens)

The good news? If your home already uses natural gas, you’re well-positioned to reduce your carbon footprint without major renovations. Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) can be used in the same systems you already have, offering a seamless way to make your home more sustainable.

What Is Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)?

Renewable Natural Gas (RNG)—also known as biomethane—is a low-carbon alternative to conventional natural gas. What sets RNG apart is how it’s made.

Instead of being extracted from underground fossil fuel reserves, RNG is produced from organic waste found in landfills, farms, and wastewater treatment facilities. As this waste breaks down, it releases biogas—a mixture of gases including methane. This biogas is captured, purified, and upgraded to create RNG that can be safely added to the natural gas system.

What makes RNG especially attractive for homeowners is that it works just like conventional natural gas. It can be delivered through the same pipelines and used in the same appliances—making it a simple yet powerful way to support cleaner energy without changing how you live.

How RNG Helps Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

Switching to Renewable Natural Gas is a practical way to take climate action from the comfort of your home. Because RNG is made from waste that would otherwise emit methane into the atmosphere, capturing and reusing it as energy creates a carbon-neutral or low-carbon cycle.

Here’s how RNG makes a difference:

Lowers greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating and cooking
Reduces reliance on fossil fuels by using renewable waste-based sources
Turns everyday organic waste into usable energy instead of letting it escape into the atmosphere
Supports a circular economy by making use of agricultural, food, and municipal waste streams

By using RNG, you’re helping to close the loop on waste and contributing to a cleaner, more sustainable energy system—without compromising comfort or convenience.

How to Access RNG Through FortisBC

Getting started with Renewable Natural Gas is easier than you might think—especially for homeowners in British Columbia. FortisBC, the province’s natural gas provider, offers a simple and flexible way for customers to reduce their carbon impact by choosing RNG.

Here’s how it works:

Voluntary RNG Program: FortisBC allows customers to opt in and designate a percentage of their natural gas usage—anywhere from 5% to 100%—as Renewable Natural Gas.
Automatic Inclusion Starting July 1, 2024: All FortisBC customers will begin receiving a portion of RNG in their gas supply by default. No action is needed, though you can still increase your RNG blend if you choose.
No Equipment Changes Required: Your gas delivery remains the same, and your current appliances don’t need any upgrades.

You can learn more or sign up for the program here.

It’s a small change that can have a big impact—and you’re in full control of how much RNG you use.

RNG at Home – Seamless Integration

One of the biggest advantages of Renewable Natural Gas is how easily it fits into your life. Unlike other green energy upgrades that might require new systems or costly retrofits, RNG works with your existing appliances and infrastructure.

This means you can start lowering your carbon footprint without changing how you heat your home or cook dinner. RNG is fully compatible with:

Furnaces and boilers for home heating
Hot water tanks and on-demand water heaters
Gas ranges, cooktops, and ovens
Fireplaces that run on natural gas
Clothes dryers and other gas-powered equipment

There’s no difference in performance, comfort, or reliability. Your home continues to run the same way—it’s just doing so with cleaner energy behind the scenes.

Why Shakespeare Homes Supports RNG

At Shakespeare Homes, we believe that great design goes hand-in-hand with environmental responsibility. As a builder committed to sustainable practices, we’re proud to support the use of Renewable Natural Gas as a way to help homeowners reduce their carbon footprint—without compromising on comfort, performance, or design.

Whether we’re building a custom home or renovating an existing one, we aim to incorporate energy-efficient systems and low-carbon solutions wherever possible. RNG is one of the simplest ways to make an immediate impact, and we’re excited to partner with FortisBC to help educate our clients and community on its benefits.

If you’re thinking about how to make your home greener, we’re here to guide you through options that align with your values and lifestyle—including how RNG fits into the bigger picture of sustainable home design.

Small Change, Big Impact

Renewable Natural Gas is proof that meaningful climate action doesn’t have to be complicated. By choosing RNG, you’re making a smart, low-carbon energy choice that fits seamlessly into your home—no renovations, no disruptions, and no compromise on comfort.

At Shakespeare Homes, we’re proud to support solutions like RNG that move us all toward a more sustainable future. Whether you’re planning a renovation, building a new home, or simply looking for greener ways to live, we’re here to help you make informed choices that reflect your values.

To learn more about Renewable Natural Gas and how you can get started, visit fortisbc.com/rng.

Dec 14 2023

Ageing in Place: Renovations to Help Seniors Live at Home Longer

At some point, ageing homeowners will be faced with a choice: do they stay in their home known as “ageing in place” or find new accommodations? Once the kids have grown up and moved away (or if there never were any children), some might be more than happy to move into a smaller space that requires less upkeep. For others, however, the idea of moving out of their beloved home where they formed so many memories will seem unthinkable. But as passing years bring a decline in mobility and self-sufficiency, they may find they have little other choice. To help seniors continue to live at home for as long as possible, some renovations can prove invaluable.

Bathroom renovations for seniors

This is often the part of the home that causes the most concern. Among Canadian seniors, falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations, with many of them occurring in the bathroom. There are some options to help avoid injury, however: Grab bars are a well-known means of helping seniors by providing necessary support when moving, or as something to grab onto in the event of a slip.

Tub/shower seats are useful for those with balance issues, allowing them to sit
while bathing or showering. They also allow both hands to be free for washing.
Accessible tubs or showers make it easier to enter and exit the bathing area.
Showers without a curb can allow access even with a walker, and tubs with a side
door make entry and egress safer.
Toilet seat extenders make toilets effectively higher, making sitting and rising less
difficult. There is also the option to install new, taller toilets.

Accessbility Kitchen renovations for seniors

While kitchens may not be the first spot one thinks of in terms of renovating for safety, convenience is certainly a concern. Is there room for a walker? Can essentials be reached from a wheelchair? Here are some renovations to consider making the home as senior-friendly as possible:

Under-the-counter space is an important consideration for wheelchairs and walkers. Without sections of the counter to provide space, seniors might be unable to get close enough to the counter to engage in normal activities like food preparation.
Lower cabinet levels might be necessary for full accessibility. This can even prove useful for non-seniors who can’t quite reach the top shelves without a step stool.
Drawers instead of shelves is another good option for everyone, not just seniors. They are not just easier to use, but also easier to keep organized.
Rounded corners help keep everyone safe from bumps due to diminished perception, or, worse, falls.

Increasing accessibility around the home

There are a variety of places throughout the home where a renovation might be useful or even necessary for continued safety.

Floors might need to be levelled out to prevent falls and might also need to be textured to avoid slips.
Lever-style door handles can make life considerably easier for those coping with arthritis.
More and better lighting can help prevent accidents around the home for those with reduced vision.
Stairlifts may become necessary for those who have difficulty navigating the stairs.

Safety and convenience are the two major concerns for those who want to stay in their home for as long as possible. Making a few simple adjustments can help ensure that ageing in place is an easy option for you to stay home for years longer than what might otherwise be possible.

Jan 24 2023

6 Home Renovation Cost Saving Tips

Home Renovation Cost Savings: Renovations are an excellent means of adding value to your house if you plan on selling, but even if you don’t wish to sell, renovations can make your home more comfortable and functional. One common issue with renovations, however, is the tendency to let them get out of control, which can end up costing you a lot more than you had originally intended.
Here are some home renovation cost saving tips to keep more money in your wallet, or help your bathroom, Kitchen, or home renovation dollar go further in North Vancouver:

Create a Budget and Stick to It

We’ll start with the most obvious: you need to have a firm idea of what you can spend and then, most importantly, you must stick to it no matter what temptations you face. Having a budget doesn’t mean doing everything as cheaply as possible, it means determining what you can spend and where you want to spend it.
If you start with a spreadsheet that includes all your anticipated expenses, you can visualize where your money is going and make adjustments to prioritize the things you want most.

Take Your Time

It’s exciting to redo your home, or even just a single room. You will no doubt want to jump right in, anxious to see the results. But take your time and enjoy the planning stage. If you are planning to do several rooms, start with one or two to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Rushing often leads to regret but aside from that, starting small means you are better able to deal with unexpected expenses. If you are working on multiple rooms at once and something goes wrong, it might be beyond your budget to deal with. Planning, and

Do It Yourself

This isn’t for everyone but if you are able to do some of the work yourself, it’s one of the easiest ways to save money. Even if you don’t consider yourself very handy, you can help to prepare the workspace. After all, when you are paying workers by the hour, every bit of work that you can do will save you time and thus money.
Of course, if you have the skills to do more than the basic tasks, this will save you even more.

Reuse Materials When Possible

Renovating your kitchen doesn’t have to mean changing every part of it. Updating your cabinets can be done by refacing or even replacing the doors while leaving the rest of the cabinet body as-is. Even if you can’t reuse any existing materials, you may be able to find something suitable in salvage yards, or in leftover materials from a friend or neighbour’s project.

Watch for Sales

Some of your big costs are going to be finishing materials, fixtures, and appliances. Knowing what you want ahead of time and watching prices can be key to home renovation cost saving while still ensuring you get what you want. If you are planning in advance for a renovation, that might allow you to take advantage of the sales that come up at certain times of the year. Black Friday, appliance sales and other sales events can provide you with some serious savings.

Keep the Same Layout

Changing the layout of a room to relocate a sink or bathtub can be expensive. Moving a wall or window can be even more so. Unless you are making significant changes to improve a room’s functionality, you might want to consider leaving the existing footprint untouched.

These are just a few tips to help keep your expenses down when renovating your home. There are numerous hacks that you can take advantage of to save money while still getting the result you want. Keep an eye out for cost-saving opportunities and you’ll be much more likely to stay within or even below budget.

Talk To An Expert

When you have done hundreds of home renovations, you learn a few things, including where to save and where saving money might be a mistake in the long run. Renovation and building contractors who have been working in North Vancouver for a long time also have great connections with local, and sometimes not so local suppliers, and will know where to get the best materials at the best price. As major buyers, they may even have the inside track on sales or discounts that regular consumers will not get.

If you are planning a home renovation in North Vancouver, West Vancouver or Burnaby, please don’t hesitate to talk to the team at Shakespeare Homes. We would happy to discuss your vision and how we can help you save money when you renovate your home.

Mar 22 2021

How Much Does it Cost to Renovate a House in BC in 2022

Home Renovation Cost 2022

Renovating your home is a fun and exciting project, but do big plans require a big budget? Are there ways to save money, or will you have to adjust things if you discover the cost is higher than anticipated? How much should it cost to renovate a home in 2022?

According to a home renovation poll conducted by the CIBC, 49% of Canadians planned home renovations in 2019 and budgeted an average of $10,211. Among those who completed their renovations, 39% went over budget. Is it because they could not budget correctly? Perhaps that is part of it, but there is also the fact that renovations can sometimes go out of control.

The expected cost can vary a great deal depending on what you choose to renovate and the size of the project. Timing may also be a factor with some materials, such as wood and timber rising in price. As demand grows, the prices may continue their upward trajectory.

What to Renovate?

You may have a number of renovations that you would like to do in your home, but where do you start? We all want our homes to be comfortable and attractive, but which part of your home should be first on your list?

The logical choice may seem to be the room most in need of updating, but if that room is seldom used, you may be best to focus on either those that are most used or those that would add the most value to your property. If you are considering your return on investment (ROI), a bathroom should normally see an ROI of 75% to 100%, whereas adding a skylight may only provide 25% or less.

What Can Influence the cost?

When you calculate the cost to renovate your home, your budget can be affected by a variety of factors including:

Age. An older home may include some unpleasant surprises, such as asbestos.
Size and Complexity. Larger renovations naturally cost more.
Labour Quality. Your choice of contractor can have an effect. A reputable contractor will charge more than a local handyman, who will in turn be more expensive than tackling it as a DIY project.
Timeframe. Are you renovating with plans to sell? If you plan to move soon, you may be wise to focus on smaller jobs.
Quality of Fixtures/ Finish. Are you going for something simple and basic, or more high-end? Higher-quality parts could have a significant impact on your budget.
Other Potential Costs. There will be other fees such as building permits. Will temporary relocation be required? It is also advisable to have an “emergency fund” of about 20 to 25% of the total budget, just to be safe.

How Much Should Your Home Renovation Budget Be?

This will vary of course, based on all the above, but a good rule of thumb is to budget 1% of your home’s value each year for maintenance and improvement. If your home is valued at $500,000, for example, you should try to put $5,000 into a high interest savings account (HISA) each year. This will give you some available cash should you need to fix or renovate something on short notice.

As for actually planning your renovation, here are some ideas of what to expect:

Kitchens

One of the more popular renovations. Generally, homeowners tend to invest about 10 to 15% of their home’s value into renovations for their kitchen, though for those who are planning on staying in their home long term, it may rise to as much as 25%. Given how quickly the expense of cabinets, countertops, and appliances can add up, it is reasonable to expect your kitchen renovation to average $50,000 or more. Take a look at our Kitchen Renovations.

Bathrooms

Another very popular renovation, the cost to renovate a bathroom is quite variable, but expect to budget about 5% of your home’s value, or at least $20,000.

More Bathroom Renovations

Basement

Renovating your basement can be a great investment for your home, giving you additional living space, a playroom for your kids, a home theatre, or whatever you want or need. You should probably expect a minimum of $10,000, but more ambitious plans can easily bring this to as much as $50,000 or more.

Keep in mind that there are other ways to spruce up your home and make things feel fresh again that needn’t be quite as expensive, such as changing windows, your front door, or even simply painting rooms that see a lot of activity.

Thinking of Renovating? Need A Quote on what it will cost to renovate your home? In North or West Vancouver or Burnaby, contact Shakespeare Homes. Use the form below or call us

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Jan 26 2021

Is Winter a Good Time for Home Renovations? Ask a Construction Company North Vancouver

If you are considering a home renovation, is winter a good time to do it?

Most renovations occur during the summer, but does that mean winter is a poor choice for having work done on your home? Not at all. In fact, there are some advantages that come with wintertime renovations.

Less Competition

During the summer months, many contractors can become exceptionally busy. You may want to schedule your renovation to coincide with time off from work, holidays, or some other convenient time. Unfortunately, you will be competing with a variety of others with similar ideas. Seeking a contractor in winter means less competition.

While contracting companies will never intentionally take on more work than they can handle, if they find themselves with an extremely challenging schedule, there is the possibility of delays, or work that is done a little too quickly to maintain the necessary level of care and attention. Having work done in winter may result in a more conscientious approach to the work. It might even result in the work being done faster than anticipated since the contractors have fewer projects to work on.

Your contractor may also have more time to spend with you planning and designing your project.

Avoiding the Spring Price Increase

Things may become more expensive in the spring when lumber products, windows, and cabinet lines tend to experience price increases. During the winter, some manufacturers implement special offers to reduce their inventory. You may be able to find close-out prices on appliances and certain materials.

Interior Renovations

Winter can be a great opportunity to start a renovation or remodelling on the inside of your home. On average, a powder room or small bathroom renovation can be completed in less than four weeks.

Obtaining Permits

A small advantage, but still worth noting, is that government agencies tend to be less busy in winter, which might make it easier and quicker to obtain the necessary permits for your renovation.

Leaving the Old to Return to the New

As mentioned above, some will try to arrange to have work done during their vacation. If you plan to be away for an extended period in the winter, this provides a perfect opportunity to have work done. You will avoid the noise and disruption caused by a significant remodel and return to find your home transformed.

Clean Up

Many homeowners will wait until spring, concerned that dust and fumes will be an issue at a time when they don’t want to leave windows open. This is not really an issue, however, as current technologies and clean-up methods negate these issues. Plastic zip doors, negative pressure fans, and adequately sealing the heat ducts with filters means there’s no need to be concerned about inhaling anything harmful.

Outside Projects

While some projects are obviously not practical during the winter months, there are some that will benefit from the cold weather. Decks, for example, can be worked on in winter, and working with hard ground instead of mud in the spring can help with your deck’s foundation. Additionally, there is likely to be less damage to grass and other landscaping caused by machinery.

Renovating your home doesn’t need to be put on hold during winter months. As your construction company in North Vancouver, we are happy to help you with all your projects big or small at any time of the year.

If you are considering a home renovation this winter and would like some more information, give Shakespeare Homes a call today at 604-988-2280 or contact us here for your in-home consultation. This way you can get started on the renovation that will transform your place into the home you’ve always wanted.