École Snokomish Elementary in Surrey is Metro Vancouver’s first all-electric, net-zero-emission school and BC Hydro’s latest Power Smart Champion.
Opened in January 2026, École Snokomish Elementary is a 27-classroom Surrey school that can accommodate as many as 655 students from kindergarten to Grade 7.
The school is an example of BC Hydro’s Power Smart 2.0 plan, which expands energy-efficiency and demand-side management programs to help people use less electricity, lower costs and reduce emissions as B.C.’s need for clean power grows.
By supporting an all-electric design that reduces the need for fossil fuels in heating, BC Hydro and the province are helping Surrey Schools advance its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 per cent by 2030.
With CleanBC funding from the province and technical support from BC Hydro, Surrey Schools received more than $14,000 for an energy study that identified the most effective path to an all-electric building. The study helped inform a heat-pump-based HVAC system that provides efficient, low-carbon heating and cooling while helping manage costs.
The finalized design reduced the school’s greenhouse gas emissions to fewer than five tonnes annually, compared with approximately 77 tonnes for a typical Surrey elementary school. Over 15 years, the design is expected to reduce emissions by 89 per cent and avoid an estimated 961 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
BC Hydro’s Power Smart Champion is an award that celebrates B.C. residents, businesses, municipalities, Indigenous and community groups taking action to lower their carbon footprint and adopt clean-energy technologies. The recognition reflects Surrey Schools’ commitment to efficiency, electrification and practical climate action in public infrastructure.
“École Snokomish Elementary shows the value of investing in energy performance early in the design process,” said Charlotte Mitha, president and CEO, BC Hydro. “It is Metro Vancouver’s first all-electric school and a powerful example of how Power Smart 2.0 is helping customers reduce emissions, improve efficiency and make cleaner energy choices.”
