A practice built around measurable outcomes.
Vandecarb exists because BC's building sector is being asked to decarbonize on a regulatory and capital-cost timeline that doesn't tolerate guesswork.
James Spooner G.S.C.
Founder & Principal · Vandecarb
James Spooner, G.S.C., is the founder and principal of Vandecarb, a British Columbia–based advisory practice helping building owners, property managers, and service providers make clearer decisions around energy, carbon, compliance, and retrofit planning.
James brings deep commercial buildings experience across building technologies, mechanical and energy services, construction environments, and customer-facing growth roles. His work focuses on translating complex building-performance, regulatory, utility, and capital-planning information into practical decisions that owners and operators can act on.
Vandecarb was created to give clients a clear, independent view of what needs to be measured, what needs to be prioritized, and what action actually improves building performance.
Based
British Columbia
Practice
Founder-led
Engagement model
Fixed-scope or retainer
Four working principles.
- 01
Evidence over advocacy
Recommendations are tied to measured data, validated models, and source documentation. The plan stands on its own footnotes.
- 02
Sequencing matters
The right measure at the wrong time is the wrong measure. Decarbonization plans align with capital cycles, equipment lifecycles, and incentive timing.
- 03
One point of accountability
Owners shouldn't translate between modelers, utilities, and contractors. Vandecarb owns the energy story end-to-end and reports to one person.
- 04
Plain language, real numbers
Technical depth is non-negotiable. Jargon is. Reports read as if a non-engineer board member is the audience — because often, they are.
British Columbia, deliberately.
BC's regulatory landscape — the City of Vancouver Annual GHG and Energy Limits By-law, BC Energy Step Code, CleanBC, and the utility and lender reporting realities that sit alongside them — rewards practitioners who know the local context in detail. Vandecarb stays narrow on geography on purpose.
Every building. Every day.
If your portfolio has a benchmarking deadline, a retrofit on the table, or a decarbonization commitment to back up — that's the conversation.