All homes to be net zero energy ready by 2032
The BC Energy Step Code is a performance-based standard that establishes measurable requirements for energy efficiency in new construction. It is a provincial standard enacted in April 2017 that provides an incremental and consistent approach to achieving more energy-efficient buildings that go beyond the requirements of the base BC Building Code.
A High-Performance Staircase
The BC Energy Step Code takes a new, performance-based approach rather than the traditional prescriptive approach. It does not specify how to construct a building but identifies an energy-efficiency target (ie. Reference house) that must be met and lets the designer/builder decide how to meet it.
Each “Step” has an incremental requirement for the performance to be more efficient and is represented by efficiency gains as percentage better than a “Reference house”. For example, a new home built in a jurisdiction that has adopted Step 3 must be designed and constructed to be 20% more efficient than the reference house.
So what do designers/builders have to do?
To comply with the BC Energy Step Code, designers and/or builders work with a team like ours. We use energy modelling software and on-site testing to demonstrate (and prove) that both the home design and constructed building meet the requirements of the “Step” adopted by the governing jurisdiction.
The process is simple: Send us your building design and a few specs (ie. windows and mechanical systems) and we take care of the rest.
This new “standard” is mandatory in most municipalities.
Most municipalities have adopted the BC Step Code - those that haven’t are in consultation stages. Every municipality has a different timeline that outlines when they will adopt each step but they are all working towards the following regulatory requirements outlined by CleanBC.
