BC Energy Step Code Compliance.
We specialize in working with builders and designers, providing energy modeling from pre-construction phase to final blower door testing to ensure that the Proposed Plans and As-Built Construction achieve the desired energy performance requirements.
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The process is simple. You send in your proposed plans and we will complete the energy modelling for you and offer you upgrade solutions to achieve different levels of the BC Energy Step Code.
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Being a smaller company we are able to offer affordable pricing with a more hands on approach.
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If you have a project you need support with, please reach out via email or phone.
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Further information on the BC Energy Step Code is listed below.
What is the BC Energy Step Code?
The BC Energy Step Code is a provincial standard designed to assist both municipalities and industry stakeholders incrementally over time to enhance the performance of their buildings to the Net-Zero energy ready level that must be achieved by 2032. It’s a series of five steps, each representing a higher level of energy efficiency. The higher the "step" the more efficient the homes will be.
As per the province’s CleanBC action plan, implemented on December 2018, future iterations of our BC Building Code will require Energy Step Code compliance through a step-by-step path. Being compared to current base Building Code, new homes will be required to be:
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20% more energy efficient by 2022 (Step 3)
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40% more energy efficient by 2027 (Step 4)
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80% more energy efficient by 2032 (Step 5, Net-Zero energy ready)
The Step Code calculated path to improve the consistency of building regulations in BC while providing a single standard for industry and build capacity over time. The structure will allow local municipalities to play a leadership role in improving energy efficiency in their community to meet provincial efficiency requirements.
How the BC Energy Step Code Works
The Province of British Columbia first introduced energy efficiency as a BC Building Code objective in 2008. Ever since, designers and builders have had the option to use either “prescriptive” or “performance” approaches to comply with the code’s efficiency requirements.
To date, most builders in British Columbia have pursued the prescriptive approach. Following this approach, buildings must meet specific requirements for insulation, windows, furnaces, water heaters, lighting and other equipment and systems. It focuses on individual elements, rather than ensuring the building functions well as a system. The result can be a building that does not perform as well as intended.
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Builders have a second option to comply with the energy-efficiency requirements of the BC Building Code: the performance approach. The BC Energy Step Code offers a specific form of this approach.
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The performance approach utilizes the house-as-a-system approach by establishing a desired outcome and leaves it to the design and building team to decide how to achieve it.
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To comply with the BC Energy Step Code, builders must use energy software modelling and on-site testing to demonstrate that both their design and the constructed building meet the requirements of the standard. They may use any materials or construction methods to do so.
How we can Help
By providing us with a complete architectural set of permit ready drawings in PDF format and a list of potential mechanical equipment, we are able to perform detailed energy modeling to assess the energy efficiency of the proposed plans, using the BC Energy Step Code Calculator.
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From our initial energy model we provide all the necessary documentation you will need to apply for your Building Permit!
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