Energy Step Code
On July 16, 2018, Vancouver and Lower Mainland City Council adopted Bylaw 9769 that requires new buildings to be designed and constructed to the energy efficiency targets set in BC Energy Step Code.
The Province of British Columbia enacted the BC Energy Step Code as a consistent standard to encourage the construction of energy-efficient buildings to make buildings net-zero ready by 2032. Sun Engineering Ltd is one of the premier pioneering companies involved in constructing homes with this new energy code in Vancouver and Lower Mainland.
The BC Energy Step Code is a performance-based standard that requires new buildings to meet high-level energy efficiency and airtightness targets that go beyond the minimum prescriptive requirements in the BC Building Code. Builders will need an Energy Advisor or other building energy specialist to develop an energy model for the new building, provide guidance on meeting the airtightness and energy performance requirements, verify installation of energy efficiency components and conduct required blower door tests to measure airtightness.
The Province is expected to enhance the BC Building Code requirements to the higher steps of the BC Energy Step Code to achieve “net-zero energy ready” construction by 2032. The City of Vancouver and Lower Mainland will also incrementally enhance building requirements to the highest levels of the Energy Step Code. Sun Engineering, in partnership with the City of Vancouver and Lower Mainland, continue to develop new energy efficient initiatives to be net ready by 2032. For more information on Energy Step Code and how you could comply, please contact us at Sun Engineering.