BC Energy Step Code

Historically, North American building codes have mostly ignored the amount of energy consumed by buildings for heating and cooling, leaving builders to choose how much care they give to that part of the home. Energy efficiency objectives were first introduced to the BC Building Code in 2008. Six years later, the Province launched a series of consultations with governments, builders, utilities and other stakeholders to address three priorities:

1 - To support local governments that want more energy-efficient buildings built in their communities;

2 - To consolidate the patchwork of different local requirements, which can be challenging for builders to work within; and

3 - To be a climate leader by creating a policy mechanism to help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in the buildings sector.

From this process, in 2017 the BC Energy Step Code was enacted to “help British Columbia meet its goal that all new buildings be net-zero energy ready by 2032”. The Step Code is an optional compliance path in the BC Building Code that local governments are using to propel the industry to build more efficient homes. Most of the municipalities around Vancouver are writing the Step Code into their zoning and are either requiring or incentivizing its implementation.

Builders are using the Step Code to meet the evolving energy efficiency standards in the Building Code. We work with Certified Energy Advisors (CEA) who model the performance of a home in design phase, helping us to design our building envelope details and specify right-sized heating and cooling systems. During and after construction, the CEA tests and documents the home’s performance so we can secure rebates for you.

The regulation sets performance targets for new construction and groups them into “steps” based on the percent improvement in energy efficiency relative to a 2018 Code-built home: