FREE webinar series – open to everyone – offered by the City of Abbotsford.

Description

The City of Abbotsford has teamed up with BCIT to provide a 5 part- series workshop on different aspects of high performance buildings in the Fraser Valley. By attending the series, any builder/designer will be able to grasp the knowledge of how to start from building from Step 1 and move towards Step 5. BCIT will be discussing the different parameters in play in-depth.

Register for each webinar individually by visiting the  City of Abbotsford website.

All sessions run from  9 to 10:30 a.m.

Workshop 1 | Overview: April 28 (complete)

The BC Energy Step Code is here. By 2022, we will all need to build to Step 3 (part 9 buildings). By 2027, the bar will be raised to Step 4. By 2032, all new buildings will need to be net zero ready (Step 5). What does it mean for the BC construction industry? In this first webinar of a 5-part series, the participants will get an overview of the buildings of tomorrow. What does the below and above grade assemblies of a “Step Code building” look like? What will the mechanical systems consist of? Who are the experts that will be working on the projects? Join us for this 1.5-hour webinar to get answers to these questions, and ask your own questions to BCIT experts.

Workshop 2 | ZEB building science ABC: May 26 (complete)

Building Science is about understanding the movement of air, heat and moisture in buildings. Under the BC Energy Step Code, walls are getting thicker and the envelope is getting more airtight. This will obviously result in a better control of air and heat in and around walls. But what about moisture? Will thick and airtight walls be moldy and unhealthy? In this second webinar of a 5-part series, BCIT’s expert will review principles of building  science guiding the management of moisture in buildings. The webinar will include examples of smart vapor barriers, a demo of a free dew point location calculator, and a discussion of 4 different wall assemblies designed to successfully deal with air, heat and moisture in BC’s climate.

Workshop 3 | Airtightness: June 23 

Achieving low levels of airtightness is a centrepiece of the BC Energy Step Code. This third webinar of a 5-part series will answer the most asked questions on airtightness. These are: What is an air barrier? What’s the difference between an air barrier and a vapour barrier? What type of materials are needed to make buildings very airtight. Who should be in charge of airtightness on a construction site? What are the easiest assembly details available to achieve a low ACH? How do I know if I have achieved my desired airtightness level?

Workshop 4 | Assembly details:  July 21 

Highly energy-efficient buildings have super insulated assemblies, including walls, roof, foundations, etc. The additional insulation can be added from the inside of the building, the outside, or both. Which approach should I use? What’s the impact of extra insulation around windows, on vapour drives, at a wall-to-roof transition, near electrical and mechanical penetrations, etc.? What insulation materials are air permeable? Which one are water vapour closed? Which materials are more suited for my project? Is embodied carbon significant enough to be considered at the design stage? Participants in this webinar will get answers to these insulation-related questions, and will get to ask their own questions to BCIT subject-matter experts.

Workshop 5 | Mechanicals: August 18

This is the last webinar of a 5-part series. Previously, participants learned about the ins and outs of super energy-efficient buildings envelope. The webinar series tackled the envelope first, the same way the BC energy Step Code does. We are now ready for a dive in the world of energy efficient ventilation, heating and cooling systems. In this webinar, participants will get a review of the BC Energy Step Code mechanical system metric. Participants will also get to review and discuss three BC-based case studies showing how different systems can be used to achieve your Step Code goals.