The BC Energy Step Code was added to the BC Building Code in 2017 and establishes performance requirements for energy efficiency in new construction. These requirements are grouped into increasingly higher “Steps”. Local governments can require builders to meet or exceed the minimum provincial requirements. Every few years, the minimum Step is expected to rise, gradually guiding the industry towards net-zero energy-ready buildings by 2032.

The first Step up occurred in May 2023, when most new buildings had to be 20% more energy efficient than the 2018 minimums. As a result, the lower steps of the BC Energy Step Code (Steps 1 and 2 for smaller buildings and Step 1 for larger buildings) are listed as “Reserved” in the BC Building Code, meaning they no longer meet minimum energy efficiency requirements.

Local governments in B.C. may incentivize or require builders to achieve the remaining Steps. Builders may also exceed these local requirements if they choose. Application of the BC Energy Step Code varies in the City of Vancouver as well as federal land and Treaty First Nations.

More measurement, more flexibility, fewer prescriptive requirements

Previously, builders followed the “prescriptive approach”, which had specific requirements for insulation, windows, furnaces, water heaters, lighting and other equipment and systems. Because the prescriptive approach focuses on individual elements, rather than how these elements worked together, the resulting building may not perform as well as it should.

The Energy Step Code, however, takes a different approach. Instead of requiring specific equipment and material types, it establishes a desired outcome and leaves it to the design and building team to decide how to achieve it.

This “performance approach” requires a digital whole- building energy model is made before the design is finalized. The energy model considers a building’s envelope, heating and hot water systems, and other equipment and predicts how a proposed building would meet increasing levels of energy efficiency. During the construction process, the actual building undergoes at least two blower door tests which confirm that the building actually meets expectations. By prescribing outcomes instead of methods, builders and clients may choose the materials and design solutions that meet their design and budget requirements. This increases energy efficiency without necessarily increasing construction costs.

Market transformation through shared leadership

The technical requirements of the BC Energy Step Code were co-developed with the construction industry, leading local governments, utilities, non-profits, and technical input from Natural Resources Canada.

In 2017, the Province of British Columbia established the Step Code Council (SCC) to support the successful implementation of the BC Energy Step Code and the market transition to higher performance buildings. The SCC is composed of members representing industry professions and trades, local government and public sector organizations, and utilities and consumer interests (see Diagram 2). Staff from three provincial ministries provide guidance and input on financial incentives, building codes, and public sector building requirements. To support its commitment to zero-carbon new construction, the Province of British Columbia subsequently expanded the SCC mandate to include implementation of the Zero Carbon Step Code.

Other jurisdictions have since leveraged the technical research and policy development underpinning the BC Energy Step Code. For example, Canada’s National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB) has introduced a similar series of four performance tiers on the path toward net-zero energy ready buildings by 2030. In turn, the BC Energy Step Code has evolved based on lessons from the field and has increased its harmonization with the national tiered energy code.

 

 

Page Last Updated: Jan. 17, 2024