B.C. setting new standard for building energy performance

by sadia_badhon | December 16, 2019 8:37 am

By James Glave and Robyn Wark

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Three years ago, the British Columbia government said it would require all new buildings to meet a net-zero, energy-ready performance by 2032, the highest level of performance achievable today. To deliver on that goal, it kicked off the development of a regulation that is now steadily transforming communities across the province.

The BC Energy Step Code came into legal force in December 2017. It is not a standalone code, but a part of the British Columbia Building Code (BCBC) local governments may adopt, if they wish, to promote or require a level of energy efficiency in new construction that exceeds minimum building code requirements (See “How it Works”).

A revolution in code development

In the past year-and-a-half, local governments in British Columbia, representing more than 70 per cent of new residential construction activity in the province, have adopted the regulation. It is innovative in at least two respects.

First, from their earliest meetings, the team developing the BC Energy Step Code concluded the mix of incremental changes and incentives typically characterizing any code development would not get the province to its ambitious 2032 goal. So the team, and the government, started with that target and worked backward from it.

Second, the BC Energy Step Code is rooted in measurable performances. Instead of prescribing specific combinations of materials and approaches, it indicates minimum performance outcomes via a series of metrics, and groups them into ‘steps.’ For example, there are five steps for homes, with Step 5 being the most efficient house that can be built today. In this respect, it puts the industry in the driver’s seat. Builders, architects, and engineers work with energy advisors to find the best and most cost-effective solution to achieving the required or incentivized performance level.

Building professionals cannot just wing it: They must demonstrate, via an energy model and onsite airtightness test(s), their proposed project will meet the technical requirements of a given step. The BC Energy Step Code uses a range of metrics. For Part 9 buildings, the code measures:

• thermal energy demand intensity (TEDI), expressed in kWh/(m²·year);
• the percentage lower than EnerGuide Reference House;
• mechanical energy use intensity (MEUI), expressed in kWh/(m²·year); and
• airtightness, expressed in air changes per hour at a 50-Pa (1-psf) pressure differential (ach 50).

As a growing pool of local governments has begun using the BC Energy Step Code, British Columbia has emerged as a hub of innovation and learning on energy performance. Architects, engineers, manufacturers, and designers across the province have been collaborating with energy advisors, builders, and developers to ensure their projects meet the new performance specs.

Based on strong local government interest in the new code, the province has aligned the steps of the BC Energy Step Code with regulatory requirements in BCBC. The 2022, 2027, and 2032 editions of the code will include increasingly more stringent performance requirements (Figure 1). In this way, the province has sent a clear signal to the industry net-zero, energy-ready new construction is coming, triggering a huge amount of training.

HOW IT WORKS

To understand how the BC Energy Step Code works, it is best to picture a staircase in which each ‘step’ represents a higher level of energy efficiency, measured by defined building science metrics. Builders working in communities that have referenced the standard in their bylaws must demonstrate their proposed projects will deliver on the technical performance requirements associated with the required ‘step’. To do so, they commission an energy model of their planned project and submit it, along with the usual drawings, to a building official when applying for a permit. The building official confirms the proposed project will meet the necessary performance requirements, and issues a permit. On completion, the builder will submit an airtightness report to the local government to confirm the completed building checks the right boxes Step 1 focuses on capacity building. It requires builders to demonstrate they are complying with the minimum energy-efficiency requirements in the British Columbia Building Code (BCBC). The top of the staircase—Step 5 for single-family homes— denotes a net-zero, energy-ready performance level, the most energy-efficient building that can be built today.

A wave of high-performance projects

B.C. is also witnessing a huge amount of construction. With the added boost provided by the CleanBC Better Buildings program, a competitive provincial incentive program targeting tall and complex Part 3 buildings, British Columbia is now witnessing a rush of new projects built to the top step of the BC Energy Step Code.

These also include many residences targeting Passive House (PH) certification. For reference, a building meeting the PH standard would fulfil the requirements of the top step for both Part 9 and Part 3 buildings. Also, tall and complex buildings are trying to meet the top step of the BC Energy Step Code. For example:

• Dialog has designed an office building for the corner of Clark Drive and Great Northern Way in East Vancouver (a natural foods company will be the lead tenant);
• DB Services of Victoria, B.C., will build Peatt Commons Phase 2, a 72-unit, mixed-use project in Langford, B.C.; and
• Grosvenor Americas will develop a new building at Howe Street and Pacific Boulevard in downtown Vancouver to provide production and office space for the city’s arts and culture community.

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These projects are all increasing industry capacity to deliver on higher levels of performance. Training is ramping up across the province—most professional associations are offering hands-on and theoretical courses with engineers and architects at the forefront. For example, those two sectors played leading advisory roles on the BC Energy Step Code Builder Guide[3] and BC Energy Step Code Guide[4], both published by BC Housing, the provincial housing authority.

The Vancouver Economic Commission’s recent Green Building Market Forecast concludes the BC Energy Step Code, in tandem with the City of Vancouver’s Zero Emissions Building Plan, may drive a $3.3-billion/year market for high-performance building materials in the province by 2032.

The study also projected the code could help create 925 well-paying, sustainable manufacturing jobs across Metro Vancouver and at least 770 ongoing installation jobs in the region.

Lessons from the BC Energy Step Code

The Government of Canada has set a goal to make a model net-zero national energy code available for provinces and territories to adopt by 2030. Codes Canada’s Standing Committee on Energy Efficiency is on the case, and though the shape and form of that code are still under consideration, British Columbia’s approach could prove a template for a national code to follow.

With that in mind, earlier this year, the Energy Step Code Council has commissioned the report, Lessons from the BC Energy Step Code: How British Columbia became the first North American jurisdiction to create a regulated pathway to net-zero energy-ready buildings, to share key takeaways from the British Columbia experience with other provinces. They are briefly summarized here. For the full report, including explanatory diagrams, visit energystepcode.ca/publications.

Lesson 1: Pitch a big tent, and embrace shared leadership

Those interviewed for the report recommended other jurisdictions considering a tiered or stepped energy code understand the relative strengths and vulnerabilities of each built-environment stakeholder group, and equip them to serve as project champions.

For example, governments have very strong regulatory powers and resources, but are politically constrained. Professional associations of engineers, architects, builders, and building officials have extensive reach through their internal networks, but limited budgets. Utilities have excellent technical capacity, but no regulatory authority.

“Take an honest look at the actors around the table, and figure out who the leaders are, and what they need to take up the code and run with it,” one source said.

In the British Columbia experience, several interviewees confirmed professional associations help distribute information and education to members, and share experiences and issues with the larger group. For example, the council representative from the Urban Development Institute, representing the interests of developers, worked to actively share information about the BC Energy Step Code with other stakeholders and members via breakfast events.

Lesson 2: Set the end game, then backcast

Following early work done by the City of Vancouver and research conducted by the Pembina Institute, B.C.’s code authorities concluded “twiddling around the edges” of building codes would never get them to the ambitious target the government had set.

“We had started the process by explaining what we wanted the outcome to be,” one provincial government source said. “And we said to the stakeholders, ‘This is what we think the regulation should be in 10 or 15 years, now get to it. Work toward this very specific point.”

“This really snapped all the players into focus, and brought people on board who otherwise would not have been wild about the idea,” one interviewee said.

Lesson 3: Fear not the local governments

Traditionally, many provincial and territorial code authorities have hesitated to give local governments powers to regulate energy efficiency and lead a transformation of the built environment. However, British Columbia’s recent experience suggests those concerns may be misplaced, interviewees said.

When introducing code updates, provincial or territorial authorities typically move at the pace of the ‘slowest common denominator.’ However, the interviewees said this conventional approach overlooks the fact that large- and medium-sized communities have more capacity, experience, and also an interest in market transformation. Given bandwidth, resources, and peer support channels, local governments can be powerful and collaborative thought leaders, working with local designers and builders, and using the regulatory and incentive tools at their disposal.

WHAT IS A NET-ZERO, ENERGY-READY BUILDING?

Net-zero energy buildings produce as much clean energy as they consume. They are up to 80 per cent more energy efficient than a typical new building, and use onsite (or near-site) renewable energy systems to produce the remaining energy they need. In contrast, a net-zero, energy-ready building is one that has been designed and built to a level of performance such that it could, with the addition of solar panels or other renewable energy technologies, achieve net-zero energy performance.

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Lesson 4: Provide simple, clear, and accessible materials

Interviewees agreed clear, consistent, and accurate information, including ‘explainer’ diagrams, played a critical role in the BC Energy Step Code’s adoption by designers, builders, and local governments.

Lesson 5: Encourage collective ownership

The provincial government relied on the built environment stakeholders that co-developed the BC Energy Step Code both for in-kind contributions of building science expertise and funding for studies. This collective investment in the process imbued shared ownership of the outcome.

Lesson 6: Offer an easy on-ramp to performance codes

By design, the BC Energy Step Code allows local governments to adopt higher energy-efficiency requirements at a pace that works for them. Experienced communities skipped straight to Step 3. However, most, after careful consultation with the industry, have adopted Step 1 as a starting point, to increase builder familiarity with new expectations, before transitioning to higher steps within six to 18 months.

Step 1 is actually a misnomer, because it is the ‘ground floor’ of the high-performance staircase. Local governments using Step 1 are not actually requiring project teams to deliver a level of energy efficiency exceeding the BCBC. It just asks them to prove to a building official, via energy modelling and onsite airtightness testing, they are meeting existing minimum requirements.

With Step 1, project teams work with an energy advisor, many for the first time, to identify cost-effective opportunities to improve the energy performance of their designs Builders would engage advisors at the project’s earliest stages. They will also learn how a blower-door test, paired with a thermographic camera, identifies otherwise invisible opportunities to tighten up the air barrier. Since it is a capacity-building step allowing building professionals to get their feet wet in high-performance practices, one industry interviewee pronounced Step 1 “one of the master strokes of implementation.”

Lesson 7: Identify and tackle cost ‘pain points’

In 2017, BC Housing published a detailed analysis of the costs of higher-performing buildings undertaken in Canada. It found, in most situations, project teams could deliver on the requirements of Step 3 for about two per cent more than what they would pay to comply with existing code requirements on energy.

This premium is in line with the costs of previous code updates, stakeholders confirmed.

“Just as with seismic standards, fire prevention and egress measures, and public health requirements, energy performance is not cost-neutral,” one interviewee said. “Rather, it is an investment for societal good.”

Knowing that construction costs would nonetheless be contentious, the council identified the specific cost pain points, and worked to mitigate them as much as possible. For example, the province’s natural gas utility, revamped its incentive program to align directly with the steps of the BC Energy Step Code.

During consultations, designers and builders identified the learning-curve cost (the time needed to learn new practices and techniques) as one of the larger costs associated with higher-performance construction. While interviews with ‘real-world’ studies were showing they could meet the requirements of the lower steps with readily available materials such as continuous insulation (ci) and good windows, learning the strategies takes time, and time is money.

BC Housing developed courses on the practices and approaches to higher-performance construction, and began delivering workshops to designers and builders around the province.

The Energy Step Code Council also targeted other costs. For example, building teams must hire an energy advisor to help optimize project designs and demonstrate compliance with the code’s metrics. Their fees can add $800 to $1200 to project costs. However, a growing number of local governments now offer rebate programs, co-funded by utility incentive programs, to offset or eliminate upfront expense for their first BC Energy Step Code project.

Lesson 8: Consider elections and seasonal factors in the roll-out plan

With the establishment of a long-term target and best-practices guide in the hands of local governments, some members of the Energy Step Code Council worked to map out key phases of engagement and outreach work, and consider key milestones, constraints, and opportunities.

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“Remember, this is not a race,” one interviewee said. “Market transformation is the long game.”

The source recommended anyone considering a performance-based tiered energy code plan ahead and map out the initial years of implementation.

“Take account of political deadlines, such as elections, and major events and milestones when it might be prudent to ‘press pause’ on outreach and engagement or, on the other end, catalyze a lot of interest and engagement,” the source added.

Lesson 9: This is a change-management process

The team knew there would be speed bumps on the road to market transformation, and so they worked to create a pathway for everyone, one interviewee said.

“This is a big market transformation. But if you are honest with all the stakeholders, if you tell them that you are aware that it will be tough for some, and you are still proceeding, then you can get people to come to the table,” added the interviewee.

Lesson 10: Continue to refine and improve the code over time

The 2017 Metrics Report revealed some minor issues and loopholes with the standard. For example, the team discovered, without adjustments, builders in the province’s subarctic northern communities would not be able to reach the net-zero, energy-ready target. The spreadsheets also revealed, in certain circumstances, larger detached homes built to meet the requirements of the BC Energy Step Code could potentially use more energy than those built to minimum code requirements.

The council’s technical subcommittee recommended a series of adjustments to make it easier for builders in the province’s cold northern regions to meet the requirements of the upper steps and to close the loophole described above. After a bit of back and forth, the council agreed on the adjustments and forwarded them to the province, which adopted them in late 2018.

“It is important to build in some flexibility,” one interviewee said. “There is no possible way we can get everything right and that acknowledgement will be important for others.”

Further, it is not just the code’s technical metrics that have evolved and expanded – they are now available for many more building types in all areas of the province. The Energy Step Code Council itself has expanded and welcomed new members. In short, the body is continuing to evolve in response to feedback from within its ranks and the larger stakeholder community.

Market transformation is underway

British Columbia’s ongoing experiment is a vote of confidence in built-environment professionals. It is proving if all industry and local government stakeholders are given clear direction and offered adequate supports, they will step up. They will learn new techniques and strategies, and innovate and optimize costs so they can be ready to deliver on the new requirements before they come into force.

The BC Energy Step Code is steadily building industry capacity to deliver exceptionally energy-efficient buildings. As the sector increases its familiarity and comfort with new practices, the associated incremental construction cost premiums of these buildings will also come down. Eventually, very high-performance homes, offices, stores, and other buildings will not be the ‘boutique’ products they are in British Columbia, and elsewhere in Canada. They will be the norm (This article was adapted from the report Lessons from the BC Energy Step Code: How British Columbia became the first North American jurisdiction to create a regulated pathway to net-zero energy-ready buildings. James Glave and Robyn Wark co-authored the report for the Energy Step Code Council in June 2019 with funding support from BC Hydro and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). It is available free of charge at www.energystepcode.ca. This website has a lot of free resources on thermal breaks, air leakage, best construction practices, and many more topics applicable to every building type in Canada).

[7]As principal of Glave Strategies (glave.com), James Glave provides support to companies, industry associations, organizations, and governments working to grow the low-carbon economy. Glave collaborates with other independent creative professionals to produce resources and campaigns that capture attention and build profile, influence, and support for climate solutions in business and policy-maker audiences. Glave can be reached at james@glave.com[8].

[9]Robyn Wark is the co-vice-chair of the Energy Step Code Council, and the team lead for the Sustainable Communities Program at BC Hydro (bchydro.com). The program helps create healthy, affordable, and low-carbon communities by partnering with governments and industry associations to develop strategies to increase efficiency, reduce emissions, and transform markets. Wark can be reached at robyn.wark@bchydro.com[10].

Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/b-c-setting-new-standard-for-building-energy-performance/

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