Building contractors, designers and the general public are being made aware of changes to the British Columbia Building Code regarding the energy efficiency of homes.
Effective since December 19, all building permit applications must address the requirements of Section 9.36 Energy Efficiency of the BC Building Code. These changes will require additional information at time of permit application.
Upon submission it will be necessary to outline:
– Proposed heating/cooling systems
– Building ventilation as per 9.32 (is a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) being used?)
– Location and type of air barrier and vapour barrier
– Detailed wall/ceiling/floor assemblies including effective insulation values of all components
– “U” ratings of proposed windows and doors
Previously, the BC Building Code has relied on nominal insulation values when considering thermal comfort. Section 9.36 has been introduced which will change this requirement to effective thermal resistance (ETR).
To achieve the required rating the entire cross-section of the wall/floor/ceiling will be used to calculate the RSI or R value. .
There are now three available options that can be used to attain the necessary compliance. Applicants can follow the prescriptive requirements of Section 9.36, follow the prescriptive requirements of Section 9.36 and use simple trade-offs, or supply performance modeling completed by a certified energy advisor (CEA). A list of advisors is available on the Canadian Home Buildings Association website (http://www.chbabc.org/energy-programs/certified-energy-advisors.html)
