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Energy requirements to be mandatory for builders later this year in B.C. green initiatives

Quesnel builder Joe Hart was the second builder to sit on the Energy Step Code Council
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Step three of the BC Energy Step Code will become mandatory for builders in December of 2022. (BC Government Graphic)

Builders in Quesnel will soon have to meet more stringent energy requirements when building homes, as step three of the BC Energy Step Code becomes mandatory in December.

Joe Hart owns Icon Homes in Quesnel, and was the second builder to sit on the Energy Step Code Council. He said all homes his company has built over the past four years have met step three standards, which include working with an energy adviser and conducting a blower door test.

“I think most of the builders in the north won’t have an issue or a problem trying to achieve step three. I know most of the guys in this town build a pretty good house,” he said.

The step code was introduced in 2017. Step four is set to become mandatory in 2027, with net zero ready homes (step five) mandated beginning in 2032.

There has been some confusion due to what appears to be outdated government websites.

“The BC Energy Step Code is an optional compliance path in the BC Building Code,” one answer reads.

“British Columbia local governments interested in better-than-code building energy efficiency have the option of referencing the BC Energy Step Code in their policies, but are not required to do so.”

During a Quesnel city council meeting, councillors debated introducing requirements for Quesnel builders for this summer and encouraging them to look to the future. According to a city report, 81 of the 162 municipalities across B.C. have adopted some part of the step code already.

Hart wrote a letter to council, requesting builders instead are required to follow step one of the code, which still involves using an energy advisor and doing a blower door test, but without the possibility of failing.

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“It’s called step code for a reason, and it’s driven me crazy from the start. There’s five steps to the step code, but the first mandatory one they’re doing is step three. Why even have the other two?”

Hart said he joined the step code council to bring a rural, northern builder’s voice to the process, adding it shouldn’t be too hard for local builders to adapt to new rules after initial adapting,

Hart, who also sits on the board of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of B.C. called on the province to be more flexible on home building regulations based on the climate zone it’s being built in.

He pointed to provincial rebates for heat pumps as an example of the problem. Hart said while rebates can cover 50 per cent of the cost for a home in a warmer climate, the maximum rebate doesn’t come close to covering the cost of a heat pump needed to deal with harsher winters.

“I’m super concerned about pushing what they’re doing in the lower mainland on us in the north,” he said.

“It’s going to be a real problem for people.”

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Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com


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cassidy.dankochik@quesnelobserver.com

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