The BC Energy Step Code takes a new, performance-based approach rather than the traditional prescriptive approach. This means the BC Energy Step Code does not specify how to construct a building, but identifies an energy-efficiency target that must be met and lets the designer/builder decide how to meet it. The BC Energy Step Code has four steps for large, complex buildings (referred to as Part 3 buildings in the BC Building Code), and five steps for houses and small buildings (referred to as Part 9 buildings in the Building Code). A key feature of the BC Energy Step Code is that every level of performance (or‘step’) is evaluated using the same tests and metrics. This is intended to create a consistent way of measuring and understanding energy use in all buildings, regardless of their level of performance, and prepare industry for a province-wide performance-based building approach. Higher steps in the BC Energy Step Code represent higher performance targets (i.e., greater energy efficiency), but use the same measurement tools as the lower steps.

The EnerGuide standards for new and existing homes look at the energy performance of houses. Certified Energy Advisors use energy modeling and a variety of other methods to calculate the energy consumption of your home. Net Zero Energy Solutions will deliver an evaluation that identifies where improvements can be made to ensure your comfort, health and safety while maintaining the structural integrity of your home. Your energy rating will also allow you to compare your energy efficiency to that of different houses. In addition, NZES will offer recommendations for improvements with results – decreased energy usage, lower utility bills and less environmental impact – that benefit us all.

Our CEAs can verify that your home’s design will meet any prescriptive, trade-off, or performance path requirements with regards to the British Columbia Building Code Section 9.36. When it comes to building systems and components, prescriptive measures are generally seen as a minimum level of compliance with the standards prescribed by governing codes and regulations. Through energy modeling, performance path applications help to move beyond base-level compliance to a higher more customized standard. By incorporating performance path techniques in the early stages of design, you can realize significant long-term savings compared to the operations and maintenance costs associated with prescriptive measures.