BC Energy Step Code Updates and Zero Carbon Step Code

In the coming week, British Columbia’s Energy Step Code (commonly known as "The BC Energy Step Code") is getting a refresh, which is set to be officially adopted on May 1st, 2023 (link 1 and 2). The objective of this update is to achieve a 20% improvement in energy efficiency for most new construction buildings.

As was widely discussed in the industry when the BC Energy Step Code was initially adopted, the Step Code minimum performance was expected to increase incrementally over time, with lower Steps dropping off. This update delivers on that, bringing the NECB and ASHRAE standards up to newer versions, adding minor updates to several energy use (TEUI) targets, and bringing minimum performance up to Step 2 for Part 3 buildings. The big news is the introduction of the Zero Carbon Step Code, which empowers municipalities to mandate various levels of GHG performance, thereby aiding the reduction of carbon emissions within the construction sector.

For Part 3 buildings, major occupancies within Groups C (residential/hotel), D (office), and E (retail) will be required to meet a minimum of Step 2. It's worth noting that Group D and E will have marginally more rigorous energy use targets within Step 2. As Step 1 drops off the list, meeting basic NECB compliance will no longer suffice for these occupancy types.

Other major occupancies can choose between ASHRAE and NECB for compliance. The referenced versions of ASHRAE and NECB are updated, with projects required to meet either ASHRAE 90.1-2019 or NECB 2020. Public sector building projects will also be required to meet the new version of NECB as a minimum (which is now referred to as Step 2).

For Part 9 buildings, the new minimum is Step 3. While the performance approach is still the default requirement, local governments can enable the new prescriptive path by passing a bylaw to allow the prescriptive approach. The prescriptive measures introduced are meant to provide the 20% efficiency improvement. They include mandatory heat recovery, high equipment performance and stringent envelope requirements. The prescriptive path is intended for communities that don’t have access to energy advisors or testing professionals, thus does not require any modeling or airtightness testing.

For performance-based Part 9 buildings, there are also new airtightness testing metrics.

It is important to keep in mind that the changes are for projects that are complying with the BC Energy Step Code or BCBC and don’t apply to projects in Vancouver that are required to comply with the Vancouver Building By-law (VBBL). A related tid-bit of information to consider is that the Vancouver energy modeling guidelines are also being updated, and the work is already underway.  However, the new BC Energy Step Code still references version 2 of the City of Vancouver Modeling Guidelines, so there will be no immediate impact on BC Energy Step Code projects following the refresh.

 The biggest change that is coming is the introduction of the Zero Carbon Step Code. This is essentially an add-on to BC Energy Step with additional metrics for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Local governments can choose to opt-in for additional measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions. There are four GHG Emission Levels (EL):

o   EL-1: Measure-only

o   EL-2: Moderate/Medium Carbon Performance

o   EL-3: Strong/Low Carbon Performance

o   EL-4: Zero Carbon Performance

Source: “Zero Carbon Step Code: An Introduction” Slide Deck (Province of BC communications primer)
https://us15.campaign-archive.com/?u=6394fa7be6bf69bb22890b08e&id=0f843f46d3

The EL levels introduce a greenhouse intensity (GHGI) requirement for Part 3 buildings, with increased stringency at each level. For Part 9 buildings, there are multiple compliance options including a minimum GHG allowance, capped GHGI, and a prescriptive path. For Part 9 buildings, the code has excluded wood stoves and decorative gas fireplaces that may provide backup heat, to address communities’ concerns from about power outages.

EL-1 is a measure-only level that allows local governments to introduce the requirement of explicitly stating the building’s modeled emissions. It does not introduce any requirement for reductions and is intended for knowledge only.

EL-2 introduces some reductions and will likely affect the space heating or domestic hot water systems. Designers will have to consider fuel switching to a low carbon fuel typically for one of those two systems. The specifics of this will depend on project location and design. Solutions might include heat pumps for space heating, or supplying domestic hot water via electric sources. This level is flexible, and different design measures can be considered for compliance.

EL-3 takes it a step forward and requires a mostly low carbon facility. In this scenario, you would expect to be able to have a gas stove, or perhaps a fossil fuel supplied corridor make up air. If a non-residential facility has a small service hot water load, you could potentially have that be fossil fuel. At this level, most base buildings systems will use low carbon fuel, and will achieve significant carbon savings.

The final El-4 is the highest step and for most facilities will mean full transition to a low carbon fuel.

The adoption of the Zero Carbon Step Code and the level at which it is implemented is entirely in the hands of municipalities. For those that have already taken steps to promote low carbon systems, it will be interesting to observe how they adapt to the new standards. The question remains - how will these municipalities navigate the exciting and challenging new metrics?

The province conducted case studies with City of Victoria and District of Saanich to test the adoption (link). From the looks of it, the City of Victoria is keen and is likely adopting the Zero Carbon performance in all new buildings by 2025 (link), pending final council approval. If this is adopted, it will be five years ahead of the official provincial requirement (link).

The recent upgrade to the BC Energy Step Code aligns with BC’s overarching goal of steadily increasing performance requirements over time. These changes have provided much-needed future predictability to the industry by keeping the energy targets largely unchanged while simply increasing the steps. Moreover, the introduction of an opt-in approach to tackle greenhouse emissions has given a boost to the mission of creating a sustainable future.

Evoke contributed significantly to the technical work (link) to develop these new targets, and we are well positioned to help design teams understand and effectively take the next step. Please note that our overview of the modifications is intended to provide a straightforward, top-level summary based on our understanding of the published changes.

For more info: https://energystepcode.ca/requirements/

-Grace Suri and Alex Blue