Success of BC Step Code Could Lead to Nationwide Adoption

David Arnott, the founder and principal of Stark Architecture, and Joe Geluch, president of North Vancouver-based Naikoon Contracting Ltd., were recently featured in a Vancouver Sun article on the rising popularity of the Passive House building standard and the concept of Net-Zero. Apart from the growing awareness of Passive House and the Net-Zero philosophy among the public, the local government in British Columbia and Vancouver have also been instrumental in making it more widely adopted.

On the one hand, some municipalities, like the City of Vancouver, are offering major incentives “to developers and builders to meet Passive House standards. Its tying into their overall energy climate-energy plan,” Geluch said.

On the one hand, Arnott explained, there is the BC Energy Step Code, which consists of five steps that Arnott likened to “stepping stones to get us to Passive House and Net Zero by 2032.” Step 3, for example, is 20 percent to 50 percent more efficient than a traditional build. Some municipalities are already making this their baseline.

B.C. has been so successful at reducing emissions that Ottawa is now considering adopting a similar policy nationwide. “There will be radical change to building codes right across Canada over the next five to 10 years,” Geluch told the Sun.

To see the whole article, click here.