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Quote/Unquote:

"It was not until we saw the picture of the earth from the moon, that we realized how small and how helpless this planet is; something that we must hold in our arms and care for."
- Margaret Mead

BC Green Building Code

Dear BCSEA members:

There is an urgent deadline THIS FRIDAY for comments on the proposed new "green" BC Building code. Would you be willing to send in your comments?

The BCSEA will submit comments, but it will also help for individuals to comment, so that people in government hear from lots of people who value energy efficiency and want the government to do its part to ensure appropriate standards are set for all buildings in BC.

Here's how to do it:

1. Go to the Green Code website: http://www.housing.gov.bc.ca:80/building/green/index.htm

2. Read as much as you want to of the information on proposed updates.

3. Click on "Online Comment Form" for category 1, "Energy Efficiency Requirements for Single Family Houses ..."

4. Provide the requested information about yourself (you will be responding on behalf of yourself, unless an organization has authorized you to respond on its behalf).

5. Type your comments in some or all of the numbered windows provided. We would really appreciate your support on some of the main points the BCSEA is advocating:

Question/Window 3:

• We urgently need strong efficiency standards, to prevent large amounts of unnecessary energy wastage from BC's buildings. Improving our energy performance will reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning natural gas, and any electricity saved can be deployed elsewhere, also reducing emissions.
• Heat Recovery Ventilation should be mandatory by 2010. HRV allows adequate ventilation, while reducing heat loss from air leaks in the building envelope. This is one of the most important ways to increase building efficiency.

Question/Window 5:

• The EnerGuide 77 standard is proposed. BCSEA says the code should require the higher EnerGuide 80 standard, though it may be reasonable to allow it to be implemented by 2010 instead of 2008. EnerGuide is better than prescriptive standards because, with EnerGuide, the actual building efficiency will be measured, and there is a test for the airtightness of the building.

Question/Window 6:

• The proposed standards do not achieve the 30% reduction in GHGs, let alone the 50% reduction that the Bali talks would have agreed on, were it not for US and Canadian resistance. The new code needs to be far more ambitious. In Europe, for instance, the Passivhaus standard achieves a 95% reduction in energy needed for heating.

Question/Window 7: Yes, we think April 2008 is reasonable.

Question/Window 8:

• We believe that individual municipalities must be able to set higher standards if they want to: they are the laboratories of change, and must have the freedom to experiment with more green approaches.
• Labelling for the energy performance of buildings should be mandatory by 2010, prominently displayed so that it will be obvious to home buyers so that they know how much money they will have to spend to heat their homes. It will also promote awareness of energy issues.
• Buildings should be pre-wired and pre-plumbed to receive solar PV and solar hot water. Even if panels are not installed initially, this will make it cheaper and more convenient to do so later.
• We believe that the Building Code for 2010 or 2011 should embrace a far more efficient standard, requiring that all new houses be carbon neutral. It is important to announce this now, so that the building industry and the colleges have three years to train and prepare.

Water efficiency issues
These can be addressed on the "Online Comment Form" for Category 3. We are comfortable with the requirement for 6 litre flush toilets.

To comment on code changes for larger buildings (highrise apartments and larger commercial, industrial and institutional buildings): click on "Online Comment Form" for Category 2.

• The main proposal here is for the "ASHRAE" standard 90.1, 2004 version, to be implemented. This sets efficiency requirements for many building components, including lighting, heating, ventilation systems, and building envelope insulation. It cuts energy wastage by stopping designers and builders from over-sizing equipment. Surprisingly, BC does not yet have such standards. The Green Code should adopt this, but require performance 50% above that specified. As well, the code should indicate an intention to adopt the regular updates to the standard promptly after they are published.

When you have finished your comments, submit them.

Thanks for your support! Happy, sustainable holidays!

Sincerely,

Guy Dauncey, President
Tom Hackney, Vice-President for Policy

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