Fall 2012 Energy Efficiency Public Review

BC has been pursuing energy conservation and greenhouse gas reduction goals in buildings for more than five years. In September 2008, the Province adopted new energy and water efficiency objectives and requirements for all buildings in the British Columbia Building Code. Since that time, staff have been working on the next steps to improve energy efficiency in buildings consistent with the goals in the Clean Energy Act (2010).

We invite your feedback on a set of proposals to adopt updated energy efficiency requirements in the British Columbia Building Code, including:
 
Large Residential, Industrial, Commercial and Institutional (Part 3) Buildings: A proposal to reference both the 2011 National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB) and ASHRAE 90.1 – 2010 as two possible compliance options in the BC Building Code.

Housing and Small Buildings (Part 9): A proposal to adopt the package of new revisions to the National Building Code relating to energy efficiency for housing and small buildings.

Ventilation (Part 9): A proposal to adopt new ventilation requirements for Part 9 housing to maintain occupant health and safety.

The proposed changes would have an impact on Part 10 in the BC Building Code. If these proposals are adopted, Part 10 would look like this.

Insulation R Value compared with IQ

I was reviewing my notes from BC Building Envelope Council's last AGM meeting on September 21, 2011 and wanted to share this quote from John Straube of Building Science Corporation.

While speaking to insulation values in current construction he stated: "R values are like IQ, if speaking in single digits, you are an idiot!"

I am reminded of this quote every time I look at the towers in the downtown core of Vancouver, which collectively represents a thermal resistance of R2 with all the glazing present.  If this represents modern architecture, it might be time to have somebody, other than the architects, start making the important design decisions we need if we are going to start building in a sustainable fashion.