Builders/Developers: Opportunity to Provide Feedback and Input on Electrification

Late last year, CHBA members provided input into a survey from the Building Decarbonization Alliance on implications of electrifying residential new construction on Canada’s electrical grids. As the initial discussion paper was focused on the utilities’ perspective, BDA has reached out again to get broader input on the same questions from builders and developers. The survey questions explore whether there is a missing sense of electrification urgency, an inequitable cost distribution, misaligned timing between stakeholders and whether regulatory barriers exist. The BDA also offers individual interviews. The deadline for input is October 11th at 5pm ET. For more information, please contact Frank Lohmann.

Effective Resilience Measures to Resist Severe Windstorms 

Earlier this year, CHBA partnered with the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) to form the “Resilient Homes Task Force (RHTF)” to create outcomes that can be used to train builders, create demand from homeowners and inform incentives from insurers for resilience upgrades. The task force is currently studying the effects of severe windstorms (e.g. tornadoes) through a survey of interested builders and renovators who wish to integrate high-wind resilience into their next projects. The purpose of the survey is to understand which resilience measures are effective for homes, whether builders already routinely apply some resilience measures, and if there are alternative measures that are also effective. Please follow this link to help CHBA and ICLR to evaluate high-wind measures (each evaluated with the exact same set of questions about common barriers to implementation such as cost or market availability). For more information, please contact Frank Lohmann. 

NRC Seeks Renovators for Field Demonstrations of Innovative Solutions to Overheating 

NRC has launched the Residential Resilience Retrofit program – or in short: R³ (“R cubed”). One focus area of the program is the overheating of existing buildings. NRC has identified a few innovative technology solutions it wants to test in the field, such as exterior shading, solar-powered air conditioning, or the radiative sky cooling system. Another project under the R³ program is investigating how retrofitting balconies in existing multi-unit residential buildings can enhance the heat resilience of the building and improve thermal comfort for occupants. The NRC project managers are still looking for field demonstration participants in the home building/renovation industry for next year. If you are a renovator starting a project next year on a building that has a significant overheating problem and/or includes balcony retrofits, please contact Frank Lohmann.

Industry Consultations on Single-Exit Buildings, Now Permitted in BC

Canada’s National Building Code is one of the most stringent in the world, requiring two separate exits for each building higher than two stories. Other countries only require this for six or twelve stories and higher. Over the last two years, CHBA has supported code proposals for ‘single-exit buildings’ – an innovative idea to create more housing units in infill. To study the safety risk of this innovative (for Canada) idea, the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) has launched consultations with local governments, industry and advocates on potential code changes for small MURBs with a single exit. One step ahead of the National codes, the BC Building Code 2024 Revision 3 came into force on August 27, 2024, which permits new residential multi-unit, single-exit stair buildings up to 6 stories in height. While an information bulletin on the BC solution is expected to be published soon, you can find more details on the BC approach here. If you are interested in participating in the NRC consultations, follow this link or contact Frank Lohmann for more information. 

Free 2020 Codes Training, Including Tiered Energy Requirements

The tiered energy efficiency requirements of the 2020 National Building Code (NBC) were published in 2022 and are being implemented across the country now. Learning the details of how to comply with the new codes is equally challenging for builders and building officials. The Alliance of Canadian Building Officials’ Associations (ACBOA) is offering self-directed training and provides it for free to anyone. Their two-and-half hour video-based course on Energy Efficiency for Small Buildings is designed to prepare learners for the updates to the 2020 NBC and to improve their understanding of building permit application requirements. You will have to sign up to enroll in the RSM Training centre, but enrollment is free. In addition, the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) has released a set of videos to give high-level overviews of the significant changes added to the 2020 edition of the National Construction Codes. For more information, contact Frank Lohmann.

Final Public Review for the 2025 Code Cycle 

The final public review for the 2025 code cycle is set to begin October 21, 2024. Once more, CHBA members will be able to provide comments and help shape future codes. The Proposed Change Forms (PCF) will be available on the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) website. There are three key proposals that are being resubmitted because substantive comments in earlier public reviews – including many from CHBA – have led to significant revisions: 

• PCF 1823 now provides more granularity when limiting the maximum solar heat gain coefficient for windows,
• PCF 2026 now aligns the prescriptive requirements for operational greenhouse gas emissions with the point trade-off system for energy efficiency, and
• PCF 2061 which adds a maximum safe indoor air temperature to address overheating in new dwelling units may be significantly revised. 

As these proposals will significantly impact the residential construction industry, visit CHBA’s webinar page if you want to learn more about how these three PCFs were originally proposed. For more information, or if you want CHBA staff to include your comments in our submission, please contact Frank Lohmann, Jack Mantyla or Alex Bols.