Checking All the Boxes

How BUILT GREEN® aligns with, supports, and extends the BC Energy Step Code

When British Columbia enacted Energy Step Code, it created a pathway towards net-zero energy-ready buildings. As builders adjust to new regulations, what can the BUILT GREEN programs do for you?

Performance is in Our DNA

At Built Green Canada, energy performance makes up one of seven core areas that our builders address before they can put our label on their project. So how does Energy Step Code fit into the BUILT GREEN programs? The short answer? Seamlessly. BUILT GREEN complements, aligns with, and builds upon the provincial regulation to provide homebuyers a complete, 360-degree view of sustainability.

But BUILT GREEN doesn’t just align with Step Code, it picks up where code leaves off. While regulation is driving increased energy performance, that's just one part of the sustainability story.

Checking All the Boxes

Sustainability is bigger than that. The BUILT GREEN label reassures homebuyers they’ve invested in a comfortable, healthy, responsibly built home that checks all the boxes on sustainability.

Our green buildings address water conservation, waste management, indoor air quality, ventilation, responsible building practices, and more. BUILT GREEN checks all boxes:

It’s a proven winner in the marketplace and it’s only going to continue to grow in the coming years.

Leading the Way Up the Steps

There are more reasons BUILT GREEN is increasingly relevant in the age of Energy Step Code; it builds capacity.

The province has signaled to industry that it will tighten energy-efficiency requirements in 2022 and 2027 code, updates in advance of the nation-wide goal that all new builds must deliver net-zero energy-ready performance by 2032.

By offering four achievement levels—Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, each aligning with steps of Energy Step Code—BUILT GREEN builders get a jump start on regulations. For example, on energy and envelope, while a BUILT GREEN Gold certified project will meet Step 3, a BUILT GREEN Platinum home can go all the way up to Step 5—which will be required across the country by 2032. We work alongside the builder to help them improve incrementally, both with energy performance and overall sustainability.

Builders are looking for a competitive edge, and when every home is a Step 3 home (as will be the case by 2022), finding an edge beyond energy performance will be essential. BUILT GREEN provides that with third-party verification that homes deliver on the full list of sustainability focus areas. 

At the Forefront of a National Shift

By energy modelling and testing, and by paying careful attention to detailing and air barriers, BUILT GREEN builders are at the forefront of both the performance shift that is now covered by building code, as well as a more holistic approach, and have been building more sustainably since 2003. Stronger energy regulations will to continue to come, and with this addressed, attention will turn to other critical aspects of sustainability: BUILT GREEN offers builders a proven platform to support and extend them.

We Can Support Your Sustainability Goals

BUILT GREEN builders have been delivering more sustainable homes all along. If you're part of a municipality looking for ways to support your climate mitigation strategies, as well as support builders in your area, BUILT GREEN can help—let us know.

A BUILT GREEN home offers assurance that a new or newly-renovated home checks all the boxes on sustainability. If you're a builder wondering how you can benefit from the broader shift to high-performance building without breaking the bank, consider joining our crew. We’ll save you a spot.

To learn more, we invite you to our Built Green Technical Workshops, November 18 - 21.