BC Hydro focusing on EnerGuide to reduce consumption of energy
Posted:
February 9, 2011 - 11:21am
A couple of months ago, Nina Windham from BC Hydro interviewed John Nicol, Senior Policy Analyst with the Building and Safety Standard branch of B.C.'s Ministry of Housing, regarding some building code changes coming to BC in October 2011.
The reason for these changes is a focus on reduction of energy consumption, with equivalence to EnerGuide 80 as the goal of the current initiative. Nicol states that this is the first step to mandating Net Zero homes, or homes that require no purchased energy and are self-sustaining.
Building envelope, or the outer shell of the structure that provides a barrier to the outside, is the focus of the code changes:
"You can get 85% of the way to net zero through attention to the building envelope, for 15% of the total cost," says Nicol. "But a crappy envelope is still going to require a lot of energy – even if part of it comes from renewables."
A good envelope requires a high R-value combined with fewer thermal breaks (areas that are not insulated such as studs in a wall). It is impossible build a regular 2 x 6 stud wall with fiberglass insulation and get the envelope required for these changes. New techniques and technologies are required to get new construction up to these standards.
Toby Lau, BC Hydro's Power Smart Policies, Codes and Standards Manager, agrees. He says. "We use a market transformation approach. Power Smart helps introduce new technologies and energy efficient building design practices by providing incentives, training and education until these approaches reach a market share level that's acceptable for regulation consideration. Meanwhile, we work with the government on minimum energy efficiency regulations, as to backstop the market from sliding back to old inefficient ways."
BC Hydro is providing incentives for builders and homebuyers who achieve EnerGuide 80 standards. Structural Insulated Panels are a fast and economical way to achieve this status.
