Spray Foam Insulation Review

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Most municipalities of British Columbia require an Alternative Solution for all spray foam applied to decks or roofs in lieu of venting the space. The alternative solution file has to be submitted regardless of the type of spray foam (open-cell or closed-cell) at the time of building permit application. However some municipality still accept Alternative Solution for spray foam during the construction project. Our team member at CEI can assist you to submit the alternative solution prior to your insulation project and we can also review the spray foam application after your insulation project is completed. Our team member can provide you letters of Assurance, in the form of Schedules B and C-B, which are legal accountability documents for spray foam inspection under the BC Building Code requirement.

BC ENERGY STEP CODE

A High-Performance Staircase

The Energy Step Code is a voluntary provincial standard enacted in April 2017 that provides an incremental and consistent approach to achieving more energy-efficient buildings that go beyond the requirements of the base BC Building Code. It does so by establishing a series of measurable, performance-based energy-efficiency requirements for construction that builders can choose to build to, and communities may voluntarily choose to adopt in bylaws and policies.

The Step Code takes a new, performance-based approach rather than the traditional prescriptive approach. The BC Energy Step Code does not specify how to construct a building, but identifies an energy-efficiency target that must be met and lets the designer/builder decide how to meet it.

To comply with the Step Code, builders must use energy modelling software and on-site testing to demonstrate that both their design and the constructed building meet the requirements of the Step Code. The new standard empowers builders to pursue innovative, creative, cost-effective solutions, and allows them to incorporate leading-edge technologies as they come available.

The Step Code also supports consumer choice, by allowing designers and builders to use natural gas, electricity, or other energy sources for their project without imposing a penalty on this decision. This fuel-neutral approach provides builders with the flexibility to make energy-efficient buildings using all available technologies.