We are sharing a friendly notice of the upcoming amendments to the BC Energy Efficiency Act (BCEEA) and Vancouver Building By-Law (VBBL):
British Columbia Energy Efficiency Standards Regulation (EESR)
All residential windows and sliding glass doors manufactured after January 1, 2022 are to have a U-value ≤ 1.61 W/(m2∙K) in the province of British Columbia. Skylights and swinging entry doors are also impacted by the updated EESR, refer to the link below for details. The regulation applies to all metal and non-metal windows and sliding glass doors installed in residential buildings with less than 4 stories or a floor space of 600m2 or less. This amendment was approved and ordered by the Lieutenant Governor in Council of BC.
City of Vancouver (CoV) Building Bylaw Energy Requirements
The General Manager of Planning, Urban Design and Sustainability of the CoV is making recommendations to update the Vancouver Building By-law to new Part 9 construction (prescriptive path) for windows and sliding glass doors to have a U-value ≤ 1.22 W/(m2∙K). Windows in highly glazed homes will be required to have an average U-value ≤ 1.0 W/(m2∙K). Skylights and swinging entry doors are also impacted by the update, for details refer to the link below. The proposed changes to increase the energy efficiency requirements for residential buildings of 3 stories and under, including townhomes, is to take effect on January 1, 2022.
Effective date
The BC EESR update applies to all residential windows and sliding glass doors manufactured after January 1, 2022.
The City of Vancouver Building Bylaw Energy Requirements is to be enforced on January 1, 2022.
Who will be affected:
All manufacturer’s of residential windows and sliding glass doors selling to BC, requiring certification (exemptions listed below). Regulated products include windows and sliding glass doors for residential buildings that are:
- Less than 4 stories, or have a floor space of 600m2 or less;
- Installed in new buildings, additions, renovations or as replacements;
- Installed to separate heated space from non-heated space; and
- Manufactured on or after January 1, 2022.
BC EESR Exemptions:
- Decorative windows that have stained glass panels, iron inserts or blinds, and are contained in a sealed, insulating glass unit;
- Windows installed in buildings designated as heritage buildings;
- Glazing replacements in an existing sash and frame provided the U-value of the replacement glazing is equal to or less than the U-value of the original glazing; and
- Products manufactured specifically for export from BC.
What action will be required:
At this time, to ensure that you are compliant with the upcoming regulations, we ask that you review your QAI listing and thermal modelling reports used for your current certification with QAI to determine which models require updating. If you wish to have QAI review your listing for compliance, please contact your account manager for a quote.
Key Changes to the standard:
- The maximum permitted energy U-value ≤ 1.61 W/(m2K) has been updated over the current maximum allowed U-value ≤ 1.80 W/(m2K) in British Columbia.
- City of Vancouver is proposing to revise the maximum allowed U-value to ≤ 1.2 W/(m2K) from the current maximum allowed U-value ≤ 1.4 W/(m2K) in the Vancouver Building Bylaw. Windows in highly glazed homes will be required to have an average U-value ≤ 1.0 W/(m2K).
Official Regulatory Announcements:
VBBL Amendment (only the Council Report available at the moment)
Note:
Products modeled and listed to versions prior to CSA A440.2-14 standard are not compliant in British Columbia, and as such, re-certification of older models will be required to meet current regulations. Thermal modeling standard editions currently allowed in BC are CSA A440.2-14 and CSA A440.2-19. Upon review of your listing, which could be accessed at https://qai.org/listing-directory/windows-doors-directory/, you may determine that your currently listed models need to be updated to the current version of CSA A440.2.
If there are any questions regarding the above or for quoting activities to update your models, please do not hesitate to contact Michael Tostowaryk (mtostowaryk@qai.org) or Alex Pankov (apankov@qai.org) with any questions.
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