September 8, 2008

Sustainable Building Practices

British Columbia goes green with building code

British Columbia’s new green building code is in effect. Every new building in the province must meet strict standards for energy and water efficiency as of Sept. 5.

New houses, multi-family residential buildings under five storeys, and small commercial and industrial buildings must also meet new insulation requirements.

New high rise residential towers and large commercial buildings must meet the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers 90.1(2004) standard. It applies to the building envelope, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, water heating, power, lighting and other equipment.

Ultra low flow toilets and other water efficient plumbing fixtures are now mandatory.

The greening was first announced in April.

More information about the new building code can be found at www.housing.gov.bc.ca/building and following the link for ‘Greening the B.C. building code’.

JOC News Services

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