The construction industry is gearing up for the release of the 2020 edition of the National Building Code of Canada. This latest edition strongly emphasizes energy efficiency in buildings and mandates adherence to the guidelines laid out in a tiered system.
With the tiered system, provinces and territories can select a desired performance level within tiered energy consumption levels for a building. This allows them to meet their efficiency goals while still implementing energy codes across Canada. For instance, builders have the option to utilize ICE Panels for the building’s envelope.
Greenstone ICE Panels offer a simplified approach to achieving the highest tier levels of the published 2020 NBCC standards. Traditional building methods become expensive when dealing with challenges like thermal bridging, multi-layered and thicker wall assemblies. ICE Panels provide a thermally broken, modular-type assembly with the highest thermal performance per inch of any wall assembly available on today’s market all while offering a competitive price point.
The 2020 editions of the codes give provincial and territorial regulators the option to choose energy efficiency tiers for housing and small buildings under the National Building Code. There are five tiers available to choose from. For large or complex buildings, regulators can select from four tiers under the National Energy Code for Buildings. Achieving the highest tier in either code indicates that a building has achieved at least a 60% reduction in energy consumption compared to the baseline Tier 1. This is a significant step towards Canada’s goal of developing net-zero emissions codes by 2050. By that time, new buildings will be powered entirely by non-emitting sources.
Manitoba is initially adopting the baseline Tier 1 for building and energy codes. They’re also collaborating with the federal government to develop a roadmap and build capacity in Manitoba for future adoption of higher tiers. Tier 1 represents about a 20% improvement in energy efficiency compared to the previous requirements for large and complex buildings in Manitoba.
If you’d like to learn how building with ICE Panels can help you meet building code standards, connect with our customer service team by calling 204-726-1426 or click here to send us a message.
