Course Description

More and more jurisdictions are implementing Building Energy Performance Standards to help address the poor energy efficiency of buildings—a key contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and overall energy consumption.

The BC Energy Step Code levels are incrementally increasing in municipalities throughout BC, causing builders and designers to explore various ways to increase thermal performance of new homes in BC.

While the BC Energy Step Code may seem restrictive or simply adding costs, it in fact offers increased design flexibility. But to capitalize on the opportunity for short-term and long-term savings, material and assembly selection is the key consideration.

This presentation explores a more comprehensive and integrated approach to building envelope and window energy performance, with a focus on ways to cost-optimize energy-efficiency by using fiberglass windows and fiberglass thermal spacers for exterior insulated walls.

Through a review of the BC Energy Step Code, this presentation will demonstrate how a ‘building-envelope-first’ design approach can help meet emerging Step Code levels as well as offset costs associated with high-performance materials.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Understand the design flexibility offered through an integrated building envelope and window design approach
• Discover which building envelope assemblies have the highest impact on energy efficiency, and how those assemblies can be targeted for improvement
• Review BC Energy Step Code related to single family construction and develop an understanding of the intent, key differences from past iterations and path to compliance
• Learn options to cost-optimize the incorporation of high-performance window products into new construction and rehabilitation projects, with the goal of meeting code-mandated performance requirements while remaining cost-neutral and achieving long-term durability
• Learn the material characteristics of fiberglass windows and other fiberglass construction materials

Presented by:

• Mike Battistel, President of Cascadia Windows & Doors