The City of Revelstoke is beginning the process of adopting the BC Energy Step Code into the Building Bylaw.
The first step is notifying the Energy Step Code Council of the city’s intention to consult and reference the BC Energy Step Code followed by public consultation on the possible adoption.
Marianne Wade, director of Development Services, said city staff are looking at different virtual tools in order to continue with the public consultation process during the pandemic, rather than postponing decisions.
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The BC Energy Step Code is a provincial standard that provides an incremental approach to achieving energy-efficient buildings that goes beyond the requirements of the BC Building Code.
It provides a series of measurable, performance-based, energy-efficiency requirements for construction.
Builders can choose to build using the requirements and municipalities can choose to adopt it to their bylaws.
The last stage for the Step Code is for all new buildings to be net-zero energy ready by 2032.
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If the City of Revelstoke adopts the code, Wade said Step 1 is a lateral move for the current Building Bylaw and that many local developers have already at Step 2 and 3. However, there is an education component to the Energy Step Code that is not currently included in the bylaw.
Councillors Cody Younker and Jackie Rhind raised concerns about how adopting the code would affect the price of building in Revelstoke, at the council meeting on April 8, however, all voted in favour of moving forward in the process.
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