The building sector accounts for roughly 40% of emissions worldwide, and around 17% of Canada’s overall emissions, making its transformation key for carbon reduction efforts. One critical tool the government has at its disposal to eliminatete these emissions is building codes. Historically, most codes in North America have used either “prescriptive” codes or reference-based performance codes which compare a proposed building’s model with a modeled “reference building” that meets minimum performance standards and has the same dimensions. These codes have been found to result in greater efficiency but often do not result in overall reductions in energy use or emissions. Accordingly, some governments are turning toward “Target Based Codes” which compare the proposed building with absolute targets for building performance using metrics such as Energy Use Intensity (EUI).
Codes are also increasingly taking the form of “Step” or “Tiered” codes, which are a set of increasingly stringent regulations on building performance. They aim to give a roadmap to reach a government’s ultimate energy or emissions targets and are intended to give regulatory certainty to decision-makers.
