Towards Carbon Neutral & Net Zero Energy for Residential Buildings in BC

Sub-Committee Meeting – Policies and CodesMay 14, 2014

John MaddenDirector of Community Planning

and Development

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Acknowledgements

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Sub-Committee Members

Tracy Casavant Executive Director, Light House

John Madden Project Director, Light House

Curtis Dorosh Technical Lead, Light House

Joy Chen Building Analyst, Light House

Souri Riazi Research Analyst, Light House

Wayne Ward Technical Director, BRE UK

Svend Anderson GHG Accounting and Protocols Advisor

Project Team

Andy Christie City of Kimberley

Dave Ramslie Integral Group

Jennie Moore BCIT

Mark Layton Association of Consulting Engineering Companies BC

Norm Connolly City of New Westminster

Tony Gioventu Condominium Home Owners' Association of B.C

Ellen Pond Pembina Institute

Murray Frank Construction Home Solutions

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Agenda

Time Discussion Items

1:00 – 1:10 Welcome & Introductions

1:10 – 1:30 • Study Objectives• Process and Timelines • Preliminary Research

Findings• Challenges and Opportunities

1:30 – 2:30 Expert Working Sessions

2:30 – 3:00 Summary and Next Steps

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Study Objectives

Engage governments, utilities, building and

the real estate industry across the Province to

develop a cohesive and strategic road map to

advance carbon neutral and/or net zero

energy for residential buildings*.

* with a focus on BC Building Code Part 9 buildings

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Study ApproachTowards Carbon Neutral & Net Zero Energy for Residential Buildings in BC

Overall Project Scope

Province-wide Consultation – Prioritize climate zones & typologies / Discuss implications of Bes Practices for BC

•

Develop Research Framework

•

Research

Climate Zone Research

Typologies

Best Practices – Targets &

Performance

Best Practices – Codes &

Regulation

Best Practices – Incentives & Education Matrix of Climates & Typologies

Climate

Zone

Single

Detached

Duplex /

Rowhouse

High Rise

MURBs

South

Okanagan

North

Province-wide

Webinar

Road Map to Carbon Neutral & Net Zero Energy Existing

Residential Buildings

Guide Best Practices for Carbon Neutral & Net Zero Energy Residential Buildings in BC

Energy & Carbon

Performance Targets, per

building types and climate

Develop Codes,

Standards,

Policies & Regulation

Develop

Incentives &

Education

Programs

Draft Key Directions & Recommendations

Develop Energy

Labels?

High-Rise

MURBs Vancouver

(COMPLETE)

Residential

Buildings In BC

(STARTED)

Develop BC Energy Factors &

Coefficients

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Definitions

STEP2:Meetremaining

energydemandwithno(orlow)carbonenergygeneratedon

oroff-site

STEP1:Squeezeenergy

demand,usuallytoapre-definedtarget

CARBONNEUTRALBUILDING

STEP2:Meetremaining

energydemandwithrenewableenergygeneratedon-site

NETZEROENERGYBUILDING

• Carbon Neutral Building– A building which significantly reduces

energy consumption combined with the increased use of low carbon energy sources to meet the remaining demand.

• Net Zero Energy Building?– A building which significantly reduce

energy consumption combined with the use of renewable energy generated on-site to meet the remaining demand.

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Advisory and Sub-Committees

Advisory Committee

(Expert Round Table)

Subcommittee- Financial

Mechanisms & Incentives

Subcommittee- Technologies

Subcommittee- Education, Awareness &

Capacity Building

Subcommittee- Policy, Codes &

Regulations

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Sub-Committee Objectives

Policies, Regulations & Codes

- To identify policies, legislation, regulations and supporting tools to help local governments achieve deep energy use and move toward meeting carbon neutrality/net zero energy by 2050.

Technologies

Financial Tools & Incentives

Education, Awareness & Industry Capacity Building

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Select cities in different Climate Zones

• Zone A: ≤ 3500 HDDs

➠ Vancouver, HDD18max(1971-2000): 2960

• Zone B: > 3500 to ≤ 5500 HDDs

➠ Kelowna, HDD18max(1971-2000): 3869

• Zone C: > 5500 to ≤ 8000 HDDs

➠ Fort St. John, HDD18max(1971-2000): 5893

• HDD18max - The standard method for calculating the Degree Day Daily mean;

• Daily mean = (Daily max + Daily min) ÷ 2• HDD18max (1971-2000) – The average of

HDD18max value from 1971 to 2000

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Residential Building Typologies Structural Type of Dwelling and Collectives Reference Guide, 2011 Census:

• Detached Houses: Single Family Dwellings

• Attached Houses: Duplex, Semi-Detached and Row Houses

• Multi-Unit Residential Buildings: Apartments

• Moveable Dwellings:

Detached Houses

Mobile Homes

Semi-Detached (vertical division)Duplex (horizontal division)

Apartment < 5-storey(horizontal & vertical division)

Apartment ≥ 5-storey(horizontal & vertical division)

Row House (vertical division)

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Define Characteristics of Housing

House Characteristics Typical Rating Building Standards / Codes

Unimproved Older house 0 to 50 Pre 1970’s Building Code

Partially improved Older House 51-65 1970’s – 1980’s Building Code

Fully improved Older House 66-75 1990s Building Code

Typical New House 68-82 Current Building Code

Energy Efficient House 80-90 R-2000 House

Super energy-efficient House 91-100 Net Zero Homes

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Matrix of Climate Zone & Typologies

Statistics Canada, 2012

• Single detached houses are the most common housing type except in BC.

• The average occurrence of single detached houses across BC is 47.7%.

Climate Zone A B C

House Types BC Average Vancouver Kelowna Fort St. John

Single-detached 47.7% 33.8% 56.5% 59.0%

Semi-detached house 3.0% 2.2% 4.6% 5.4%

Row house 7.4% 9.0% 5.4% 7.8%

Duplex 10.4% 14.2% 7.2% 1.4%

Apartment, < 5 storeys 20.5% 25.6% 19.9% 13.9%

Apartment, ≥ 5 storeys 8.2% 14.5% 1.6% 0.9%

Moveable and other houses 2.8% 0.7% 4.7% 11.7%

Distribution of housing types in BC climate zones, by # of buildings

47.7%

20.8%

28.7%

2.8%BC Distribution, Total # of units

Detached

Attached

Apartments

Mobile Homes

67.9%10.0%

19.4%

2.7% BC Distribution, Total Floor Area

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Matrix of Climate Zone & Typologies NRCan database, 2011

• Almost 74% of dwellings were constructed after 1977. • About 25% of all types of residential buildings were built in 1984 -1995. • The age of the house may reflect different construction types and hence

determine the building characteristics and performance.

BC dwellings Age Distribution, by # of buildings (%)

Before1946

1946–1960

1961–1977

1978–1983

1984–1995

1996–2000

2001–2005

2006–2010

2011–2011

Single Detached 4.3 5.6 18.9 13.6 24.5 12.2 7.4 11.9 1.6

Attached 2.2 2.3 7.7 12.7 29.7 10.4 12.9 18.9 3.1

Apartments 3.9 4.1 14.7 10.2 24.8 12.1 8.1 19.6 2.4

Mobile 5.2 3.9 23.3 9.7 20.5 12.5 9.5 13.2 2.1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100Pe

rce

nta

ge

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Why is energy efficiency for buildings important?

Electricity is a growing operating cost- Inclining block rates; average increase of 4.4%/yr*

Major source of greenhouse gases- 55% of Vancouver GHGs

*2010 forcast; pre-BC Hydro-review

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Setting Targets and Step Changes

SETTING TARGETS &

PERFORMANCE

> OUTCOMES

Adopt baseline performance based on similar climate zones and building types

Define quantitative targets for carbon and energy performance

Define “step changes” and recommendations

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Policies, Regulations and Targets

Federal: - Reduce Canada’s GHG emissions by 17% below 2005 levels by 2020

- Energy Efficiency Act

Provincial:

BC Climate Action Plan (2008)

- Reduce community emissions by 33% below 2007 levels by 2020, 80% by 2050

- Interim reduction targets: 6% by 2012, 18% by 2016LGA, Green Communities, Bill 27 (2008)

- Require local governments to set targets in their OCPs and RGS

- Align policies, bylaws and actions to help achieve the reduction targets

BC Energy Efficient Buildings Strategy

- Reduce average energy demand per home by 20 percent by 2020

Local Governments: Climate Action Charter (2007)

- Achieve carbon neutral corporate operations by 2012

- Measure and report on community GHG emissions profilesMetro Vancouver

- Sustainable Region Initiative and Sustainability Framework17

Current Policies and Targets Municipal:

City of Vancouver Greenest City 2020 Action Plan energy reduction target

- New buildings to be 20% below 2007 levels by 2020, and “carbon neutral” by 2030 (for Part 3 and Part 9 non-residential buildings)

- Existing large buildings reduce GHG emissions to 20% below 2007 levels by 2020

City of Kelowna

- 33% reduction in community GHGs by 2020

- Achieve an EnerGuide rating of 80 for 100% of new, detached and single-unit row houses

City of Dawson Creek

- 14% reduction below 2006 levels by 2012; 33% by 2020; 85% by 2050

City of Fort St. John

- 14% reduction below 2008 levels by 2014; 21% by 2017; 33% by 2020; 80% by 2050

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Energy Related Codes National Building Code

(December 2012) A New section

containing energy efficiency requirements for housing and small buildings

BC Building Code (2012)introduces energy efficiency standards for

Housing and Small Buildings (Part 9): Effective December 19, 2014, adopted NBC performance standard for windows and heating equipment and harmonization

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Energy Related Regulations- Examples

Energy Performance BenchmarkingNew York City – Greener Greater Building Plan (2010)• Requires annual benchmarking and public disclosure through Portfolio Manager of large

commercial and multifamily buildings (>50k sq.ft.).

Seattle – Council Bill 116731 (2011)• Requires Large buildings (multifamily and nonresidential) to benchmark performance

using Portfolio Manager and disclose the results to the City.• Building owners must also disclose performance information to potential tenants, buyer’s

and lenders.

State of Oregon and Vermont • Requires landlords and sellers to disclose the energy performance of residential buildings

to renters/buyers. • Buildings and homes meeting energy efficiency criteria may be eligible for property tax

exemption.

City of Vancouver• Building performance benchmarking within existing buildings is on voluntary basis, using

BOMA BESt and LEED EBOM.• Adopted mandatory EnerGuideTM Rating System Audit for all new single-family homes. • For existing single-family homes, ‘time of sale’ transactions may be used to trigger

auditing and disclosure of energy efficiency to better inform prospective purchasers with respect to energy efficiency of the home.

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Energy Related Regulations- Examples

Energy Audit and Retro-CommissioningNew York City – Greener Greater Building Plan (2010)

• Buildings greater than 50k sq.ft. must undergo an energy audit and retro-commissioning measures every 10 years.

Austin, Texas – Energy Conservation Audit and Disclosure Ordinance (2011)

• Single family homes and all residences (10 years old or older by 2009) with four or fewer units must have an energy audit before selling the property and disclose to potential buyers.

• All Apartment buildings must be audited. The results must be posted for tenants.

• Buildings that have more than 150% of the Austin multifamily average EUI must reduce their usage by 20% within 18 months.

• Non-residential buildings (>10k sq.ft.) must benchmark their energy usage through Portfolio Manager or the Austin Energy Business Energy Analysis tool.

• Potential annual savings from the measures identified in the first year of ECAD residential audits in Austin is $723,650, 7,788,000 kWh, and reduced 4,897 tons of carbon dioxide per year.

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Energy Related Standards

R-2000 Net Zero Energy Pilot for new buildingsBased on Natural Resource Canada’s draft 2014 R-2000 standard and next generation EnerGuide Rating System (ERS), the Pilot aims to recognize the builders and homes reaching net zero energy performance in Canada and aims at advancing the commoditization of net zero energy homes in Canada.

• Apply the minimum envelope requirements of the 2014 R-2000 Standard to reduce conventional energy use

• Label houses with a next generation ERS rating

• Post-occupancy assessment (Efficient Living Assessment ) can be used to confirm as-operated performance

• Using R-2000 and ERS to provide quality assurance for NZE buildings and houses

• The approach will focus on homes that can be built today using technologies already available on the market that meet industry standards and regulations.

• Expected Outcomes:

– Low cost, low risk and easily achieved introduction to high performance

– Energy consumption 70% less than pre-1975 housing

– Low space heating energy consumption (55 kWh/m2yr)

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Energy Related Standards

PassivHausEuropean’s best-known standard uses proven technology to minimize risk as well as emissions. A building standard that aims to achieve energy efficiency, comfort and affordability.

• Ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling.

• Used highly energy-efficient lighting, ventilation, electrical appliances and equipment.

• 80% overall reduction in energy use and CO2 emissions vs. the German dwelling stock.

• Criteria:

– The Space Heating Energy Demand is not to exceed 15 kWh per square meter of net living space (treated floor area) per year or 10 W per square meter peak demand.

– The Primary Energy Demand, the total energy to be used for all domestic applications (heating, hot water and domestic electricity) must not exceed 120 kWh per square meter of treated floor area per year.

– Airtightness: a maximum of 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals pressure (ACH50), as verified with an onsite pressure test (in both pressurized and depressurized states).

– Thermal comfort must be met for all living areas during winter as well as in summer, with not more than 10 % of the hours in a given year over 25 °C.

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Energy Related Standards

ENERGY STAR for New Homes Standard (version 12.1)ENERGY STAR was developed by the U.S. EPA in 1992. The Office of Energy Efficiency of NRCan has promoted the ENERGY STAR symbol in Canada. This Standard is effective since December 1, 2012.

• Applies to all types of housing which has height ≤ 3 storeys and floor area ≤ 600m2

• Built by licensed ENERGY STAR for New Homes builder.

• Promotes energy efficiency guidelines that enable new homes to be 20% more energy efficient than those built to the provincial or national building code (baseline).

• Use more energy-efficient heating & cooling systems, Energy Star qualified windows/doors/skylights/lighting/appliance, more insulated walls & ceilings, and meet certain level of airtightness .

– Mandating minimum insulation requirements. This ensures a certain level of emphasis is placed on the envelope

– Mandating a minimum amount of electrical savings. Require a minimum of 400 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electrical savings relative to houses with non-ENERGY STAR qualified products.

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MatrixType Physical Characteristics

(Age, Floor area, Units)Example Type Baseline

Site EUI (kWh/m2)

BaselineTotal Energy

(GJ/household)

Detached • Less than 4,200 sf• Two-storey with basement • 2x4 or 2x6 exterior walls, • R12, R20 or R28 batt insulation• Attic insulation: R28 or R40

178 81.2

Attached • Size from 800-1,200 sf• Two to three storey• 2x4 exterior walls, R12, R20 or R28

batt insulation• Attic insulation: R20

175 81.2

Row House • Size from 1,600 sf, newer units with finished basements 2,400 sf

• Two to three storey • Exterior Walls: 2x4 stud walls with

R12 batt insulation• Attic insulation: R-21

(NRCan data combine these two housing types in one category)

Apartment Up to 3 stories (Part 9 only)

153 49.8

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Sub-Committee: Working Sessions

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Discussion Questions

What are the current regulatory / institutional barriers to achieving

greater energy efficiency and GHG reductions in buildings—new and

existing?

What are innovative policy levers which provincial/local

governments/utilities can apply—new and existing?

What triggers can be leveraged to achieve greater energy efficiency in

existing buildings?

What changes can be made to the regulatory review process to

incentivize changes?

What are the timing and implementation considerations for adopting

energy efficiency requirements within the BC Building Code?

Are there specific building components which should be targeted to yield

greater reductions for least cost/#of transactions?

* with a focus on BC Building Code Part 9 buildings

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Identify innovative policies, regulations and tools that effectively move the residential sector toward CN/NZE…

Define the policy or

initiative?

Where has it been

implemented?

Which archetype does

it apply?

Targeted toward new

or existing?

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Priorities, Roles and Responsibilities for Stakeholders

Stakeholder Key Priorities

What is their role and responsibility in moving

policies/regulations and tools forward?

Governments

Building code officials

Standards organizations

Architect and Designer

Builders

Utilities

Manufacturers/ Trade associations

Researchers/ Academia

Non-government Organizations29

Milestone

2010 202033% GHG reduction

2030?

2040?

205080% GHG reduction

Policies and Regulations

Technologies

Financial Tools and Incentives

Awareness, Education and Capacity Building

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Milestone (example)

20102020

33% Reduction in GHG’s drom 2007 levels

Regulatory framework and support schemes

Market facilitation and transformation

Technology development and R&D

2030What is the step

change?

2040What is the step

change?

205080% Reduction in GHG’s

below 2007 levels

Market Supportschemes to achieve technology uptake?

Regulatory framework preparing large-scale integration of PV into grid

Building Codes and standards…prescriptive and / or performance based targets?

Framework for full market competition with priority access to the grid

Energy standards taking into account solar PV building regulations and obligations

Training and education for skilled workforce needed for the following areas…?

Increased R&D funding to accelerate cost reduction and transfer to industry

Enhanced system applicability of PV and related technologies and products

Enhanced storage technologiesSmart grid and grid management tools

Research into concepts for ultra high performance/low-cost approaches

Key actions and respective leading roles for:Government stakeholderMarket stakeholders (Demand)R&D and industry stakeholders (Supply)

Source: International Energy Agencywww.iea.org/roadmaps

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Next Steps

• Follow up Sub-Committees– Technologies (completed)

– Policies, Regulations and Codes

– Education, Awareness and Capacity Building

– Financial Tools and Incentives

• Summarize Input

• Draft Directions

• Advisory Committee #2 (Round Table) end of June

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