Kimberley city council has approved an amendment that will require building permits issued after Jan. 1, 2024, to meet Step Four of the Energy Step Code.
As of May 1, the province made it so most new buildings would have to meet step three of the step code, which requires 20%-better energy efficiency.
Previously before step three was mandatory across the province, Kimberley decided to make it mandatory in the community.
The city has now decided to make step four mandatory to get ahead of the learning curve.
“After the last meeting, four builders came up and confirmed that the cost of Step Code 4 is not only achievable at little to no extra cost, but it’s possible to do Step Code 5 at no extra cost. It’s a matter of engaging in that learning curve and learning how to achieve those high-step codes,” said Councillor Sue Cairns.
“The worst thing that we could do is wait for it to be mandatory and then we would lose all competitive advantage. If we are not ahead of the curve we will be reacting too late.”
City staff said new construction projects for the most part have already reached step four.
More information about the step code can be found here.
Cairns says there are other benefits to adopting Step Four early.
“There’s a big advantage to being an early adopter. We attract grants, training, expertise and labour and we help the industry advance on that learning curve.”