Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1187732
DECEMBER 2019 | 21 PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY FORTISBC INC. Green Building Design Support to implement green design is of course essential, and BC Hydro contin- ues to assist with resources, technical assistance to building owners, developers, and the design industry to create high-performance, and energy-efficient buildings. Bojan Andjelkovic, technical lead at BC Hydro, says one of the significant changes of late is CSA Group's approval and development of the Building Envelope Thermal Bridging Heat Loss Calculation Methodology standard, adding that CSA has now established a Technical Subcommittee (TSC) for this standard. The BC Energy Step Code is also having a great impact on the development of green buildings, with 30 local governments having adopted the Code into their building bylaws, which accounts for more than 70 percent of all new building per- mits in B.C. "Builders and developers in these communities will be getting a head start on requirements that will be coming into the BC Building Code in 2022, 2027, and 2032. BC Hydro has been working with builders, developers, professional associations, and government to support training and capacity development to smooth transition of code implementation," says Robyn Wark, team lead, sustain- able communities at BC Hydro. BC Hydro is also implementing the Provincial Government's CleanBC Commercial New Construction Program. The program provides funding for the design and construction of new high-performance buildings that use high- efficiency electricity in place of fossil fuels, in order to reduce GHG emissions. Available incentives include up to $15,000 for Energy Study support and Capital Incentives up to $500,000 based on the amount of GHGs reduced relative to an established baseline building per program rules. As part of its efforts to drive adoption of lower-carbon technologies for green buildings, FortisBC has a dedicated team conducting pilots on promising new energy-efficiency technology. "Our team lives and breathes innovation every day," says Jim Kobialko, program manager, innovative technology and projects, FortisBC. "By evaluating both the energy-saving potential and customer acceptance, these pilots provide certainty to building professions that the technologies we recommend deliver on the expected results." Evaluating gas-fired heat pumps is one of the pilots now underway. By transfer- ring heat energy from the air, these units have efficiencies greater than 100 percent and the potential to reduce natural gas use by 25 to 33 percent. FortisBC is testing 14 units in seven commercial buildings – these are the first of their kind in B.C. Another technology showing promise is on-demand recirculation controls for central domestic hot water systems. These controls save energy by operating the pump only when there is demand. FortisBC's recently completed test on 19 multi- family buildings showed energy savings of up to 22 percent. Of the 230 technologies FortisBC has evaluated, close to 20 have become full incentive offerings. With ambitious plans to help customer's lower natural gas use by 30 percent by 2030, FortisBC will be launching many more pilots and encour- ages manufactures with promising technology to get in touch. A Installation of gas-fired heat pump, Vancouver, B.C. Vipond.indd 1 17-01-20 4:03 PM