Goal: By 2030, all new buildings achieve the top step in B.C.’s Energy Step Code, use only low carbon heating systems, and embodied carbon emissions drop 40 per cent. 

• Local governments, through permitting and zoning, have significant influence over how new homes and buildings are constructed. 
• In 2019, Whistler adopted the BC Energy Step Code. In 2024 Whistler increased the requirements of the BC Energy Step Code and adopted the Zero Carbon Step Code, improving energy efficiency and limiting emissions from new buildings.

The opportunity

• A combination of regulation and incentives can prioritize low-carbon cooking, space heating and water heating. 
• Different materials used in construction such as mass timber and low-carbon cement have a lower development carbon footprint. 
• Different building processes and practices can also have a lower development carbon footprint, such as eliminating spray foam. 
• Changes to the building code make it possible to build fewer parking stalls, reducing the development carbon footprint. 

Key initiatives 

• Progressively adopt higher steps of the BC Energy Step Code. 
• Collaborate with province on building standards and greenhouse gas emission limits for new buildings. 
• Incentivize low-carbon energy systems in new buildings using regulator tools such are allowing higher density or lower step code. 
• Provide rebates for testing air tightness during and after construction. 
• Promote campaigns for step code and low carbon energy systems for the building industry, home buyers and realtors. 
• Discourage carbon-based outdoor heating such as patio heaters, gas-powered fire pits, heated driveways, hot tubs and saunas, etc. through police and/or permit changes. 
• Encourage low-carbon design, low carbon material use and low carbon construction practices for new buildings. 
• Develop roadmap to require embodied carbon calculations for Part 3 buildings as part of permit submissions. 
• Build RMOW staff capacity related to embodied carbon emissions. 
• Demonstrate RMOW leadership with new municipal building construction. 
• Streamline municipal permit process to minimize burden for property owners, developers and RMOW staff that is related to higher energy/lower carbon standards. 

Meeting the target: If successful, zero- and lower-emissions buildings will reduce carbon and carbon-equivalent emissions by 4,200 tonnes of carbon and carbon equivalents below 2019 levels by 2030. That represents a 3 per cent to 5 per cent reduction. 

RMOW divisions and key partners 

Lead: Building Department 

Support: Environmental Stewardship 

Partnerships: BC Energy Step Code, Canadian Homebuilders Association, Whistler Housing Authority 

Contact 

climatechange@whistler.ca