Collaboration on national energy codes development

Ottawa, June 24, 2010 – With a common interest in energy efficiency for buildings and houses, the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes (CCBFC), Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) have taken steps to enhance their collaboration on the development of national model code requirements for use by regulatory authorities and industry and on the development of the next generation of NRCan’s energy efficiency standards.

A key step is the creation of a non-voting major partner position for NRCan on the CCBFC and the appointment of Mr. Kevin Lee (Director, Housing Division, Office of Energy Efficiency, NRCan) to this position. Through this senior representation, the Commission and its committees will be able to directly benefit from strategic and policy advice from Canada’s leading government agency and centre of excellence for energy conservation, efficiency and alternative fuels information.

NRCan also provides technical advisory expertise to the CCBFC’s committees: Mr. Michel Lamanque (Chief, Program Development, Buildings Division, OEE, NRCan) is a non-voting liaison member on the CCBFC Standing Committee on Energy Efficiency in Buildings (SCEEB) and Ms. Debra Haltrecht (Chief, Technology Strategy, Housing Division, OEE, NRCan) is a non-voting liaison member of the Joint Task Group on Energy Efficiency in Housing and Small Buildings. In addition, NRCan representatives are serving on the various task groups that are elaborating technical requirement proposals for energy efficiency in buildings and housing.

To ensure a seamless environment between national model codes and NRCan’s energy efficiency related standards and tools, technical advisors from the NRC Canadian Codes Centre are participating, as ex-officio members, on the NRCan committees that are developing the next generation standards for the EnerGuide Rating System (ERS), ENERGY STAR for New Homes and R-2000. A member of the CCBFC is also participating on the ERS committee.

Through these efforts and collaboration, the CCBFC is making excellent progress on its goal to issue an updated National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB) in the fall of 2011 and equivalent energy efficiency provisions for housing and small buildings in the fall of 2012. Proposed changes to the NECB, as well as a new energy efficiency objective, will be presented for broad public review in the fall of 2010. Those for housing and small buildings are expected to be ready for a similar public review in the fall of 2011. Further details may be found on the National Codes web site: www.nationalcodes.ca. This national model code development work is being carried out with the input and strong collaboration of provinces and territories through the Provincial/Territorial Policy Advisory Committee on Codes.

For further information on this announcement, please contact:

• CCBFC: Anne Gribbon, CCBFC Secretary, Anne.Gribbon@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
• NRC: Guy Gosselin, Manager, NRC Canadian Codes Centre, Guy.Gosselin@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
• Debra Haltrecht, Chief, Technology Strategy, Housing Division, OEE, NRCan, Debra.Haltrecht@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
• Michel Lamanque, Chief, Program Development, Buildings Division, OEE, NRCan, Michel.Lamanque@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca