REQUEST FOR DECISION
DATE: September 21, 2022 Report No. DEV-22-088
TO: Laurie Hurst, Chief Administrative Officer
FROM: Karen Hay, Policy Planner and Bill Brown, Director of Development Services
SUBJECT:
Title
Low Carbon Energy Systems Bylaw for Esquimalt End
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
That Council:
1. Direct to staff continue to monitor the Provincial process in adding carbon pollution standards to the next iteration of the BC Building Code, scheduled for December 2022;
2. Direct staff to prepare for a scenario where the Province has not added carbon pollution standards to the BC Building Code in 2022, and staff develop an opt-in option where builders could choose a lower step of the BC Energy Step Code where a low carbon energy system is installed in a new building, or alternatively choose to build to one of the highest Step Code steps, as outlined in Table 3 and 4 of Appendix A to this report; and
3. Direct staff to develop engagement and educational materials to build public awareness and understanding of the benefits of building decarbonization through electrification.
Body
RELEVANT POLICY:
Climate Action Plan
Community Climate Mitigation Plan
Declaration of Climate Emergency
Official Community Plan Bylaw, 2018, No. 2922 [OCP]
Esquimalt Building Bylaw
BC Building Code & BC Energy Step Code
BC Building Act
STRATEGIC RELEVANCE:
This initiative supports the strategic priority: "develop and implement strategies that reduce impact on the environment consistent with our Climate Action Charter goals".
This initiative supports the climate action objective to: "decarbonize new buildings" and the strategy to: "prioritize a low carbon approach - by encouraging low carbon heating in new buildings" within the Climate Action Plan.
BACKGROUND:
Appendix A: Tables with Low Carbon energy system adoption options
Appendix B: CRD Technical Review - Step Code and Carbon Pollution Standards
CRD, Victoria, Saanich, and C. Saanich
...
Click here for full text