Contents 10 sections
Every new home in BC has to meet two scales. One sets how well the home holds heat. The other sets how much carbon its heat and hot water give off. The province sets a minimum, and many cities ask for more. Vancouver has its own rules, and most new homes there need electric heat.
What you need to know
- Two codes: the Energy Step Code (energy use) and the Zero Carbon Step Code (carbon from heating and hot water)
- 20% better: since May 2023, most new homes must use about 20% less energy than the 2018 code minimum
- March 10, 2025: the date most new buildings in BC had to start meeting the first carbon level
- 2032: the year the province aims for all new buildings to be net-zero energy ready
- 2 tests: most new homes get an airtightness test, and some cities want one partway through the build too
What is the Energy Step Code?
It’s a ladder for how efficient a new building is. Higher steps mean a tighter, better-insulated home that needs less energy to heat.
The province raises the bottom step every few years. The first rise came in May 2023, when most new buildings had to be about 20% more efficient than the 2018 rules. For houses, that’s Step 3, and Steps 1 and 2 no longer meet the minimum. The goal is net-zero energy ready buildings by 2032.
Cities can ask for a higher step. The step you need depends on the day you apply for your permit.
What is the Zero Carbon Step Code?
It’s a second ladder, for the carbon a home gives off from heating, hot water and cooking. There are four levels:
| Level | Name | What it usually means for a house |
|---|---|---|
| EL-1 | Measure only | Calculate the home’s carbon. No limit yet |
| EL-2 | Moderate carbon | Some electric systems |
| EL-3 | Strong carbon | Mostly electric heating and hot water |
| EL-4 | Zero carbon | Electric heating and hot water, usually a heat pump |
Since March 10, 2025, most new buildings in BC must meet at least EL-1. The higher the level, the more of the home’s heating equipment has to be low-carbon.
What does each city ask for?
Here’s what we found on each city’s own page for new houses, duplexes and small multiplexes:
| City | What new small homes must meet |
|---|---|
| Vancouver | Its own Building By-law, not the BC code. Electric space heating and hot water for most new low-rise homes since 2022. Aligned with the top carbon level (EL-4) since March 1, 2025 |
| Surrey | Energy Step 3 and carbon level EL-1, with an airtightness test partway through the build |
| Richmond | Step 5 with EL-2, or Step 4 with EL-3, or Step 3 with EL-4 |
| New Westminster | Moving to the top step, Step 5, for small homes on January 1, 2027 |
| Abbotsford | The BC code minimum, with a mid-construction airtightness test unless airtight drywall is used |
| Whistler | An energy model and compliance report with the permit, and an as-built report before move-in |
| Other cities | Check before design. Rules change often, so we confirm them for your lot |
Two homes on the same street can face different rules if they’re in different cities, or if their permits were applied for on different dates.
What happens during the build?
An energy advisor works with your builder from design to move-in. They’re trained and tested by Natural Resources Canada. Here’s when they step in:
- Design. The advisor builds a computer model of the home’s energy use and checks the plans meet the step. This comes before the design is final
- Mid-construction test. Before the walls are closed, a blower door test finds leaks while they’re still easy to fix. It’s required in some cities, like Surrey
- Final test. Near the end, another blower door test confirms the home is airtight enough, before you can move in
A blower door test is simple. A big fan is set into an outside door to pull air out of the house, and gauges measure how much leaks back in. A tighter home leaks less, and needs less heat.
How Vancouver is different
The BC Building Code doesn’t apply in Vancouver. The City has its own Building By-law, and its 2025 version took effect on September 15, 2025. It eased some heat-loss targets and updated the rules for walls, ventilation and airtightness.
For new homes, Vancouver asks for electric heat and hot water in most low-rise buildings, an energy advisor through design and inspections, and a blower door test. Big homes over 325 m² must also stay under a carbon cap of 2 tonnes a year.
In May 2026, Council asked staff to review these rules. One idea is to match the province’s Step Code. Staff will report back in 2027, and the current rules apply until then.
What does it mean for cost?
Higher steps cost more to build, mostly in a few places:
- Walls and roof. Thicker insulation. Vancouver lets extra wall thickness from insulation not count against your floor area
- Windows. Better-performing windows and doors
- Fresh air. A heat recovery ventilator that keeps heat in while bringing fresh air in
- Heating. A heat pump for higher carbon levels
- Testing. The energy advisor, the model and the blower door tests
We price these into the budget from the first estimate. See what a duplex costs to build and what a multiplex costs.
Rebates mostly don’t help here. The CleanBC heat pump rebate is for homes at least a year old, so a brand-new home doesn’t get it.
What’s coming next?
- New Westminster moves to Step 5 for small homes on January 1, 2027
- Vancouver will report back on its energy rules in 2027
- The province keeps raising the minimum step toward net-zero energy ready by 2032
If your permit application goes in before a change, the older rule usually applies. That can be worth planning around.
Sources
Every outside figure traces to one of these pages, all opened on October 29, 2026. Rates and fee schedules change, so we recheck them for your lot during feasibility.
- Government of BC: BC Energy Step Code (updated June 9, 2025)
- Government of BC: Step Code requirements (updated July 28, 2025)
- Government of BC: Zero Carbon Step Code (updated June 9, 2025)
- Government of BC: Energy advisors
- Government of BC: Part 9 Step Code checklists (updated January 15, 2026)
- City of Vancouver: Energy requirements for new single family and 1 to 3 storey homes
- City of Surrey: BC Energy Step Code and Zero Carbon Step Code
- City of Richmond: Better buildings (Step Code requirements)
- City of New Westminster: BC Energy Step Code
- City of Abbotsford: BC Energy Step Code
- Resort Municipality of Whistler: BC Energy Step Code
- CleanBC Better Homes: Home Renovation Rebate Program
