Foxridge Homes BC achieves Energy Step Code Milestone with duplex build

Langley, BC –With the building of its Duplex 1 build in Brighton West, Foxridge Homes has achieved the highest level of energy performance of BC’s Energy Step Code.

Step 5 is the highest level of energy performance under the BC Energy Step Code and is considered equivalent to a Net Zero Ready Home. The home is 80% or more energy efficient than a typical code-minimum home. With all new homes in BC expected to be constructed to Step 5 specifications by 2032, Foxridge Homes BC is leading the charge in building energy efficient homes.

The Energy Step Code was added to the BC Building Code in 2017 and establishes energy efficiency performance requirements for new construction. These requirements are grouped into increasingly higher steps. Every few years, the minimum step rises to gradually guide the industry towards Net Zero Ready buildings by the target 2032 date.

This is the second home that Foxridge Homes BC had built to a Step 5 rating, the first being a Net Zero Home built in Langley’s Westbrooke community.

 Achieving the highest standards of energy efficiency has been a priority for Foxridge Homes, as demonstrated in this 4-bedroom, 2,530 sq. ft. duplex.

“Reaching Step 5 is a great achievement for our team,” said Nicholas Bell, Vice-President, Foxridge Homes BC. “Our site superintendent, his onsite team and our trades have demonstrated how our envelope detailing and quality control can achieve the highest level of energy performance under the BC Energy Step Code, even with the added complexity of a shared party wall assembly in a duplex.”

One of the toughest targets in Step 5 is an airtightness score of 1.0 ACH (air changes per hour) at 50 Pa (pascals). By meeting this standard, combined with optional heat pump upgrades, Foxridge Homes has successfully taken a home designed for Step 3 of the BC Energy Step Code and elevated it to the code’s highest performance level.

Foxridge Homes has been actively adopting sustainable building practices since 2014 and has completed over 530 homes under the BC Energy Step Code since 2019, Nicholas said.

“Adopting this code with an envelope-first approach and training our staff and trades has been crucial to our success in meeting and exceeding basic code requirements,” he said. “This has allowed us to standardize our project specifications and increase our onsite productivity.”

Continual changes to the energy and sustainability performance targets in BC will ensure that Foxridge Homes will iterate their building practices to provide more value to their customers.

“As the basic requirements continue to rise, we’re seeing opportunities to make subtle, cost-effective modifications to our specifications,” Nicholas said. “This has made higher levels of the code than other energy performance labelling programs like CHBA Net Zero or Net Zero Ready an achievable target for our homes.”

Foxridge Homes will be reviewing the feasibility of these labelling programs, with new projects scheduled to start this year.