Yukon Adopts New Energy Efficient Building Standards

New energy efficiency standards now in effect bring energy-efficient home construction up to par with the rest of the country. The adoption of section 9.36 of Canada’s National Building Code follows a review by a special advisory committee on energy efficiency. The committee, which included members of the local building construction community, considered the territory’s climate and geography and the types of construction preferred by Yukoners.

Committee members sought feedback from their respective building communities, spoke with energy efficiency code development experts in other Canadian jurisdictions, and considered public comments. They recommended some Yukon-specific amendments to the new regulations, while still requiring builders to meet the overall Energuide rating of 78 out of 100 required by the National Building Code energy efficiency section.

The core requirements of the National Building Code include effective insulation levels in floors, walls and ceilings, minimum U-values for all doors and windows and minimum performance ratings for all furnaces and water heaters. The changes have little effect on municipal building standards, which generally exceed the requirements of the National Building Code. For example, the City of Whitehorse’s target EnerGuide rating is 82 out of 100.

Yukon Energy’s corporate head office, shown here, was the first building north of 60 to be designed under the CANMET/NRCan C-2000 program. The building received a 1999 National Energy Efficiency Award. 

Photo source: Kobayashi & Zedda Architects Inc.