Professional Building Inspections (PBI)
Energy Code compliance - General Information
Requirements
On January 1, 2019, most new buildings and additions in Saskatchewan must be energy code compliant.
*** NOTE: Renovations to existing buildings constructed prior to January 1, 2019 do not need to meet energy efficiency compliance. Energy code requirements are only applicable to renovations in new buildings constructed after January 1, 2019.
There are two National Building Code editions that address energy efficiency:
- National Building Code of Canada (NBC 2015) - Section 9.36. Energy Efficiency
- National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB 2017)
The Code edition applicable for the project is determined by factors such as building use, size, height, etc. There are also three compliance options (paths) that the owner or designer can potentially choose from.
Applicants must submit the required forms for the Code edition used and compliance path selected with their plans for building permit review. NOTE: A building permit cannot be approved without this information.
Forms are available for download below.
Anyone can choose to use NECB 2017 for their building project; however, there are additional requirements:
- NECB projects must be designed or reviewed, and sealed, by an Architect or Engineer licensed to practice in Saskatchewan.
- NECB projects must include provisions for energy efficient lighting (not required under NBC 9.36.)
- NECB projects must be inspected by the professional designer to confirm compliance. Commitment for Field Review form must be completed, sealed and submitted by the professional designer BEFORE a plan review will be completed by the Building Official.
Climate Zones:
There are four climate zones in Saskatchewan: Zone 6 (southwest corner), Zone 7A, Zone 7B and Zone 8 (northern). Most of PBI’s clients are in Zone 7A, but a few border 7B, so ensure that the project is designed/modelled for the right climate zone.
Energy efficiency compliance options
Prescriptive
Prescriptive
Prescriptive
NBC 2015 (9.36.2. – 9.36.4.)
- Part 9 - Group C buildings up to 600 m² in horizontal area and 3 storeys or less in building height.
- Part 9 - Group D, E, F3 buildings with a combined floor area up to 300 m².
- Part 9 - Mix of Group C and Group D, E or F3 occupancies where the combined floor area of the non-residential occupancies does not exceed
NBC 2015 (9.36.2. – 9.36.4.)
- Part 9 - Group C buildings up to 600 m² in horizontal area and 3 storeys or less in building height.
- Part 9 - Group D, E, F3 buildings with a combined floor area up to 300 m².
- Part 9 - Mix of Group C and Group D, E or F3 occupancies where the combined floor area of the non-residential occupancies does not exceed 300 m².
National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB 2017)
- Part 3 - All
- Group F2 occupancies - All
- Part 9 - Group D, E, F3 buildings greater than 300 m² in horizontal area or more than 3 storeys in building height.
- Part 9 - Any project (by owner's choice)
(See definitions for Part and Group below)
Trade-Off
Prescriptive
Prescriptive
NBC 2015 (9.36.2. – 9.36.4.)
- Part 9 - Group C buildings up to 600 m² in horizontal area and 3 storeys or less in building height.
- Part 9 - Group D, E, F3 buildings with a combined floor area up to 300 m².
- Part 9 - Mix of Group C and Group D, E or F3 occupancies where the combined floor area of the non-residential occupancies does not exceed
NBC 2015 (9.36.2. – 9.36.4.)
- Part 9 - Group C buildings up to 600 m² in horizontal area and 3 storeys or less in building height.
- Part 9 - Group D, E, F3 buildings with a combined floor area up to 300 m².
- Part 9 - Mix of Group C and Group D, E or F3 occupancies where the combined floor area of the non-residential occupancies does not exceed 300 m².
National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB 2017)
- Part 3 - All
- Group F2 occupancies - All
- Part 9 - Group D, E, F3 buildings greater than 300 m² in horizontal area or more than 3 storeys in building height.
- Part 9 - Any project (by owner's choice)
(See definitions for Part and Group below)
Performance
Prescriptive
Performance
NBC 2015 (9.36.5) - Energy Modelling
- Part 9 - Houses* with or without a secondary suite.
- Part 9 - Group C buildings containing only dwelling units and common spaces whose total floor area does not exceed 20% of the total floor area of the building (NBC A-9.36.1.3.(3).
* Houses (as defined for the Performance option).
National Energy Code for
NBC 2015 (9.36.5) - Energy Modelling
- Part 9 - Houses* with or without a secondary suite.
- Part 9 - Group C buildings containing only dwelling units and common spaces whose total floor area does not exceed 20% of the total floor area of the building (NBC A-9.36.1.3.(3).
* Houses (as defined for the Performance option).
National Energy Code for Buildings (NECB 2017)
- Part 3 - All
- Group F2 occupancies - All
- Part 9 - Group D, E, F3 buildings greater than 300 m² in horizontal area or more than 3 storeys in building height.
- Part 9 - Any project (by owner's choice)
(See definitions for Part and Group below)
NBC - Classification of buildings
How Buildings Are Classified
National Building Code of Canada (NBC) classifies buildings by:
- Occupancy use (categorized by Groups, as noted in the next item),
- Area (greatest horizontal area of the building above grade - the building’s “footprint”), and
- Height (number of storeys from floor of first storey to the roof).
Note that additions to buildings calculates the area as follows:
Existing building area + New addition area = Area for classification purposes.
Occupancy Groups
NBC - Major Occupancy Groups are:
Group A – Assembly (places where people gather, like restaurants, churches, schools, community centres, arenas, etc.)
Group B – Care, Treatment & Detention (places where people receive special care, like hospitals, nursing homes, penitentiaries, etc.)
Group C – Residential (places where people sleep, like houses, cottages, condominiums, apartments, hotels, motels, boarding houses, etc.)
Group D – Business & Personal Services (offices, medical clinics, banks, hairdresser shops, police stations, etc.)
Group E – Mercantile (places where retails goods are sold or displayed, like stores, supermarkets, exhibition halls, etc.)
Group F1 – High Hazard Industrial (buildings with highly combustible or explosive materials, like plants or warehouses for flammable or hazardous substances, flour mills, grain elevators, spray painting operations, etc.)
Group F2 – Medium Hazard Industrial (buildings with moderate combustible content or materials, like repair garages, service stations, warehouses, woodworking shops, aircraft hangars, freight depots, printing plants, etc.)
Group F3 – Low Hazard Industrial (buildings with low combustible content or materials, like storage garages, warehouses, power plants, etc.)
NBC Part 9 / NBC Part 3
NBC "Parts" are essentially chapters of the building code. NBC Division B Parts are:
- Part 1 - General / Part 2 - Reserved
- Part 3 - Fire Protection, Occupant Safety and Accessibility
- Part 4 - Structural Design
- Part 5 - Environmental Separation
- Part 6 - Heating, Ventilating and Air-conditioning
- Part 7 - Plumbing Services
- Part 8 - Safety Measures at Construction and Demolition Sites
- Part 9 - Housing and Small Buildings
Part 9 buildings: (Group C, D, E, F2, F3 buildings up to 600 m² in horizontal area and 3 storeys or less in building height.)
Part 3 buildings: (Group C, D, E, F2, F3 buildings over 600 m² or more than 3 storeys, and all Group A, B, and F1 projects regardless of size or height.)
NOTE: Part 9 buildings are classified somewhat differently for purposes of compliance and application of NBC Section 9.36. Click here for details.
NOTE: Parts of the NECB differ from those noted above.
definitions
Alteration / Renovation
Means a change to any building project regulated by the CC Act. In the context of the Code:
Minor Alteration – Means a stand-alone project for which a permit is required and:
- is isolated or small in scope,
- does not involve structural elements,
- does not impact systems in other areas of the building,
- does not affect the operation of the fire alarm or sprinkler systems, and
- does not make the means of egress non-compliant with the Code.
Major Alteration – Means:
- every project requiring a permit (e.g. tenant improvements) that does not fall under the scope of minor alteration above, and
- where other systems need to be considered. These systems might be indirectly linked to the alteration project, as the project does not intend to change these systems, but their operation or compliance may be affected by other changes involved in the alteration (e.g. heating and ventilation system after an extensive building envelope upgrade).
Houses
For the purpose of application of NBC 9.36.5. (Performance Compliance Option) the term “houses” includes:
- individual detached houses (with or without a secondary suite),
- semi-detached houses or duplexes (doubles) where each house may contain a secondary suite,
- triplex, townhouse, or row house without secondary suites,
- triplex, townhouse, or row houses with secondary suites where firewalls are constructed in accordance with 2015 NBC 9.10.1.2.(1), and
- boarding houses.
Group F2 Occupancy
Building used for assembling, fabricating, manufacturing, processing, repairing or storing of goods and materials in which combustible content is more than 50 kg/m2 or 1,200 MJ/m2 of floor area and not classified as high hazard industrial. Examples are: repair garages, service stations, warehouses, cold storage plants, woodworking factories, aircraft hangars, factories, freight depots, printing plants, laboratories, etc
Competent Person
Means a person, firm or corporation who is knowledgeable and experienced in the application of NBC Section 9.36. for the design of buildings and/or building systems.