ZEBx

BC's green building community has been targeting operational emissions reductions for many years now - in both new and existing buildings. And we're getting the swing of it, slowly but surely. But did you know that embodied emissions reductions are just as important? A key strategy to reduce embodied emissions is ensuring that we keep building materials out of landfills. To achieve this circular built environment, we can relocate buildings or we can disassemble them, reusing as many components as possible in a new building.

Our next Tech Demo workshop is the Canadian launch event for made-in-BC Model N by ZAMBA Technologies. Incorporated in 2021, ZAMBA is a new BC-based company that’s garnered significant attention with its innovative HVAC technology that provides and maintains superior indoor air quality and comfort. In 2022, it was one of only seven recipients of the CleanBC Building Innovation Fund.

As governments begin focusing their emissions-reduction plans, policies and regulations on existing buildings, the market is responding. The demand for retrofit-related services and products is growing, but so is the supply.

Yes, we can't believe it either! It's been FIVE years since ZEBx launched with a big splash - and even bigger aspirations - in the summer of 2018.

As governments begin focusing their emissions-reduction plans, policies and regulations on existing buildings, the market is responding. The demand for retrofit-related services and products is growing, but so is the supply. Bondi Energy, headquartered in Toronto, is one of a handful of Canadian companies that provide the full range of services required to decarbonize a building’s heating system, typically with Daikin or Innova electric heat pumps. They take care of design, project management and installation and have decarbonized over 3,000 residential suites in multi-family buildings.

BC’s new Zero Carbon Step Code has arrived! As of this May 1 2023, municipalities across BC now have a new regulatory tool they can use to target emissions. Although it’s the finish line for the Province’s Building and Safety Standards Branch, it’s a starting line for the building industry. There will be some challenges to overcome on the road to achieving the highest step of the ZCSC by 2030. 

Reducing emissions from existing buildings will make a bigger contribution to our 2030 and 2050 climate targets than eliminating emissions from new buildings. The City of Vancouver and Metro Vancouver have 2030 emissions targets for the building sector. In May 2022, Vancouver City Council approved a proposal to limit emissions from large, existing commercial buildings beginning in 2026 (preceded by measuring and reporting starting next year).

Recent updates to the BC Building Code include the introduction of a voluntary Zero Carbon Step Code (ZCSC), effective May 1, 2023. Local governments will now have a straightforward way to regulate emissions from new buildings! To meet the highest tiers of the ZCSC, buildings can or will (depending on the tier) need to decarbonize their domestic hot water (DHW) systems using electrification. In large residential buildings, DHW systems can be centralized or decentralized. April’s Decarb Lunch will feature a presentation from Ecotope, a Seattle-based research and design company, on:

If you’ve been following ZEBx for the last few years, you might remember how we highlighted two developer/builders that each succeeded in building a climate-friendly (all-electric), Step 4, multi-family building for 30% less than an equivalent code-minimum building. In our November 2022 Decarb Lunch, we circled back to Vidorra Developments to see how they’ve applied their growing expertise to their recent developments.

For our next Tech Demo workshop, we’re featuring Small Planet Supply, a two-time recipient of CleanBC’s Building Innovation Fund. We'll be taking our show on the road and hosting our workshop at their workshop! Sounds fitting, doesn’t it? In addition to their drop-in, CO2-based WaterDrop domestic hot water heat pump system for large buildings, we’ll be showcasing an innovative way to store energy using a phase change material instead of the traditional hot water tank.