If you practise in Halifax or Winnipeg, a British Columbia code on your reading list can feel like a mistake. It is not. The 2026 ExAC Preparation Guide lists two BC Energy Step Code guides, and its Sustainable Design Literacy sample question uses a Step Code metric. You need the performance ideas, not BC bylaws. In our experience, three metrics and one comparison with the national tiers cover it. This guide from Examitect, an independent ExAC prep platform unaffiliated with the CACB, shows what to learn and what to skip.
| Exam section | Section 3, Sustainable Design Literacy (objective 13), closed book |
|---|---|
| Listed resources | Builder Guide and Design Guide Supplement S3, BC Housing Research Centre (Prep Guide p.30) |
| Steps | Steps 1 to 5 for Part 9 buildings, Steps 1 to 4 for Part 3 buildings |
| Core metrics | TEDI, TEUI (Part 3) or MEUI (Part 9), airtightness |
| Proof at every step | Whole-building energy model plus an on-site airtightness test |
The ExAC is written once a year, at the same time across the country, so every resource on its list has to make sense in any province. The Step Code earns its place as one of the clearest Canadian examples of performance-based energy design.
The ExAC Framework Document says Sustainable Design Literacy was added as a new theme when the objectives were revised. The 2026 Preparation Guide numbers it objective 13 and places it in Section 3 (p.22). Appendix 3 lists, under Other References (p.30):
Note what is cited: two practice guides, not the BC Building Code. The main Design Guide (version 1.1, July 2019) is not listed on its own, only its Supplement S3, which starts on page 48.
The strongest clue is in Appendix 2. The sample question for specific objective 13.2.4 (explain how operational carbon can be minimized) asks which strategy will decrease a school's thermal energy demand intensity, or TEDI, a Step Code metric. The answer is "Add heat recovery"; the wrong options raise the window-to-wall ratio, reduce airtightness and add thermal bridges (p.29). All four levers appear in the Design Guide's TEDI strategies.
The guides serve objectives that are hard to learn from the codes alone:
| Specific objective | What the Step Code guides add |
|---|---|
| 13.1.2 Climate change risks (resilience) | Supplement S3 on overheating, heat waves and wildfire smoke |
| 13.2.4 Operational carbon | TEDI and the enclosure-first strategies that lower it |
| 13.3.1 Occupant wellness | Thermal comfort and indoor air quality targets in Supplement S3 |
| 13.3.4 Whole building energy analysis | Energy modelling at every step, used to test design options |
The BC Energy Step Code is a performance-based energy standard for new buildings in British Columbia. The Design Guide (p.5) says the Province adopted it in April 2017 so local governments could require or reward efficiency beyond the BC Building Code. The Province's Step Code page puts it in one line: "The Step Code establishes a performance outcome and leaves it to the design and building team to decide how to achieve it."
The standard is a ladder of tighter targets, leading to the Province's goal of net-zero energy ready buildings by 2032. The Builder Guide defines that as a building whose annual energy needs are minimized and could be offset by renewable energy.
Two pieces of proof are required at every step, and they are the most testable part. The Builder Guide says energy modelling must be carried out in all steps for Part 9 and Part 3 buildings, and airtightness testing and reporting is required at all steps. Step 1 is called "enhanced compliance": the building only meets the existing code, but must prove it with a model and a test (Design Guide p.14). For Part 3, the Design Guide (p.10) shows the model confirming the targets at development and building permit, then updated with the post-construction airtightness result. That is objective 13.3.4 in practice.
Both guides predate the latest BC changes. Information Bulletin B23-01 (May 1, 2023) made Step 3 for Part 9 and Step 2 for Part 3 the province-wide minimum, 20% more efficient than before, and marked the lower steps "reserved". A separate Zero Carbon Step Code now sets emission levels EL-1 to EL-4. You are unlikely to be examined on any of this, but it explains why the guides' Step 1 now looks dated.
The Design Guide (p.13) says the Step Code sets performance levels in three metrics. For Part 3 they are TEDI, TEUI and airtightness. The Builder Guide adds MEUI for Part 9. These definitions are the core of this topic.
| Metric | What it measures | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| TEDI, Thermal Energy Demand Intensity | Annual heating needed to keep the building comfortable, after passive gains, envelope losses and warming ventilation air | kWh/m²/year |
| TEUI, Total Energy Use Intensity (Part 3) | All energy the building uses in a year, including plug loads, lighting, elevators and fans | kWh/m²/year |
| MEUI, Mechanical Energy Use Intensity (Part 9) | Energy for heating, cooling, fans, pumps and domestic hot water, without plug loads and lighting | kWh/m²/year |
| Airtightness, Part 9 | Air changes per hour from a blower-door test at not less than 50 Pa (ACH50) | ACH50 |
| Airtightness, Part 3 | Normalized air leakage rate per unit of envelope area, tested at not less than 75 Pa | L/s·m² at 75 Pa |
Details that make good distractors: TEDI is the same for Part 9 and Part 3, and the Builder Guide says it drives an "enclosure-first approach". The intensity metrics divide annual energy by conditioned floor area. Part 9 projects may instead show a percentage lower than a reference house, but Step 1 must use that metric and Step 5 must use MEUI. Part 3 buildings have no airtightness target; the tested value goes into the as-built model, which must still meet TEDI.
The Design Guide (pp.13 to 14) lists the strategies behind each metric. Massing, unit density, fenestration, R-values, thermal bridging, airtightness and heat recovery all lower TEDI. Separating heating and cooling from ventilation shows up under TEUI. For mid- and high-rise residential buildings in Climate Zone 4, the guide's lowest-cost packages start at Step 2 with a window-to-wall ratio of about 40%, effective R-10 walls and R-20 roofs, better windows and 60% heat recovery. Step 3 adds compartmentalization and less thermal bridging. Step 4 adds at least 80% heat recovery, triple glazing and the removal of all significant thermal bridges.
Back to the sample question. Heat recovery lowers TEDI because exhaust heat warms incoming ventilation air. The three distractors all increase heat loss. Know the strategy list and the question takes seconds. For thermal bridging, see our Building Envelope Thermal Bridging Guide notes.
The 2020 national codes now use the same pattern as the Step Code: a baseline, then more demanding tiers proved by modelling. That is why the BC guides are useful well outside BC.
Sentence 9.36.1.3.(1) of Division B lists five ways to comply: prescriptive or trade-off (9.36.2. to 9.36.4.), performance (9.36.5.), tiered performance (9.36.7.), tiered prescriptive (9.36.8.), or the NECB. Sentence 9.36.1.3.(3) limits 9.36.5. and 9.36.7. to houses and to buildings with only dwelling units and common spaces.
Article 1.1.2.1. of Division B gives three routes: the prescriptive or trade-off requirements of Parts 3 to 7, the performance path of Part 8, or the tiered path of Part 10. Table 10.1.2.1. sets four tiers. Tier 1 is at most 100% of the building energy target, Tier 2 is 75%, Tier 3 is 50% and Tier 4 is 40%, which is a 0%, 25%, 50% or 60% improvement. Sentence 10.1.2.1.(2) says compliance is found by modelling the proposed and reference buildings under Part 8.
A worked example in the style of Note A-10.1.2.1.(2): the reference target is 400 GJ and the proposed design models at 280 GJ. 280 ÷ 400 = 70% of the target, a 30% improvement. That meets Tier 2 (75% or less) but not Tier 3, so the design is Tier 2.
| Feature | BC Energy Step Code | NBC 2020, 9.36.7. and 9.36.8. | NECB 2020, Part 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levels | Steps 1 to 5 (Part 9), 1 to 4 (Part 3) | Tiers 1 to 5 | Tiers 1 to 4 |
| Measured against | Absolute targets (TEDI, TEUI or MEUI, ACH50) | Percent of a reference house | Percent of a reference building |
| Proof | Energy model plus airtightness test at every step | Model (9.36.7.) or points (9.36.8.) | Model under Part 8 |
| On the exam | Section 3, objective 13 | Section 2, NBC objectives | Section 2, objective 5.5 |
The main difference: the Step Code sets fixed targets per square metre, while the national tiers are percentages of a reference design. Section 2 tier questions are open book, so tab them; our NBC 2020 tabbing guide and the NECB 2020 study notes cover where they sit.
Supplement S3 is the part of the Design Guide the Prep Guide singles out (pages 48 to 84). It covers two climate risks for mid- and high-rise residential buildings: overheating from heat waves, and poor indoor air quality from wildfire smoke. It says it "will serve as a useful resource for those working outside of British Columbia as well."
The key idea is a trade-off. Tighter, better-insulated envelopes hold heat in summer, so energy efficient buildings "can be especially at risk of overheating". Higher performance needs a cooling and ventilation plan. Worth knowing:
These map onto specific objectives 13.1.2 (resilience) and 13.3.1 (occupant wellness). Expect definitions and "which strategy reduces the risk" items, not calculations.
The Builder Guide alone runs 248 pages, and you do not need all of it. Section 3 is closed book (the Prep Guide, p.12, prohibits reference documents outside Section 2), so aim to answer from memory.
| Learn | Skip |
|---|---|
| The step ladder and the 2032 net-zero energy ready goal | Which BC communities require which step |
| TEDI, TEUI, MEUI and airtightness definitions and units | MEUI and TEDI target tables by climate zone and floor area |
| Modelling plus airtightness testing at every step | BC Building Code article numbers and compliance forms |
| Enclosure-first strategies and what each one improves | City of Vancouver Zero Emissions Building Plan details |
| Supplement S3 overheating risks, limits and resilience terms | Zero Carbon Step Code levels and their dates |
Budget two or three study sessions: the Design Guide's metrics and strategies, Supplement S3, and a short comparison with the national tiers. Then switch to practice questions, because the exam rewards recall, not recognition.
When a Step Code question comes up, work it in this order:
Decide whether the question is about heating demand (TEDI), total or mechanical energy use (TEUI or MEUI), or air leakage.
Ask whether each option adds or removes heat loss through the enclosure, air leakage or ventilation.
Cross out options that increase glazing, leakage or thermal bridging when the question asks for lower demand.
If the scenario is a tight, well-insulated building in summer, look for shading, cooling or ventilation answers from Supplement S3.
Absolute intensity targets point to the Step Code; a percent of a reference building points to NBC 9.36.7. or NECB Part 10.
Learn the three metrics, the strategy list and the S3 ideas, and this provincial resource becomes reliable marks. The Builder Guide reference notes and the objective 13 study notes are good next stops.
Yes, as a listed resource. Appendix 3 of the 2026 ExAC Preparation Guide (p.30) names the BC Energy Step Code Builder Guide and the Design Guide Supplement S3 on Overheating and Air Quality, both from the BC Housing Research Centre. They support objective 13, Sustainable Design Literacy, in Section 3. The exam does not test BC bylaws or BC Building Code articles.
It is a performance-based energy standard for new buildings in British Columbia, adopted in April 2017. Its steps set increasingly demanding targets, Steps 1 to 5 for Part 9 buildings and 1 to 4 for Part 3, leading to net-zero energy ready buildings by 2032.
TEDI, thermal energy demand intensity, is the annual heating energy needed to keep a building comfortable, in kWh/m²/year. It accounts for passive gains, envelope losses and the energy needed to warm ventilation air. Better insulation, fewer thermal bridges, better airtightness, careful glazing and heat recovery all lower it.
TEDI measures only the heating demand, so it reflects the quality of the enclosure and ventilation heat recovery. TEUI, total energy use intensity, measures all the energy a Part 3 building uses in a year, including plug loads, lighting, elevators and fans. Both are expressed in kWh/m²/year.
Yes. The Builder Guide requires energy modelling and airtightness testing at every step, for Part 9 and Part 3 buildings. Part 9 buildings are tested at not less than 50 Pa and reported in ACH50. Part 3 buildings are tested at not less than 75 Pa and have no airtightness target, but the result goes into the as-built energy model.
The idea is the same, but the national tiers are measured as a percentage of a reference design. NBC 2020 Subsection 9.36.7. has five tiers for houses, from at least 0% to at least 70% improvement, and Subsection 9.36.8. offers a points-based path. NECB 2020 Part 10 has four tiers, from 100% down to 40% of the building energy target.
Supplement S3 covers overheating and indoor air quality in mid- and high-rise residential buildings as the climate warms. It explains why tight, well-insulated buildings can overheat, sets overheating limits based on ASHRAE Standard 55 and defines resilience terms. It supports objectives 13.1.2 and 13.3.1.
No. The target tables vary by climate zone, building size and step, and they are BC rules. Learn the metrics, their units, the step structure and which design strategies improve each metric. Section 3 is closed book, so focus on concepts you can apply from memory.