Improving the energy efficiency of buildings is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce our carbon footprint. At the same time, providing free codes to the construction industry has been linked to strong gains in productivity and the economy in other countries.
That’s why the National Research Council of Canada and Natural Resources Canada are providing Canadians with free online access to the 2017 edition of the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB 2017).
The NECB 2017 builds on Canada’s commitment to work closely with the provinces and territories on the Pan Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change to meet emissions reduction targets, grow the economy, and build resilience to a changing climate. Provinces and territories may adopt the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings, or adapt it to create a regulation that meets their specific regional needs.
This pilot project marks the first time that a national building code has been made freely accessible, and will provide the Government of Canada with the opportunity to evaluate the benefits of moving towards such a model.
Through this process, we hope to leverage the information gathered, and compare the results to the experiences of other countries. For example, providing free codes to the construction industry in Australia has been linked to strong gains in productivity and the economy.
The NECB 2017 is published by the National Research Council and developed by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes. Users can access the new edition online at CodesCanada.
