Net-Zero-Energy-Ready: Where Canada's Model Energy Code Is Headed by 2030

Through a tiered energy code framework, Canada's model codes have been setting out progressively stricter energy-efficiency tiers for new buildings, with the stated goal of new construction being net-zero-energy-ready by 2030 — meaning a building's envelope and systems are efficient enough that adding on-site renewable generation, like solar, could bring it to net-zero energy use without further major upgrades.

Provinces are adopting these tiers at different speeds, and some, like BC through its Energy Step Code, had already been moving in this direction before it was formalized nationally. For anyone designing or building now, it's worth treating today's requirement as a floor that's scheduled to keep rising rather than a fixed target, since a building designed only to the current minimum may look considerably less efficient by the time it's a decade old.