Builder guides and handbooks
Find guides and handbooks to help design and build energy-efficient homes. On this page:
- BC Housing Step Code builder guides
- BC Housing general builder guides
- Natural Resources Canada guides
- ZEBx playbooks
BC Housing Step Code builder guides
Listed A to Z by title.
- BC Energy Step Code Builder Guide
- For all Part 9 buildings for Part 3 wood-framed residential buildings up to six storeys
- BC Energy Step Code Design Guide
- For Part 3 buildings
- Describes key building design strategies to achieve each step of the Step Code
- Provides detailed implementation tactics related to envelope, heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC)
- BC Energy Step Code Design Guide Supplement
- For Part 3 buildings
- Describes key strategies and approaches to reduce the impacts of a warmer climate on wood-frame and noncombustible residential buildings
- Building Enclosure Design Guide: Wood-Frame Multi-Unit Residential Buildings
- For Part 3 buildings
- Outlines current best practices focusing on heat, air and moisture transfer in B.C.’s coastal climate context
- Building Envelope Thermal Bridging Guide
- Part 3-focused with some Part 9-related information
- Includes information and building details which reduce thermal bridging in wood-framed, steel-framed, precast-concrete, and roofing systems
- Building Envelope Guide for Houses: Part 9 Residential Construction, Second Edition
- Part 9-related (digital/print copy for purchase)
- Provides practical information to design and build Part 9 buildings, including step-by-step construction details and descriptions
- Consumer Guide to High Performance Homes
- Part 9-homeowner focused
- Energy Efficient Building Enclosures Design Guide (2013)
- For Part 3 buildings
- Helps architects, engineers, designers, and builders improve the thermal performance of building enclosures of wood multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs)
- Heat Recovery Ventilation Guide for Houses (2015)
- For Part 9 building occupants
- Helps designers, developers, builders, renovators, and owners gain a better understanding of heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) and energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) and how they can support healthy indoor living environments.
- Heat Recovery Ventilation: Builder Insight 14
- For Part 9 building and HVAC designers
- Design, installation, commissioning, and occupant handover best practices and checklists for heat recovery ventilators (HRVs)
- Heat Recovery Ventilation Guide for Multi-Unit Residential Buildings
- For Part 3 building and HVAC designers
- Best practices in design, installation, and maintenance of heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) and energy recovery ventilators (ERVs)
- Illustrated Guide: Achieving Airtight Buildings (2017)
- Applies mainly to mid- and high-rise (Part 3) residential buildings, but could relate to more complex Part 9 buildings
- An industry resource to design, build and test airtight buildings
BC Housing general builder guides
Listed A to Z by title.
- Best Practices for Window and Door Replacement in Wood-Frame Buildings
- In-depth look at current building science and best practices to the replacement of windows and doors in wood-frame residential buildings. Discussion of building science, durability, and extensive installation details have relevance to new construction.
- Illustrated Guide: R22+ Effective Walls in Residential Construction in B.C.
- Wall guide focused on comparing the performance of many assembly types constructability, durability, fire risk, and cost
- Includes airtightness design and construction solutions
- For low-rise detached homes up to multi-unit residential buildings up to six storeys
- Illustrated Guide: R30+ Effective Vaulted and Flat Roofs
- Roof guide focused on comparing the performance of many assembly types constructability, durability, fire risk, and cost
- Includes airtightness design and construction solutions
- Testing the Performance of R22+ Wood-frame Walls
- Summary of testing results and recommendations on durable and energy efficient wood-frame wall assemblies that can be readily used by builders
- Wall Air Barrier Reference Sheet
- Job-site ready air barrier details to support airtight construction in wood-frame buildings
Natural Resources Canada
- Planning and Decision Guide for Solar PV Systems
- This guide provides procedures for solar designers, builders and their design teams to quickly define solar PV requirements so they can be included in residential design
- The guide is part of the NRCan’s LEEP series of materials
ZEBx playbook series
Listed A to Z by title.
- Dealing with Thermal Bridging In Net-Zero Energy-Ready Building Design
- This playbook outlines good design practices for anticipating and dealing with thermal bridging to meet the expectations of the BC Energy Step Code, Passive House or other net-zero energy-ready standards
- It provides guidance for design teams to effectively tackle thermal bridging while meeting all project goals, not just thermal performance
- Watch the 12-minute video
- Planning Airtight Buildings
- This guide explains the importance of airtightness and the causes of leaks, and outlines how to design and build to achieve optimal air tightness
- Ventilation Strategies for High-Performance Multi-Unit Residential Buildings
- This guide provides an overview of the ventilation strategies used in net-zero energy-ready buildings (designed to meet Step 4 of the Step Code or the Passive House standard)
- It offers guidance on making the right choice of ventilation system for the building
Page last updated: August 16, 2021.