Two memos from the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) were brought forward for discussion. The first confirmed that the CBHCC gave further consideration to the proposed changes related to operational greenhouse gas emissions and approved the proposed change, without modification, for publication in the 2025 National Model Codes. The second memo concerned reference documents, with the CBHCC emphasizing the expectation that all referenced standards be updated annually. To support this, the committee will review submissions from Standards Development Organizations each year and identify any potential issues or conflicts that could arise from these updates. 

Codes Canada staff noted that although there has been no direction from the CBHCC to remove tiers at this time, the tiered framework should be designed such that lower tiers can be removed once all jurisdictions enforce a higher minimum performance level. CHBA believes this is worrisome and will continue to monitor this closely. 

The task groups on Energy Efficiency in New Houses, Operational GHGs in New Buildings and Houses, Energy Modelling of Heat Pumps, and Embodied GHG Emissions delivered progress reports on their respective mandates, allowing for cross-committee awareness and feedback. For additional information, please refer to the previous Task Group “Building Code Meeting Briefs” posted on the member Knowledge Centre. 

Several Code Change Requests (CCRs) were allocated to various task groups for further work, while others were deferred pending additional information or closed due to lack of applicability. One notable reassignment was referencing the new standard CSA P.15 test method for rating micro combined heat and power devices in the NBC, which was referred to the Lighting and Electrical Power task group for further review and recommendations. 

For any questions, please contact alex.bols@chba.ca

The agenda package posted for this meeting can be found below: