Is "Green" Important to You in Your Next Real Estate Purchase?

Is the environment a factor in your decision when buying real estate in Metro Vancouver or British Columbia?

A large portion of green house gases are created by the buildings we live and work in, some estimates are as high as 55%.

Both municipal and provincial governments are requiring efforts by builders. Here is a link to the City of Vancouver's requirements and below is a summary of the provincial government's changes.

The British Columbia government is taking steps to make the province a greener place to live.

New Building Code requirements that came into effect September 5 are claimed to "green the B.C. Building Code," and are the first steps designed to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions related to all construction.

"Greening the B.C. Building code will reduce the environmental footprint of buildings and will lower energy bills for British Columbians," said B.C. Housing Minister Rich Coleman.

The new requirements are focused in two key areas: energy and water efficiency.

With the legislation now in effect, single-family, small multi-family, commercial and industrial buildings all must adhere to new insulation standards to improve energy efficiency.

High-rise multi-family residential buildings and larger industrial, commercial and institutional buildings also have new insulation standards to improve energy efficiency.

To meet the water efficiency requirements, ultra low-flow toilets (6L) and other water-saving plumbing fixtures and fittings became mandatory in new construction and renovations.

When it comes to housing, builders can opt out of the insulation requirement by achieving an EnerGuide Rating System rating of 77.

The EnerGuide system applies computer software to consider the building as a system, and includes an energy efficiency rating.

Builders will have the choice of combining different building materials and techniques to achieve the EnerGuide rating of 77.

When it comes to high-rise residential buildings and larger commercial buildings, builders must meet the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-conditioning Engineers 90.1 standard, (ASHRAE 90.1).

Although the new Building Code requirements follow the spirit of LEED, the new code does not go as far as the LEED standards. For example, LEED considers secondary elements of a building such as landscaping and sewer when assessing a building for LEED status.