New Construction & Major Renovation · Metro Vancouver
The BC Energy Step Code and Your Home’s Heating System
If you’re building new or doing a major renovation in Metro Vancouver, your heating equipment choice affects whether the home meets the required energy-efficiency step. Here’s what the Step Code is and how it typically favours heat pumps.
By the CANRO Heating & Cooling technical team · Licensed HVAC & gas-fitting contractor, Metro Vancouver · Last updated September 2026
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This page is general background, not a compliance ruling
The BC Energy Step Code is administered by your local municipality’s building department, and requirements (which step applies, which renovations trigger it) vary by city and change over time. Always confirm your project’s exact requirement with your municipality, designer, or energy advisor before finalizing equipment. CANRO installs and sizes the heating/cooling equipment for your project; we are not the building-permit authority.
What the Step Code actually measures
The BC Energy Step Code doesn’t tell a builder or homeowner which brand of furnace or heat pump to install. Instead, it sets a performance bar for the finished building — typically demonstrated through an air-tightness (blower door) test and an energy model that accounts for insulation levels, window performance, ventilation, and the efficiency of the heating and hot-water system together. The higher the required step, the tighter and more efficient the whole package has to be.
Since it launched in 2017, the general direction has been toward higher minimum steps over time, with the province’s stated long-term goal being that new construction becomes highly energy-efficient (“net-zero energy ready”) as the eventual standard. Several Metro Vancouver municipalities have adopted schedules that move faster than the provincial minimum, so the requirement that applies to your specific project depends on where and when you pull your permit.
Why heat pumps usually make the higher steps easier to hit
- A cold-climate heat pump’s efficiency is expressed as a coefficient of performance well above 1.0 (it moves more heat energy than the electrical energy it consumes), which typically scores much better in a building energy model than a gas furnace’s combustion efficiency.
- A heat-pump-led hybrid system (heat pump for most of the heating season, gas furnace as backup for the coldest snaps) can offer a middle path for homeowners who want efficiency gains without giving up a gas backup entirely.
- Ducted or ductless heat pumps also provide cooling as part of the same system — useful given more frequent summer heat events in Metro Vancouver — without adding a separate air conditioner to the energy model.
What this means if you’re building or renovating
If your project is new construction, a laneway home, a garden suite, or a major addition/renovation, your designer or energy advisor will tell you which step applies and run the energy model for the specific combination of envelope and mechanical system you’re proposing. CANRO’s role is on the mechanical side: recommending and sizing the right heat pump, hybrid, or high-efficiency gas system for your building, providing the manufacturer performance specs your energy modeller needs, and pulling the mechanical and gas permits once the design is set.
| If your project is… | What typically happens |
|---|---|
| A simple like-for-like furnace or boiler swap in an existing home | Usually a standard mechanical/gas permit, not a Step Code trigger — confirm with your municipality |
| A new laneway home, garden suite, or infill build | Almost always subject to a Step Code requirement set by your municipality |
| A major renovation or addition | May trigger a Step Code requirement depending on scope and your municipality’s bylaw |
| New construction (single-family, duplex, or multiplex) | Subject to your municipality’s current required step |
Related pages
BC Energy Step Code FAQs
What is the BC Energy Step Code?+
It’s a performance-based section of the BC Building Code, introduced in 2017, that sets a series of increasingly strict energy-efficiency “steps” for new construction (and some major renovations) — measured through things like air-tightness testing and whole-building energy modelling, rather than prescribing one specific product. Local governments can require a higher step than the provincial minimum, and requirements have been getting stricter over time as BC moves toward highly efficient, low-carbon new construction.
Does the Step Code mean I have to install a heat pump?+
Not directly — the code sets a performance target for the whole building envelope and mechanical system together, not a specific equipment mandate. In practice, though, it is substantially easier and often less expensive to hit a higher step with a high-efficiency heat pump (or a heat-pump-led hybrid system) than with a standard gas furnace, because heat pumps typically score much better in the energy modelling used to demonstrate compliance.
Does this apply to my existing home if I’m just replacing a furnace?+
A like-for-like equipment swap in an existing home is usually a permitting and safety matter, not a Step Code compliance trigger — Step Code requirements are aimed at new construction and, in some municipalities, larger renovation or addition permits. Always confirm with your municipality’s building department for your specific project, since local step requirements and renovation thresholds vary and change.
What step is required where I live?+
It depends on your municipality and the year you pull your permit — some Metro Vancouver municipalities have moved faster than the provincial minimum schedule. This page is general background, not a substitute for checking your municipality’s current building bylaw or talking to your building department or designer before you finalize equipment.
How does CANRO help with Step Code projects?+
We size and install the high-efficiency heat pump, hybrid, or high-efficiency gas equipment your project needs, provide the manufacturer performance data your energy modeller or designer may need, and pull the required mechanical/gas permits — residential only.
Is a heat pump alone enough to meet a high step?+
It depends on the whole building — insulation, air-tightness, windows, and ventilation all factor into the energy model alongside the mechanical system. A heat pump makes the mechanical side of that equation easier, but your designer or energy advisor determines the full path to compliance for your specific home.
Planning a new build or major renovation?
Call CANRO to talk through heat pump and hybrid options that make your energy target easier to hit — residential only.
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Frequently asked questions
What HVAC services does CANRO offer in Metro Vancouver?
CANRO installs, services and repairs boilers, furnaces, heat pumps, hot water tanks, tankless water heaters, gas fireplaces and air conditioning across Metro Vancouver. We work on residential homes, townhouses and condos throughout the Lower Mainland.
How long has CANRO been in business?
CANRO has been serving the Greater Vancouver area since 1999. Our founder George is recognised by customers as one of the most experienced boiler and hydronic heating technicians in the Lower Mainland.
What areas do you serve?
We cover all of Metro Vancouver: Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, Coquitlam, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, New Westminster, Delta, Langley, Port Moody, Port Coquitlam, White Rock, Pitt Meadows, and Maple Ridge.
Are CANRO technicians licensed and insured?
Yes. CANRO holds Technical Safety BC contractor licences for gas (LGA0043870) and boilers (LBP0046450), our technicians are Red Seal certified for HVAC and gas, and we carry full liability insurance and WorkSafeBC coverage.
How can I book a service call?
Call (604) 359-1081, email info@canroheat.ca, or use the booking form on canroheat.ca. Most calls are answered the same business day and we offer next-day appointments for non-emergency work.
Do you offer free estimates?
Yes. Free in-home estimates are provided for boiler, furnace, heat pump and water-heater replacements. Diagnostic visits for repairs carry a flat service fee that is credited toward the repair if you proceed.
What brands do you service?
We service all major brands including Viessmann, Navien, IBC, Rinnai, Rheem, Bradford White, Weil-McLain, Laars, Baxi, NTI, Lennox, Carrier, Bryant, Goodman, Trane, York, Daikin, Mitsubishi Electric, AO Smith, Bosch, Noritz, Giant, GSW, John Wood, and Valor.
Do you offer government rebates for heat pumps?
Yes. We are a registered contractor for BC Hydro, FortisBC and federal Greener Homes rebates. A high-efficiency heat pump installation can qualify for significant combined rebates depending on your home, equipment and income, and we handle the paperwork for you.
How quickly can you replace a broken hot water tank?
Standard 40 or 50-gallon gas or electric tanks are typically replaced same-day or next-day from stock. Tankless water heaters and larger-capacity units usually take 1–3 business days depending on parts availability.
Why should I choose CANRO over other HVAC companies?
CANRO has been operating in Metro Vancouver since 1999 with a 4.9-star rating from 85+ Google reviews. We specialise in difficult boiler systems (Viessmann, IBC, Baxi, Laars) that many companies do not service, we give honest options instead of upselling, and our work is performed by long-term staff — not subcontractors.
What Metro Vancouver homeowners say about CANRO
Verified Google reviews — 4.9 average across 85+ ratings
★★★★★
"Joe and Allan is a great team of plumbers. They gave me the right advice and helped me make a good decision with my heating."
Google review · May 2026
★★★★★
"The technical team is extremely efficient and skilled. They installed the water tank in two hours and the RUUD tank is working perfectly well."
Google review · May 2026
★★★★★
"We are so happy with the service provided by Joe and Alan. Alan was recommended to us to replace our hot water tank."
Google review · Feb 2026
★★★★★
"Highly recommend."
Google review · Jan 2026
★★★★★
"Canro boiler services were genuine life savers. I was stuck without heat overnight and they came by and got my boiler running."
Google review · Jan 2026
★★★★★
"Canro came in and fixed my boiler that was throwing all types of codes that I couldn't understand but the technician explained everything."
Google review · Jan 2026