April 7, 2008
Consultations To Be Held On Energy And Water Efficiency
– – –Opportunity for Input into Proposed Changes To Provincial Building and Plumbing Codes: Allan
Labour and Immigration Minister Nancy Allan, minister responsible for the Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC), today announced stakeholder consultations on the building and plumbing codes in order to use water and energy resources more effectively.
“Manitobans’ views will help to change energy and water consumption through revised provincial building codes,” said Allan. “Manitoba is a leader in promoting environmentally-responsible building practices including the green building policy which requires new buildings receiving provincial funds to achieve minimum silver certification under the internationally-recognized Leadership in Energy and Efficiency Design (LEED) green building rating system.”
Stakeholder meetings will be held April 17 to 24. The consultations will seek advice on:
· establishing minimum requirements for energy efficiency in buildings and houses in Manitoba, either through a new energy code or by incorporating them into the existing building code;
· including minimum requirements for water efficiency in the plumbing code; and
· identifying any barriers to green building practices in existing standards, codes or regulations.
A discussion document is available to the public and is also on the Office of the Fire Commissioner’s website at www.gov.mb.ca/labour/ofc/codeconsultations. The OFC is responsible for administering Manitoba’s building and plumbing codes.
The energy efficiency proposals are based on recommendations from the Manitoba Energy Code Advisory Committee.
The proposals for water efficiency requirements stem from a December 2006 report released by the Lake Winnipeg Stewardship Board. The recommendations include requiring all new homes to have low-flush toilets and low-flow faucets. The report also recommended the province investigate ways to handle grey water, the waste water from showers and laundry, in an economical and environmentally-sensitive manner.
“The Manitoba government has already made changes to the building code regulations to include a requirement for increased insulation or R values for new home construction,” said Allan. “The Consumers Council of Canada has recognized Manitoba as one of five provinces that surpass National Building Code requirements to include energy efficiency in new housing construction and as being rated first by the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance for two consecutive years.”
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Backgrounder
Consultations On Code Requirements For Energy And Water Efficiency - https://www.gov.mb.ca/asset_library/en/newslinks/2008/2008apr./EnergyEfficiency.LI.FC.doc