Passive House and net zero homes in BC: the criteria, and how they compare with Step 5

The Passive House criteria

The Passive House Institute names five principles behind its standard: good thermal insulation, energy-efficient windows, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, no thermal bridges, and airtightness. Its Criteria for Buildings, version 10c dated 20 January 2023, turns these into numbers that apply in every climate.

Table 1 of the criteria sets a heating demand of no more than 15 kWh per square metre per year, or, as an alternative, a heating load of no more than 10 watts per square metre. Cooling and dehumidification demand is capped at 15 kWh per square metre per year plus an allowance that depends on climate. The pressure test result, n50, must be no more than 0.6 air changes per hour. The floor area used is the Treated Floor Area calculated in the Passive House Planning Package, the Institute's design software, shortened to PHPP.

The criteria also limit renewable primary energy demand, shortened to PER, which counts all energy used in the building. The limit is 60 kWh per square metre per year for the Classic class, 45 for Plus and 30 for Premium, and Plus and Premium also require on-site renewable generation of at least 60 and 120 kWh per square metre of building footprint. Comfort limits apply too: in a building without active cooling, the indoor temperature may exceed 25°C for no more than 10 percent of the hours in a year.

Certification requires a final check by a certifier. The Institute's page says the certifier reviews the energy balance calculation and asks for evidence from the build, including the airtightness test, the ventilation adjustment record and the site manager's declaration. A certificate is issued only if every criterion is met.

How the BC Building Code treats a Passive House design

The BC Building Code names the Passive House standard directly. Sentence 9.36.6.3.(3) says buildings designed and built to Step 5 and to the Passive House Planning Package, version 9 or newer, are deemed to comply with the Step Code if the energy model was prepared by a Certified Passive House Designer or Certified Passive House Consultant approved by the Passive House Institute. That sentence lets the PHPP model replace the usual calculation and testing method in Sentence (2).

The heating numbers look alike: 15 for Passive House and 15 for Step 5 in places under 3,000 degree-days. They are measured on different floor areas with different software, so a home that meets one does not automatically meet the other. The airtightness limits differ: Passive House asks for 0.6 air changes per hour against 1.0 for Step 5, and the Institute measures against net air volume.

Passive House adds rules the Step Code does not have, such as the summer comfort limit and the renewable energy classes. The BC Building Code adds a rule Passive House does not have in the same form, the cooling requirement in Sentence 9.33.3.1.(2), which applies to every new home whatever standard it follows. Plan for both from the first drawing.

Net Zero and Net Zero Ready homes

The Canadian Home Builders' Association, shortened to CHBA, runs the Net Zero Home Labelling Program. Its page describes a two-tier technical requirement. A Net Zero Home produces as much clean energy as it uses each year, with on-site renewable energy systems. A Net Zero Ready Home meets the same efficiency requirements but does not yet have the renewable system, such as solar panels, installed.

The program launched on 2 May 2017 after a pilot that ran from September 2015 to December 2016. CHBA says a national network of its qualified service organizations and energy advisors works with builders and renovators to design, model, test and inspect each home, and that each home is verified by government-licensed third-party service organizations. CHBA's page reported 4,059 labels as of 9 October 2026; that is the association's own count. A renovation track, Net Zero Renovation, applies the same idea to existing homes.

The province uses similar words for its own goal. Its Step Code page says the minimum step rises every few years to move the industry toward net-zero energy ready buildings by 2032. The BC Building Code itself does not define net-zero energy ready, and no step in the tables is labelled with that term. Treat the 2032 date as the province's stated direction, and the CHBA label as a separate, voluntary standard with its own rules.

Natural Resources Canada's EnerGuide scale links these ideas. A rating of 0 gigajoules per year means a home produces as much energy as it uses. A Net Zero home aims for that point on the scale.