Kelowna Step Code Requirements
Current Step: 3 | ACH Target: 2.5 ACH50 | Climate Zone: 5 | HDD: 3,715 | Mid-construction rebate: $325 | Permit Office: kelowna.ca/building
What’s required right now
Step 3 has been the minimum for all new Part 9 residential buildings in Kelowna since June 1, 2021. Energy advisors must use HDD 3,715 in compliance reports, updated September 12, 2023, after the City refined its climate data inputs.
The airtightness target is 2.5 ACH50, verified by blower door test before occupancy. Most builders hit 2.5 with disciplined manual sealing and an attentive crew. Builders aiming higher are using aerosol air sealing to compress the timeline and lock in 1.0 to 1.5 ACH50 ahead of the 2027 transition.
Permit process at the City of Kelowna
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Pre-construction. Energy advisor models the design in HOT2000 and produces a compliance report. Submit with your permit application. Expect 2 to 4 weeks for permit issuance for typical Part 9 builds.
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Mid-construction (optional, recommended). Pre-drywall blower door test. The City of Kelowna offers a $325 rebate for this test, capped at 3 tests per builder per year. Catch leaks while you can still fix them.
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As-built. Final blower door test plus updated compliance report. Required before occupancy permit.
The Building Permits desk runs out of City Hall, 1435 Water Street. Online submissions handle most permits; in-person reviews are available by appointment for complex multi-family or mixed-use projects.
What HDD 3,715 means in practice
Kelowna sits in Climate Zone 5 with 3,715 heating degree days (base 18°C). For builders, that translates to:
- Wall assemblies need effective R-22 cavity plus R-7.5 exterior insulation to comfortably hit Step 3 prescriptive
- Window U-value of 1.4 W/m²K is the practical floor (most double-pane low-E with argon fills meet this)
- Slab edge insulation gets neglected often and shows up as a frequent compliance gap on Step 3 reviews
- HRV with 70%+ sensible recovery efficiency is becoming standard, not optional
See wall assemblies for compliant build-ups and HVAC for Step Code for mechanical options that keep modeled energy use under target.
Rebate stack for Kelowna projects
| Source | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| City of Kelowna | $325 | Mid-construction blower door test, max 3 per year |
| FortisBC New Home Program | $9,000 to $15,000 | Step 4 with hybrid heat pump |
| FortisBC New Home Program | $11,000 to $20,000 | Step 5 with hybrid heat pump |
| CleanBC Better Homes | $4,000 to $10,000 | Heat pump rebate, stacks with FortisBC |
| Greener Homes Loan | up to $40,000 | Interest-free for energy upgrades |
Combined potential on a single Step 4 home: $15,000+ in straight rebates, more once you add heat pump and electrical service upgrades. Duplexes and triplexes multiply per dwelling unit. See the full Step Code rebates guide for stacking rules and current program eligibility.
Common compliance gaps in Kelowna builds
After four years of Step 3 in the City, the recurring fail patterns are:
- Rim joist transitions. Spray foam stops short, gaps open at corners. Roughly 30 to 40% of mid-construction failures trace back here.
- Window rough openings. Backer rod missing, sealant skipped on the warm side. Easy fix, often missed.
- Service penetrations after drywall. Plumbers and electricians cut through the air barrier without resealing. Walk the trades through your air barrier strategy on day one.
- Attic hatch. No gasket, no insulation. Standard fail point, standard fix. See the air sealing checklist for the rest.
Builders running a pre-drywall test catch these before drywall closes them in. After drywall the cost to fix triples.
What’s coming in 2027
Step 4 is expected provincially in January 2027, dropping the airtightness target to 1.5 ACH50. That’s roughly a 40% improvement over Step 3 and not achievable with sloppy framing plus caulking touch-ups. Builders capturing FortisBC rebates today by building above Step 3 are also de-risking the 2027 transition.
The practical path: run mid-construction blower door tests on every build now, take the $325 from the City, and use the data to dial in your air sealing approach before Step 4 lands.
Next steps for your Kelowna project
- Run the rebate calculator for project-specific numbers
- Review the Step 4 readiness checklist
- Compare air sealing methods if you’re targeting below 1.5 ACH50