THEME Gordon Rattray
“Greenstreaming” of Factory-Built Housing
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anufactured and modular homes— under the umbrella term “factory-built housing”— are vastly different from the original mobile homes or trailers built in an era when those units came with wheels and axles. Those homes were expected to have short-spans and to move frequently. Today’s homes • do not include wheels, • w ill probably not be moved following the original set-up, and • c omply with modern codes and standards incorporating the latest construction practices and materials.
This article is intended to explain how factory-built homes are becoming more energy efficient and reduce environmental impacts, achieved through the industry’s own motivation, working in concert with the direction set by our respective governments. “Greenstreaming” is a term reflecting where our home construction practices are headed.
“Greenstreaming” is a term reflecting where our home construction practices are headed. Governments across Canada, at both the federal and provincial levels, have been on a track toward the continual improvement in energy efficiency. That is in keeping with the federal government’s “Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and
Modern energy-efficient CSA A277 home constructed by Chaparral Built of Kelowna and winner of a 2019 MHABC Innovations Award.
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Climate.” A key goal of the strategy is to mandate Net-Zero Energy buildings. Net Zero is defined as buildings that produce as much clean energy as they consume. In Canada, the National Research Council is responsible for developing the National Model Building Code. The NMBC is intended to guide the formulation of provincial building codes; respective provinces are able to adopt it, in whole or in part. A key component of the National Model Building Code is Part 9.36 that lays out requirements for improving energy efficiency. In British Columbia, the Building Code is updated on a 6-to-7-year basis; the most recent update came into effect in 2018, with the previous update in 2012. Commencing with the 2012 update, BC began moving toward adoption of Part 9.36. From 2012 to 2018, BC established transitional
Interior of Chaparral Built A277 home displaying the use of modern, energy-efficient appliances.
BC Notaries Association
Volume 28 Number 2 Summer 2019
