Province steps back from planned changes to building code tiers

He said the construction industry still supports building homes as energy efficient as they can and customers demand it.

“We’re all still focused on building energy efficient housing in our province, there’s no question about it, but we also have to face the reality that we’re facing a housing crisis in the country. We have people who can’t afford rent, who can’t afford their mortgage payments and so any assistance we can have in our industry to bring those costs down and bring more affordable units on the market, we will welcome that.”

Saskatchewan adopted the National Building Code in 2020, which would mean going from the Tier 1 category housing is built at right now to Tier 2 and then Tier 3.

The problem is that every increase in the tier adds to the cost of building the home. This is most pronounced in single family homes where Jungwirth estimated that going to Tier 3 would add around $10,000 to the cost.

The effect is less in a multi-family building, but it still exists.

One of the issues is that no one is tracking the actual cost to benefit ratio of increasing the energy efficiency.

“Nobody really seems to have that data, which, as a side note, is concerning because we should that if the building code changes by this parameter, it’s going to cost this much per housing unit to implement.”

Calculating the cost to benefit ratio can be tricky. Prices vary by the type of product used and things like a south-facing main window can make a big difference.

A more efficient building means there is lower energy use, but Jungwirth pointed out that is consistently eaten up by cost increases from SaskPower or SaskEnergy so the homeowner or renter sees no difference.

The province had announced a pause to the increase in tiers, which now has been extended.

As Saskatchewan faces a growing housing crunch – seen in lower real estate inventories virtually across the province along with rising prices– the cost of buying has gone up.

In its last report on home prices, the Sask. Realtors Association showed almost a nine per cent increase in Prince Albert, which is small by some margins in other communities, like Humboldt. New builds have not kept pace.

“All provinces are dealing with the challenges of growth, including affordable housing for all residents, and removing red tape allows us to harmonize our standards and support Canadian industries,” Government Relations Minister Eric Schmalz (MLA – Sask. Rivers) said.

“While Saskatchewan is one of the most affordable places to live in Canada, we understand there is more work to be done, and we have heard from industry that this decision will help maintain housing affordability in the province.”

The province said that when it announced the delay before, it was with the goal of reviewing how other provinces were adopting the same codes and reaching parity.

A news release also points out that any builder is free to increase their energy efficiency on their own.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

On Bluesky: @susanmcneil.bsky.social

by Susan McNeil

Province steps back from planned changes to building code tiers

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