A number of municipalities have adopted a new building regulation that will require all new single family homes in their communities to be built to accommodate future installation of a solar hot water system.
In common construction practice, roof and wall spaces are not built with weight and space requirements in mind for a future installation of a solar domestic hot water system. By taking these aspects into consideration during the initial building phase, significant cost savings are made when the homeowner elects to install a solar domestic hot water system at a later date. The Solar Hot Water Ready requirement will add approximately $200 to $500 to the cost of building a new home and applies in the following areas:
The Solar Hot Water Ready requirement is a provincial regulation that communities can voluntarily choose to adopt. This provides consistent provisions across the province while still allowing flexibility for local governments to adopt provisions that work for their community and:
Currently, the requirement only applies in the 36 local government jurisdictions that are listed on the regulation. Due to strong interest, the opportunity for more local governments to sign on to the Regulation has been extended to January 15, 2012.
The regulation became effective June 21, 2011 and applies to building permits applied for on or after that date. The Solar Hot Water Ready Regulation applies to new single family homes and new single family homes with a secondary suite.
This is one of the many steps the Province is taking in fulfilling its commitment to:
View the Frequently Asked Questions
Guide to The Province of BC Solar Hot Water Ready Regulation. The guideline is intended to clarify the application of the Solar Hot Water Ready Regulation. The guideline does not form part of the regulation, but is intended to provide further information on the installation of rough-ins for solar domestic hot water systems in British Columbia.
