BC HOUSING ANNOUNCES BC ENERGY STEP CODE LICENSE CONDITION EFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 30, 2022
On June 29, BC Housing sent an announcement to all BC builders, informing them about an important condition being added to their licenses, coming into effect with licenses that expire September 30, 2022 and onwards:
BC Housing is committed to ensuring builders are prepared for upcoming changes to the BC Building Code. To do this, we are developing BC Energy Step Code training. The training will support builders in adopting new practices that will meet consumer needs and lead to improved quality of residential design and construction. Read our BC Energy Step Code Training Overview to learn more about each training module and the learning objectives included.
To ensure builders in British Columbia are ready for these changes, a new condition will be added to General Contractor licenses. The new condition will stipulate a two-year period to demonstrate competency in building to Step 3 of the BC Energy Step Code.
Further details on the new condition and training are available on our website and in our Frequently Asked Questions. If you have any questions that aren't in the FAQs or on the website, please reach out to us by email at [email protected] or call us 604-646-7050 (toll free 1-800-407-7757).
Make sure to review the linked documents and webpages BC Housing has provided above to help answer any questions you may have about this upcoming licensing condition, education, exemptions and other FAQ. Additional questions can be directed to BC Housing.
HAVAN has been working to get some of its current courses approved as part of the mandatory Step Code training, and will be included in the list of approved courses/educators that BC Housing will be sending out in the coming weeks, as well as noted on this website.
HAVAN HELPS BC BUILDERS COMPLETE THEIR CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT LICENCE REQUIREMENTS THROUGH ELEARN AND LIVE COURSES
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) was introduced in October 2015 by BC Housing, as part of the enhanced licensing system. General contractors in British Columbia building single-family homes and small residential buildings under Part 9 of the BC Building Code are required to complete CPD as a condition of the licence renewal.
On July 1, 2019, changes made to the CPD program under the Homeowner Protection Art regulation came into effect to help streamline the process:
- Active practice category for 20 points of CPD is no longer required
- 20 CPD points are required instead of 40; and licensees may be able to carry up to 20 extra earned CPD training points over from one licence term to the next, ONLY if the nominee remains the same).
- Builders also no longer need to take a majority of CPD points in a particular category (known as “category A” under the previous regulation).
HAVAN’s continuing education program offers in-class and online courses throughout the year that are based on the core competencies outlined by BC Housing:
- Relevant enactments (building code)
- Construction management and supervision
- Construction technology
- Customer service and home warranty insurance
- Financial planning and budget management
- Legal issues
- Business planning, management, and administration
Each eLearn online course indicates what competency it covers and the number of CPD points it is worth. For the schedule of upcoming in-class courses, visit the HAVAN website. All courses presented by HAVAN are categorized as informal training, where one hour of instruction is worth one CPD point.
Reminder: All licensees are required to keep a copy of each completed CPD activity for three years, as BC Housing can request training records at any time to audit CPD completion.
For information about the CPD process, visit BC Housing’s website or call them directly at 604-646-7050.