Preparing for Tier 2

The Challenge

Nova Scotia is implementing tiered energy performance requirements under the 2020 National Building Code. Tier 2 took effect April 1, 2026. Tier 3 follows in April 2027. The project assessed stakeholder readiness, identified needs, and developed aids and training to assist in this transition.

Building to Zero Exchange (BTZx)—who drives the transition to net-zero buildings in Atlantic Canada—engaged Baseline Energy Analytics (BEA) and Reflective Consulting to lead a province-wide consultation and develop practical resources for the transition.

Province-Wide Consultation

We designed and facilitated consultation sessions across all five Nova Scotia Building Officials Association (NSBOA) zones, reaching building officials, energy advisors, contractors, and policy stakeholders in every region of the province.

Zone 1

Truro

Zone 2

HRM

Zone 3

Digby

Zone 4

Lunenburg

Zone 5

CBRM

A consistent finding emerged across every session: contractors are already building close to Tier 2 standards, but don’t realize it. The gap isn’t technical — it’s communication and documentation.

“They need to be told they’re doing this stuff already, it’s not that hard… Tiers two and three are not a big challenge, they’re doing it already, and it scares away a lot of people if you say the opposite.”

Building officials told us they needed visual, diagram-based resources using trade language (R-values, not RSI), standardized province-wide so every zone gives builders the same guidance.

What We Built

Working directly from the consultation findings, we developed three job aids and a companion web tool — each designed to address specific needs identified by building officials.

Iterative Development

Each resource went through multiple rounds of review with building officials across the province before being finalized.

In March 2026, we delivered half-day training workshops across all five NSBOA zones, plus two dedicated sessions with First Nations communities. Building officials used the beta job aids and ECP Calculator during hands-on exercises, and their feedback was incorporated into the final v1.0 release.

Outcome

Nova Scotia’s building officials now have standardized, province-wide resources for enforcing tiered energy codes — resources they asked for, helped shape, and tested before Tier 2 takes effect. The project was funded by the Nova Scotia Department of Energy. The job aids and ECP Calculator are published by BTZx and freely available to the industry.