b'NET-ZEROTHE PROJECTS PICTURED THROUGHOUT ARE AMONG 11 NZER CHALLENGE WINNERS, CELEBRATED FOR EXCEEDING ENERGY PERFORMANCE MINIMUMS IN B.C.SKYLINE LIVING, CARRINGTON VIEWBUILDING A, LOCATED IN WEST KELOWNA.LEARNING FROMTHE LEADING EDGEThe CleanBC Net-Zero Energy-Ready ChallengeBy Roberto Pecora, ZEBxT he Net-Zero Energy-ReadyThese projects received up to $390,000a code-minimum building! To find out (NZER) Challenge is ain incentives to help cover the estimatedwho they are and how they did it, listen CleanBC incentive programcost premiums associated with designingto our podcast3 that highlighted those for large buildings, launchedand constructing NZER buildings today.two projects.in late 2018 in conjunc- Its worth noting that just becauseThe building industry has a lot to learn tion with the release of themost NZER buildings cost more tofrom these winning projects. As part Provinces climate plan. In addition toof the CleanBC program, the Province providing financial support for devel- build than code-minimum buildingsengaged Integral Group to administer opments targeting very high levels oftoday, this might not hold true in thethe program and spread the knowl-energy efficiency, the program aims tofuture. In collaboration with sevenedge. Integral Group turned to ZEBx celebrate, promote and learn from thesegeneral contractors and a cost consul- to produce publications and videos, as unique and progressive projects. Out oftant, ZEBx published a surprising over 50 applications received, a juriedcost analysis2 demonstrating that highwell as a series of six workshopswhich, competition resulted in the selectionperformance does not always equatethanks to the pandemic, turnedof 11 winning projects 1 that representto a higher construction cost. Two ofinto webinars.the most outstanding examples of thethe seven buildings in the study wereThus far, ZEBx has released six play-buildings that will be required by 2032.constructed for well under the cost ofbooks, four videos and five case studies, 10 BCBEC ELEMENTSA BCBEC PUBLICATION'