Energy management
What higher building energy standards mean for Nova Scotia
Higher performance tiers are changing the requirements for building design, mechanical systems and energy modelling.
Originally published on LinkedIn. This article reflects the information and perspective at the time of the original post.
Homes built in Nova Scotia are about to get significantly more energy efficient. On April 1, 2026, the province takes the next step in raising building energy performance standards as part of adopting the 2020 National Building Code, which introduced a tiered pathway that steadily increases the efficiency of new buildings over time. Starting April 1, 2026, residential buildings (Part 9) must meet Tier 2, requiring a minimum 10% improvement in energy performance over Tier 1.
For large commercial and institutional buildings (NECB), the next major step occurs in April 2027, when Tier 2 requirements come into force:
- 2027 — Tier 2: minimum 25% energy savings over baseline
- 2029 — Tier 3: minimum 50% energy savings
These changes will gradually reshape how buildings are designed and constructed, driving demand for better insulation, tighter envelopes, high-efficiency heat pumps, improved mechanical systems, and on-site renewable energy such as solar that can help meet performance targets.
They will also increase the importance of energy modeling as designers work to demonstrate compliance with higher performance tiers.
Builders, contractors, energy advisors, engineers, and solar installers who get ahead of this curve will likely be the ones most in demand as requirements tighten year by year.
Provincial implementation schedule: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2024/09/20/province-adopt-2020-national-building-codes (opens in a new tab)
