Sunday June 27, 2021 | GREATER VICTORIA, BC [Updated 6 pm]
by Mary P Brooke, Editor | Island Social Trends
As the current highly-intense heat wave approached, some statistics were flying around in the news about how many households in BC have air conditioning. Sounds like about 40 to 50 percent.
This is not surprising in that extreme heat has not been a mainstay of west-coast weather in BC. But that could change.
“As heat events likely become more common — as well as cold events in winter, at Island Health we are going to be providing support to municipalities to ensure that people can adapt, to make them as safe as we can make them during these types of events,” said Island Health’s Dr Mike Benusic, Medical Health Officer (MHO) for central Vancouver Island, in response to a question from Island Social Trends on Friday.
Heating is mandatory, air cooling is not:
While the BC Building Code has a Heating & Air Conditioning section absolutely requiring adequate heating (to obviously deal with housing livability in winter or cold weather), there is no absolute requirement about air conditioning or cooling. The wording on air conditioning is in just two sections — essentially to install to ‘best practices’ if installed, and how or where to install it in relation to a heating furnace.
Information in the BC technical code requirements about ‘non heating season ventilation’ leads with natural ventilation (windows) then about providing a fan/exhaust system that will result in full exchange of the air within one hour.
The BC Energy Step Code is an optional compliance path in the BC Building Code that local governments may use to incentivize or require a level of energy efficiency in new construction that goes above and beyond the requirements of the BC Building Code.
Municipalities around Greater Victoria each do things a bit differently with regard to the BC Building Code and building permits.
- City of Colwood – Building Permits & Inspections
- City of Langford – Permit Information & Bylaws
- District of Saanich – Building & Construction
- City of Victoria – Building Code & Reference Guides
- Town of View Royal – Building Services & Bylaw Enforcement
Lack of air conditioning leads to immunization rescheduling:
Due to a lack of air conditioning at two large arenas where COVID immunization clinics are being held (Eagle Ridge Arena in Langford and Archie Browning Sports Centre in Esquimalt, as well as on Gabriola Island), appointments for Monday June 28 (during the current extreme heat wave) were cancelled by Island Health this Sunday afternoon, and will be rebooked.
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