Design a Climate-Friendly home
This game will help you learn how homes are built to meet the Step Code requirements. It is inspired by real Richmond homes built to meet the BC Energy and Zero Carbon Step codes.
The BC Energy Step Code and Zero Carbon Step Code are provincial building standards that require new construction to meet increasingly higher energy efficiency and carbon performance targets.
Let's play the game!
Explore these technologies by clicking and dragging the digital stickers into their correct spots.
Builders meet the Step Codes by choosing from a combination of these climate-friendly technologies.
What are these technologies and how do they work?
Super-efficient heat pumps provide both heating and cooling to your home.
They move heat instead of making it—heating your home in the winter and cooling it in the summer, which cuts your energy use and emissions year-round.
Electric or heat pump water heaters heat water more efficiently.
Heat pump water heaters pull ambient heat from the surrounding air to warm your tank (typically 2 to 3 times more efficient than standard electric), lowering bills and reducing carbon pollution.
Heat recovery ventilators bring fresh air into your home and remove stale air, while saving heat.
An internal heat exchanger captures warmth (or cooling, in summer) from the outgoing air and transfers it to the fresh air coming in, improving indoor air quality without big energy losses.
Better wall, roof and floor insulation helps your home stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer, while using less energy.
High-quality insulation slows heat flow, so your heating and cooling systems don’t have to work as hard, which means fewer drafts and more consistent room temperatures.
Solar panels turn sunlight into electricity to power your home.
Rooftop panels generate electricity, and with net metering or a home battery, you can store or share energy to save money and cut emissions.
