Two different projects, two different paths.
Homeowners and Renovators
EnerGuide home evaluations, blower door testing, thermal imaging, and advisory support for rebate and financing programs.
Builders, Developers and Building Owners
Step Code compliance modelling, mid-construction and final airtightness testing, large building airtightness, commissioning and ASHRAE energy audits.
How Monolith Serves the Kelowna Area
Monolith Housing Solutions is based in North Vancouver and travels to the Okanagan for scheduled project work. The firm does not subcontract Kelowna testing to third parties. The same technicians who run tests in the Lower Mainland run them in Kelowna.
Site visits are planned and consolidated. For Part 9 projects, that usually means coordinating the mid-construction airtightness test with other site milestones so a single trip covers what would otherwise take multiple visits. For Part 3 projects, testing scope is planned in advance so the building is ready when the crew arrives.
Travel is quoted as part of the project. Larger projects and multiple units on the same site carry the travel cost more efficiently than a single small test, so it is worth discussing scope early.
Home Energy Audits and EnerGuide Evaluations in Kelowna
An EnerGuide home evaluation is a whole-house assessment carried out by a Registered Energy Advisor licensed through Natural Resources Canada. The evaluation combines a full inspection of the building envelope and mechanical systems with a blower door test that measures how much air leaks through the enclosure.
The result is an EnerGuide rating, a modelled energy profile of the home, and a report identifying which upgrades will actually reduce energy use. For most Kelowna homeowners, this evaluation is also the gateway to rebate programs, since most retrofit incentives require a pre-upgrade evaluation before work begins.
What the evaluation covers
- Blower door airtightness test with results in ACH50 and equivalent leakage area
- Insulation levels and thermal bridging across walls, attic and foundation
- Window and door performance
- Heating, cooling, ventilation and domestic hot water systems
- Optional infrared thermal imaging to locate insulation gaps and air leakage paths
- EnerGuide rating and modelled upgrade scenarios
Rebate and financing advisory
Rebate programs change, stack in ways that are not obvious, and often depend on the order in which work is done. Monolith advises homeowners on which programs a project qualifies for, how federal, provincial and utility incentives combine, and what financing options are available, including low-interest loan programs tied to energy retrofits.
The practical value is sequencing. A homeowner who installs a heat pump before the pre-upgrade evaluation can forfeit rebates that would otherwise have been available. The advisory work happens before the money is spent, not after.
Kelowna homeowners and summer cooling
Most energy advice written for British Columbia assumes a coastal climate. Kelowna is not coastal. Summer cooling load is a real design factor in the Central Okanagan in a way it is not in Vancouver, and homes here are increasingly adding mechanical cooling.
That matters for retrofit sequencing. Envelope work that reduces winter heating demand also reduces summer cooling demand, and airtightness improvements affect how well a new cooling system performs. An evaluation that models both seasons produces a different upgrade order than one that only looks at heating.
Commercial and Multi-Unit Path
Monolith works as an independent building energy consultant on Part 9 and Part 3 projects: energy modelling for permit submission, airtightness testing at mid-construction and final stages, large building airtightness testing, commissioning, and ASHRAE energy audits on existing buildings.
The firm is led by Shahin Arvandi, a Registered Energy Advisor, Certified Air Tester, Level II Infrared Thermographer, Certified Passive House Designer and LEED AP BD+C.
Services
Energy modelling and Step Code compliance
Pre-construction and as-built compliance reports for Part 9 and Part 3 submissions, including TEDI, MEUI and GHGI metrics where required.
Mid-construction airtightness testing
Testing while the air barrier is still accessible, so deficiencies can be corrected before drywall. In Kelowna this test also carries a municipal permit rebate. See the section below.
Large building airtightness testing
Multi-fan and multi-zone testing for Part 3 buildings, including multi-unit residential, commercial and institutional projects.
Commissioning and recommissioning
New building commissioning and existing building recommissioning, verifying that systems perform as designed rather than as specified.
ASHRAE energy audits
Level I through Level III audits on existing buildings, producing prioritised measures with modelled savings.
Infrared thermography
ASTM E1186 diagnostic thermography for envelope defects, moisture and thermal bridging.
BC Energy Step Code Requirements in Kelowna
Kelowna applies the BC Energy Step Code with local requirements that differ from other municipalities. Requirements change on municipal schedules, so confirm current rules with the City of Kelowna building department before applying for a permit.
Part 9 residential
Part 9 residential buildings in Kelowna have been required to meet Step 3 of the Energy Step Code since June 1, 2021. Building permit applications require a Pre-Construction Compliance Report signed by an Energy Advisor, and Occupancy requires an As-Built Compliance Report.
The heating degree day value most advisors get wrong
Effective September 12, 2023, the City of Kelowna requires Energy Advisors to use a heating degree day value of 3715 in the BC Energy Step Code Compliance Report Calculator and Report Generator. This applies to all new building permit submissions.
This is a Kelowna-specific instruction. An advisor working from default climate data or from Lower Mainland assumptions will model against the wrong value, and the resulting compliance report will not match what the City expects. Getting this wrong at the pre-construction stage means resubmission and permit delay.
The permit rebate for mid-construction airtightness testing
The City of Kelowna offers a $325 building permit rebate for Part 9 buildings to builders who complete a mid-construction airtightness test, to a maximum of three per builder. The City describes the purpose directly: the test allows air barrier deficiencies to be corrected before final construction.
For a builder, this changes the arithmetic. A test that was previously a discretionary quality control cost now carries a municipal rebate, and it de-risks the final compliance test, which is the one that determines whether the building passes.
The intent to claim must be indicated at the time of building permit application. Refunds are not issued later, even if a rebate milestone is achieved.
Part 3 buildings
Energy Step Code requirements for Part 3 buildings took effect in Kelowna on January 1, 2022. The required Step depends on building archetype.
| Building archetype | Required Step |
|---|---|
| Group C, single detached residential | Step 4 |
| Group C, multi-unit residential, combustible construction (including hotels and motels) | Step 3 |
| Group C, multi-unit residential, non-combustible construction | Step 2 |
| Group D, business and personal service | Step 2 |
| Group E, mercantile | Step 2 |
A Kelowna multi-unit residential project therefore faces a different target depending on whether it is wood frame or concrete. That distinction affects envelope design, airtightness strategy and testing scope from the earliest design stage.
New construction incentives
FortisBC offers rebates at each Step for Part 9 residential buildings, with amounts that vary by the Step achieved. For Part 3 construction, FortisBC's Commercial New Construction performance incentives extend up to $800,000.
Incentive programs and municipal requirements both change. Monolith confirms current program terms as part of project scoping rather than working from published summaries.
Municipal requirements verified August 29, 2026. Confirm current requirements with the City of Kelowna before permit application.
Working with Monolith on a Kelowna Project
Project scoping
Project type, timeline, and which compliance pathway applies. Travel scheduling is discussed at this stage.
Design stage modelling
Energy modelling before permit submission, so compliance is designed in rather than corrected later.
Permit documentation
Pre-Construction Compliance Report for submission to the City of Kelowna.
Mid-construction testing
Airtightness testing while the air barrier is accessible, with a deficiency report if remediation is needed.
Final testing and as-built reporting
Compliance testing and As-Built Compliance Report for Occupancy.
For existing buildings, the sequence begins with an audit or evaluation rather than design stage modelling.
