Two different projects, two different paths.
Homeowners and Renovators
EnerGuide evaluations, blower door testing, thermal imaging, and advisory support for rebates and financing.
Builders and New Construction
Mandatory mid-construction testing, final compliance testing, Step Code modelling and permit documentation.
Surrey Requires a Mid-Construction Blower Door Test
Most BC municipalities require a final airtightness test before occupancy and treat mid-construction testing as optional good practice. Surrey does not.
The City of Surrey requires all Part 9 buildings to conduct a mid-construction blower door test before the building can proceed to insulation inspection. The City’s stated reasoning is direct: airtightness is the most cost-effective way to improve building energy performance, and an airtight building is easiest and least costly to achieve prior to drywall installation.
This is a hold point in the build, not a recommendation. Insulation inspection does not happen until the test is done and the report is in.
The number to hit
For Step 3 projects, Surrey requires a mid-construction result no more than 1.5 ACH above the final requirement of 2.5 ACH.
Maximum permitted at mid-construction: 4.0 ACH50.
That headroom exists because the building is not finished. Drywall, interior finishes and final sealing will all improve the result between the mid-construction test and the final test. The 1.5 ACH allowance is the margin the City accepts as realistically recoverable.
A building that tests at 4.5 ACH mid-construction is not a building that will comfortably reach 2.5 by occupancy. That is the point of testing early.
What the process actually involves
A complete Mid-Construction Verification Report must be submitted before a Building Official will conduct the insulation inspection. The test result alone is not enough. The report is the document that releases the inspection.
The Building Inspection Section may require two days advance notice of the blower door test, so that they may choose to attend. This matters for scheduling. A test cannot be arranged the afternoon a crew becomes available. It has to be planned into the build sequence with notice.
Surrey may audit the energy model. The City may contact the Energy Advisor or Registered Professional to submit the associated model files for auditing purposes. The model behind the compliance report is not a formality.
What a mid-construction test should give you
A pass or fail number satisfies the City. It does not help the builder.
Monolith’s mid-construction testing includes locating the leakage while the building is under pressure, using smoke or infrared where useful, and a deficiency report identifying specific paths rather than a single figure. The common ones are consistent across projects: bottom plate sealant, electrical boxes, plumbing penetrations, rim joists, and roof to wall transitions.
The City encourages building teams to involve as many staff and trades as possible during their first few mid-construction blower door tests. That is worth taking seriously. A crew that watches a test once builds differently afterward, and the second project costs less than the first.
Building Energy Consultant Services for Surrey Projects
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.
Energy modelling and Step Code compliance
Pre-construction, mid-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
Mandatory in Surrey. Testing while the air barrier is accessible, with a verification report for insulation inspection release.
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 and Zero Carbon Step Code in Surrey
Surrey adopted the BC Energy Step Code on April 1, 2019. Requirements change on municipal schedules, so confirm current rules with the City of Surrey before applying for a permit.
Part 9 residential
| Requirement | Level |
|---|---|
| Energy Step Code | Step 3 |
| Zero Carbon Step Code | EL-1 |
| Final airtightness | 2.5 ACH50 |
| Mid-construction airtightness, maximum | 4.0 ACH50 |
| Mid-construction test, before insulation inspection | Mandatory |
The Province revised the BC Building Code in May 2023 to introduce the Zero Carbon Step Code, with Carbon Step 1, measure only, coming into effect March 10, 2025.
What EL-1 means for a Surrey project
At EL-1, greenhouse gas intensity is measured and reported but not capped. A Surrey Part 9 project is not required to electrify space heating, hot water or cooking.
That is a meaningful difference from neighbouring Burnaby, where EL-4 applies and space heating, hot water and, depending on pathway, cooking must run on zero-emissions energy. A builder working across both municipalities is working to two different mechanical standards on otherwise similar homes.
Part 3 buildings commit earlier than most people expect
Part 3 projects in Surrey carry energy commitments well before detailed design begins.
Prior to issuance of a Development Approval, or third reading of a rezoning, all projects must provide an attestation letter prepared by a registered professional and signed by the owner. It commits to achieving the required Step of the Energy Step Code and, where applicable, implementing a low carbon energy system meeting the City's LCES policy and GHG limits, implementing energy benchmarking, and any other energy and emissions commitments made as a condition of development approval.
Where a development has opted for the LCES pathway, additional documentation is required.
The practical consequence: the energy commitment is signed at the rezoning stage, before the design is fully resolved. Revisions to building design may require reapplying for updated rezoning or development permit approvals.
Modelling the building properly before the attestation is signed is considerably cheaper than revising a commitment that has already been made a condition of approval.
Documentation required
- Pre-construction compliance report, submitted with the building permit application
- Mid-construction verification report, before insulation inspection
- As-built compliance report, before occupancy
- Building energy label, per the City's requirements
Surrey may also contact the Energy Advisor or Registered Professional to submit the associated model files for auditing purposes. The model behind the compliance report is not a formality.
Requirements reviewed September 1, 2026. Confirm current requirements with the City of Surrey before permit application.
Monolith in Surrey
Surrey is within Monolith’s core service area from North Vancouver. Scheduling is straightforward and return visits during construction are practical rather than an event to plan around.
On Surrey projects that matters more than it does elsewhere. The mid-construction test is a hold point with a notice requirement attached, so it needs to happen at the right stage of the build rather than whenever a tester can be found. Both tests in the sequence can be planned at project scoping.
- Whalley
- Surrey City Centre
- Guildford
- Newton
- Cloverdale
- Fleetwood
- South Surrey
Home Energy Audits and EnerGuide Evaluations in Surrey
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 Surrey homeowners the evaluation is also the gateway to rebate programmes, 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
Building a new home in Surrey
Surrey homeowners building new should know that the mid-construction test is required whether or not their builder has raised it. It is a hold point before insulation inspection, and a project that reaches that stage without a booked test loses time.
Rebate and financing advisory
Rebate programmes change, stack in ways that are not obvious, and often depend on the sequence of work. Monolith advises homeowners on which programmes a project qualifies for, how provincial, federal and utility incentives combine, and what financing options are available.
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.
CSA F280-12 Calculations for Surrey
CSA F280-12 is the Canadian standard for calculating residential heating and cooling loads. It is the basis for correctly sizing heating and cooling equipment, and it is required for many permit and rebate pathways.
Using the mid-construction result
Surrey projects have something most projects do not: a measured airtightness figure available before the mechanical equipment is finalised. A load calculation that uses the actual mid-construction result, adjusted for the sealing still to come, is more accurate than one that assumes a default infiltration rate. In a building sealed to Step 3, the real load is usually lower than rule of thumb sizing suggests, and sizing from floor area or from a similar previous house produces equipment that is too large. Oversized equipment short cycles. It reaches setpoint, shuts off and restarts, which reduces efficiency, shortens equipment life and produces uneven temperatures and poor humidity control.
CSA F280-12 Calculations for Surrey
- Room by room heat loss and heat gain
- Design temperatures specific to the Surrey climate
- Building envelope assemblies with effective thermal resistance values
- Infiltration rates, informed by measured airtightness where testing data exists
- Window orientation and solar gain
- Equipment sizing recommendations for heating and cooling
Working with Monolith on a Surrey Project
Project scoping
Project type, permit timeline, and the testing sequence, including when the mid-construction test needs to land relative to insulation inspection.
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 Surrey.
Mid-construction testing
Mandatory. Test, deficiency report if needed, and a complete Mid-Construction Verification Report so insulation inspection can proceed.
Final testing and as-built reporting
Compliance testing and as-built reporting for occupancy.
For existing homes, the sequence begins with an EnerGuide evaluation rather than design stage modelling.
