Campbell River is one of 36 communities in BC that have signed onto this regulation which enables construction of new single family dwellings and single family dwellings with suites to be built to be solar hot water ready. 

At its regular meeting on August 30, 2011 Campbell River City Council adopted revisions to the City’s Building Bylaw to implement the new Provincial Solar Hot Water Ready Regulations.

The regulations require all new construction of single family dwellings and single family dwellings with suites to incorporate the following;

·         A designated area that

a)    is not less than 9.3 square meters,

b)    has no dimension less than 2.7 meters, and

c)    is for future installation of solar collectors for a solar domestic hot water system in compliance with CAN/CSA-F383-87

·         Structural members of areas designated for solar collectors must be designed to accommodate the greater of the following;

a)    The anticipated load;

b)    A load of 0.2 kpa in addition to design loads required by the BC Building Code.

·         Two straight, continuous, conduit runs must be provided that extend from the area directly adjacent to the building’s primary service water heater to the designated area.

·         Conduit runs must

a)    be accessible at both ends,

b)    be capped or seals at both,

c)    be identified by permanent markings,

d)    have a minimum inside diameter of 50 mm, and

e)    be able to accommodate the installation of insulated plumbing services for a solar domestic hot water system in compliance with CAN/CSA-F383, Installation Code for Solar Domestic Hot Water Systems

The changes to the Building Bylaw will come into effect on October 3, 2011.  All applications for building permits for construction of new single family dwellings and single family dwellings with suites that are received on, or after October 3 will need to fulfill the requirements of the Solar Hot Water Ready Regulations. 

 Please note that the bylaw changes are not requiring the installation of a solar hot water system.  Additionally, existing homes are not required to be retro-fit with this capability.

 If you are interested in installing a full solar hot water system on your home or building, incentives are available.

Fortis BC - $500 for new homes/developments; $500 for home retrofits

EcoEnergy – $1,250

LiveSmart BC - $500 

With an average of 1800 hours of annual sunshine per year, Campbell River offers a great climate for solar hot water. Solar hot water systems also work on cloudy days because the supply of solar energy comes from light generated by the sun. According to Solar BC, cloudy days can provide enough energy for up to 60% of domestic hot water needs.  

Below is a link to a copy of the Solar Hot Water Ready Regulation and the Province’s website on Solar Hot Water Ready.

Solar Hot Water Ready Provincial Webpage     

The Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA) has put together a technical guideline for builders as well as a brochure for prospective home owners.  Both documents are available in the links below.

CanSIA Solar Ready Technical Guidelines

CanSIA Solar Ready Brochure