VanPlex Plexperts · BC Multiplex Engineer
ARG Energy
Featured on VanPlex Plexperts — the curated directory of BC multiplex engineers & site.
NRCan-Registered Energy Advisor, ARG Energy
The energy advisor who signs off your Step Code permit.
Ross Gordon, PhD, runs ARG Energy as an NRCan-registered Energy Advisor practice. He handles EnerGuide evaluations, BC Step Code and Vancouver Energy Checklist compliance, and blower door testing for builders and homeowners across Greater Vancouver and the Sunshine Coast.
Meet ARG Energy
ARG Energy is an NRCan-registered Energy Advisor practice led by Ross Gordon, who holds a PhD in environmental anthropology and is based on the Sunshine Coast. He started the firm after renovating his own home and finding the energy efficiency rules scattered and hard to follow.
For new builds, Ross runs the energy modelling that gets a project through BC Step Code outside the City of Vancouver, and the Energy Checklist that the Vancouver Building By-law requires inside the city. He works in three stages: pre-construction modelling from the architectural drawings, mid-construction blower door testing before drywall, and an as-built test for the occupancy permit.
For renovations, he produces the EnerGuide reports homeowners need. In the City of Vancouver, renovations over $20,000 require an EnerGuide evaluation by a registered Energy Advisor to get a permit, and ARG provides that report plus the REUP checklist.
Ross is certified for CSA F280-12 heat load calculations, registered with the BC Home Performance Contractor Network, and trained as an Integrated Design Process facilitator. He sits on the education committee of the Homebuilders Association Vancouver (HAVAN) and is a member of CHBA BC and the Canadian Association of Consulting Energy Advisors.
Credentials
Why work with ARG
01
Step Code and the Vancouver Energy Checklist
Multiplex permits in Metro Vancouver run through BC Step Code; inside the City of Vancouver they run through the Energy Checklist instead. ARG handles both, so the permit path matches the municipality the lot sits in.
02
Energy modelling from the drawings
Ross models the building envelope in HOT2000 from the architectural drawings and returns permit-ready documentation, typically one to two weeks after he receives the plans.
03
Blower door testing through the build
He tests airtightness mid-construction before drywall, then again as-built for the occupancy permit. CSA F280-12 heat loss calculations are available for sizing the mechanical system.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need ARG for a multiplex in the City of Vancouver or in the suburbs?
When in the project should I bring in an energy advisor?
What does ARG actually deliver?
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