Saskatchewan's energy code gives you three ways to demonstrate compliance with Section 9.36 of the NBC 2020: the Prescriptive Path, the Trade-Off Path, and the Performance Path. Each one offers a different balance of simplicity, flexibility, and upfront effort. Knowing when to use which path is one of the most practical skills you can have going into a permit application, and the good news is that the logic behind each choice is pretty straightforward once you see it laid out.
The three compliance paths
1. The Prescriptive Path
The prescriptive path means following a fixed set of minimum values for each building component — such as insulation levels, window performance, air barrier requirements, and mechanical system efficiencies — as specified in the code tables for Climate Zone 7A (Saskatchewan's climate designation under the NBC 2020).
In plain terms: look up the number, hit the number, move on.
No energy modelling is required. No Energy Adviser needs to be involved. If your standard assemblies already meet the prescribed minimums — which they often do for Tier 1 and Tier 2 builds — this is the fastest path to a compliant permit.
When it works best:
- Standard builds where your typical assemblies already meet the code minimums.
- Tier 1 and most Tier 2 projects.
- When simplicity and speed are the priority.
- When you're not targeting rebates that require an EnerGuide rating.
The one limitation worth knowing: the prescriptive path doesn't allow for any give-and-take between components. If one element — say, your window package — doesn't hit the required U-factor (the measure of how much heat a window loses), the whole prescriptive check fails. Your options are to upgrade that component or switch to the Trade-Off Path. There's no flexibility built in, which is why it's the simplest but least forgiving of the three.
2. The Trade-Off Path
The trade-off path lets you compensate for underperformance in one area of the building envelope by exceeding requirements in another, as long as the overall building performs at least as well as the prescriptive baseline.
Think of it as a balancing act across your envelope. Exceeding the insulation requirement in your attic can offset a window package that doesn't quite hit the prescribed U-factor. The overall energy performance stays equivalent; you just get to allocate it differently.
This path involves simplified calculations that need to be documented and submitted with your permit application. It’s more work than prescriptive, but not a major lift for most builders.
When it works best:
- When your window package is cost-effective and close to the mark, but just below the prescriptive minimum.
- When exceeding one assembly spec is cheaper than upgrading another.
- When you want some design flexibility without committing to a full energy model.
- Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects where a prescriptive check is close but not quite there.
Important to know: trade-off calculations are limited to the building envelope. You can't use this path to trade off between your envelope and your mechanical systems — that level of flexibility requires the Performance Path.
3. The Performance Path (EnerGuide / HOT2000)
The performance path uses whole-building energy modelling to demonstrate that your home meets or exceeds the energy performance of a reference house, rather than hitting specific component values. It's the most flexible of the three paths and the only one that gets you to Tier 3 and above. It's also the path that produces documentation clients can see and act on — the EnerGuide label.
The modelling is done using HOT2000, a federal simulation tool developed by Natural Resources Canada, and it's run by a licensed Energy Adviser (EA). The result is an EnerGuide rating — a standardized score of your home's energy performance — which is what confirms compliance and unlocks higher-tier incentives.
Because HOT2000 models the whole building — envelope, mechanical systems, ventilation, and hot water together — it lets you make trade-offs between systems in ways the other paths can't. Want to invest more in a heat pump and less in insulation thickness? The model will tell you if that's a compliant trade. That kind of whole-system optimization is where the performance path earns its keep.
When it works best:
- Tier 3 builds and above (the prescriptive values at these tiers are demanding enough that modelling almost always gives you more cost-effective options).
- Projects pursuing SaskEnergy's Homes Beyond Code program (an EnerGuide rating is required to access builder and homeowner rebates).
- Designs where you want to trade off between the envelope and mechanical systems.
- Custom homes with non-standard assemblies or layouts that don't map cleanly onto prescriptive tables.
What you'll need to plan for: a licensed Energy Adviser engaged early, ideally before you finalize your mechanical and envelope specs, not after. The HOT2000 model happens pre-construction; there's also a post-construction verification visit and a blower door test (a pressurization test that measures how airtight the home actually is). Budget for both. Getting the EA involved early means they can flag cost-saving trade-offs while there's still time to act on them.
Which path for which project?
Here's a practical starting point based on your project goals:
Your situationRecommended pathStandard build, Tier 1 or 2, typical assembliesPrescriptiveOne component falls short of prescriptive minimumTrade-OffTargeting Tier 3 or higherPerformancePursuing SaskEnergy Homes Beyond Code rebatePerformanceCustom design with non-standard assembliesPerformanceWant to trade off between envelope and mechanicalPerformance
Most Saskatchewan builders start with prescriptive for their standard builds and move to the performance path when they're targeting rebates or building above Tier 2. The trade-off path is a useful middle option that not everyone knows about, which is worth keeping in your toolkit for the right situation.
What your path choice means for the client conversation
The compliance path you choose affects your permit process and what you can document and offer clients. This is worth thinking about before you default to prescriptive for every project.
The prescriptive and trade-off paths don't produce an EnerGuide label. That's fine for straightforward compliance, but it means you don't have third-party documentation of your home's energy performance to hand a client at possession or to use in a sales conversation. What you built is as efficient as it is, but there's no federally issued number to show for it.
The performance path does produce a label. The EnerGuide label — a standardized rating in gigajoules per year from Natural Resources Canada — is something a client can hold, understand, and compare. Lower is better. The label shows how the home stacks up against a reference house of similar size and location. It doesn't require a background in building science to read. For clients who are energy-conscious, shopping for a mortgage, or considering resale, that document has real value.
The performance path also unlocks the SaskEnergy Homes Beyond Code homeowner rebate at Tier 3 and above: $3,000 at Tier 3, $5,000 at Tier 4, and $9,000 at Tier 5. For Saskatoon builders already at Tier 2, the jump to Tier 3 is often closer than it looks, and your Energy Adviser can model exactly where your current design lands. A $3,000 rebate available to your buyer is a real number to put in front of a client who is weighing the cost of upgrades.
None of this means the performance path is always the right choice. But it's worth knowing that the path you choose shapes what you can offer clients, not just what you submit to the permit office.
A note on Saskatchewan's tier requirements
Under the NBC 2020, as adopted in Saskatchewan, Tier 1 is the provincial code minimum for new residential construction. The City of Saskatoon currently requires Tier 2 for new builds, one step above the provincial baseline.
Some builders are voluntarily targeting Tier 3 or higher to qualify for SaskEnergy rebates. The homeowner rebate, ranging from $3,000 to $9,000, provides a concrete figure to present to a client when weighing the cost of upgrades.
For Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects, both the prescriptive and trade-off paths are practical options. Once you're targeting Tier 3 or above, the performance path is the realistic choice. The prescriptive component values at that tier level are demanding enough that whole-building modelling almost always gives you more cost-effective ways to hit the target.
Getting started
Here's where to focus depending on your situation:
- Know your tier requirement. Confirm your municipality's requirements (Tier 1 or Tier 2) and whether you're targeting a higher tier for rebate eligibility. If you're building in Saskatoon, Tier 2 is the baseline.
- Check your standard assemblies against the prescriptive tables for Zone 7A. In many cases, Saskatchewan builders are already at Tier 1 or Tier 2 prescriptive compliance with their typical specs. It's worth checking before assuming you need to change anything.
- If you're targeting Tier 3 or Homes Beyond Code rebates, get an Energy Adviser involved early. Before you finalize your specs is the right time, not after the drawings are done. See What Does an Energy Adviser Do? for how that process works.
