As of September 30, 2026, CMHC stops accepting the older energy-efficiency attestation built on the 2015 and 2017 codes. For any owner with an MLI Select purchase or refinance landing in 2027, that quietly turns the energy model into a sequencing question.
If you have a multi-residential file headed to CMHC MLI Select, or you advise an owner who does, there is a date worth putting on the capital calendar. The energy model that supports the application is tied to a code baseline, and the baseline CMHC accepts is changing.
What changes on September 30
On the MLI Select page today, the attestation for energy efficiency built on the 2017 National Energy Code and the 2015 National Building Code is marked available only until September 30, 2026. After that date, its replacement is the attestation measured against the 2020 codes, and the program's energy-efficiency scoring is stated as reductions over the 2020 NECB and 2020 NBC. The points are still there. The yardstick they are measured against moves up.
Same building, tougher yardstick
This matters because the energy points are part of how an MLI Select application earns its financing flexibility. An energy model prepared to the older baseline may not earn the same energy tier once the reference code is the 2020 standard. Same building, same upgrades, scored against a more demanding reference. The effect is cleanest on new-construction files, where the score is measured directly against the code baseline. For existing properties, where the reduction is measured against the building's own pre-retrofit performance, the impact depends on the specifics. Either way, a number you may be counting on is not guaranteed to survive the change.
A sequencing question, not a paperwork one
For owners planning a CMHC-insured purchase or refinance into 2027, this is less about documents and more about order of operations. If your model predates the 2020 codes and your financing lands after September 30, you may be re-running the analysis under more demanding rules, with less room to hit the tier you built the deal around. The work does not get harder because you waited. The reference standard does.
What to check now
Two things are worth confirming while there is still runway. First, what code baseline your current energy model was actually built on. A model written a year or two ago may sit on the 2015 or 2017 codes without anyone having flagged it. Second, where your financing timeline sits relative to September 30, 2026. If the model is old and the financing is late, the gap between them is the risk, and it is a knowable one today.
Vandecarb's Stage 1 Readiness Review looks at the studies and models already sitting in a building's file, checks them against current program and code requirements, and flags where a refresh is needed before it becomes a financing problem. Where an updated energy model is required, Vandecarb can coordinate a qualified firm on the owner's behalf and fold the result into the capital plan. Book a discovery call to discuss scope.