Ops Talk Magazine Fall 2010

PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT #40934510

A greener way of getting to school Eco-overhaul: New school construction in B.C.’s Southern Interior heats up Unanticipated consequences of conventional school renewal Creating green legacies at your neighbourhood school with Evergreen

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In this issue President’s Message – Bruce MacLean . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Profile on Ron Mason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Eco-overhaul: New school construction in B.C.’s Southern Interior heats up . . . . . . . . 10 Unanticipated consequences of conventional school renewal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Transportation Section: A greener way of getting to school. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Legal guide to special needs transportation supports defensible decisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Creating green legacies at your neighbourhood school with Evergreen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Longer life lamps are the new ‘basic’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Tools of the trade Firestone introduces roof modeling tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Thoughts on Ops Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Today’s workers still at risk from yesterday’s asbestos. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Moisture: A natural disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 The RGC Guarantee Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Get out of ‘hot water’ – Design temperatures only happen a few times a year. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 White reflective roof coatings: Improving the sustainability of existing roofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Work smarter, not harder Use the new generation of sustainably green microbial cleaning products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Terasen Gas helping schools take big steps towards reducing their carbon footprint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Studentawards.com: Grants programs are on the rise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Choosing the right air filter and filter media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Index to advertisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 4 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

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Covering all aspects of educational facilities and operations.

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Published by: DEL Communications Inc. Suite 300, 6 Roslyn Road Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L 0G5 TF: 1.866.831.4744 TFF: 1.866.711.5282

President David Langstaff Publisher Jason Stefanik Managing Editor Katrina Senyk katrina@delcommunications.com Advertising Sales Gary Barrington Jennifer Hebert Ross James Dayna Oulion Production Services Provided by: S.G. Bennett Marketing Services www.sgbennett.com Art Director / Design Kathy Cable Advertising Art Dana Jensen Jeff Laxson Jennifer Toogood ©Copyright 2010. School Plant Officials of B.C. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein and the reliability of the source, the publisher in no way guarantees nor warrants the information and is not responsible for errors, omissions or statements made by advertisers. Opinions and recommendations made by contributors or advertisers are not necessarily those of the publisher, its directors, officers or employees.

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SPOA B.C. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

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S.P.O.A. .P.O. A.

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Program, Director’s Workshop, Mentorship Program, long-range plan, and the Executive Director’s position. As well, one of our major goals will be the planning and hosting of the annual conference.

I look forward to working with the Executive to represent the membership, and continuing to work with our partners in education to provide a stimulating learning environment for young minds.

Remember – it’s not the destination but the journey that counts; take the time to enjoy the ride.

Br

Here we are – autumn is fast becoming a distant memory as the brilliant array of orange and yellow on the surrounding mountains gracefully gives way to snow-topped trees and slopes.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the 2010 SPOA conference committee, as well as those of the supporting cast who are working behind the scenes, for pulling together yet another terrific conference in June. Well done!

Planning for the June 2011 conference started June 4th and is proceeding smoothly.

The Executive’s work this year will be to continue on with the development and implementation of several initiatives – the Certification

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Profile on Ron Mason PHOTO BY RONDA BARZILAY, ONE OF RON MASON’S DAUGHTERS.

BY HEATHER McGOWAN

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. (SPOA B.C.) member and past president Ron Mason retired from School District No. 67 (Okanagan-Skaha) in Penticton in 1999; a district that Mason describes as “relatively small.� Almost seven thousand students attend the 19 schools in the 550square-kilometre district.

Before Mason joined SPOA and began his career with the school district in 1973, he worked for Cominco, a mining company whose headquarters is based in Vancouver. It was there that he developed his management skills. He gives the company credit for his beginnings saying, “Whenever anyone asks me where I went to university, I tell them I went to the ‘University of Cominco’.�

Mason described the transition from construction work to the school division as easy, and noted that the job was still

about working with people. “The only difference was cleaner clothes,� jokes Mason. “And cleaner language.�

Mason has lived in Penticton since his start with the school district. “I remember visiting [Penticton] before we moved here, and thinking what a great opportunity it would be to land a job and live in the community.� As luck would have it, that’s exactly what happened.

Mason started his 26-year career with the school district as the superintendent of maintenance. In the beginning, Mason says that the district “didn’t have qualified trades people – so I built a team with

“The best people were already working,� he chuckles, “so I took them.�

Having a team comprised of those people he considered the “ultimate� allowed Mason to develop and maintain a system for the school district that, as superintendent of maintenance, he considers gratifying. “We never forgot why we were there,�

Mason says. “The goal was to create a

the best people I could ‘steal’.� He devel-

good, clean, effective learning environ-

oped quite the reputation for “stealing�

ment and provide facilities for [school dis-

workers and bringing them to work in the

trict employees] to do their work.�

school district because Mason wanted the best.

Mason notes that while all of the districts are different, during his time with School District No. 67, they “tried to be a

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leader and, boastfully, were.�

In the fall of 1974, Mason became the zone representative. Nine years later, he was elected president of SPOA B.C. He says that the highlight of his term was preparing for the annual conference.

Mason still attends the annual SPOA conference, and has gone every year since 1973 – with the exception of one year he missed out during a 50-day and 50-night road trip to Alaska.

Now that Mason is retired, he jokes that he is “too busy to work.� He keeps busy with fishing, skiing and his grandchildren, adding that retirement is “the best job I’ve ever had.�

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ECO-OVERHAUL: New school construction in B.C.’s Southern Interior heats up

BY JILL SCHETTLER

Above: Final rendering of Revelstoke Secondary School.

Left: Revelstoke School Board Chairman Alan Chell speaks about the project.

For the students of the new millennium, every day is Earth Day. Yet the very schools they inhabit, though built on good intentions, do not make the grade when it comes to environmental awareness.

That is, until now. Behind the fenced-in construction zones across B.C.’s Southern Interior, the hard work and labour of the past is about to get an eco-overhaul.

School District No. 19 will soon upgrade two elementary facilities in their roster by consolidating two older schools, and will be replacing Revelstoke Secondary School; both projects will occupy the same site.

10 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

Anne Cooper, superintendent of schools, brims with pride over the Revelstoke project, which she labels an exemplar for 21st-century school building.

“All around, it’s just a phenomenal project,” Cooper enthuses. “I think it’s the most exciting project in education in this province; namely because by consolidating two very old, inefficient elementary schools into one, new state-of-the-art facility, we’ll be able to operate more efficiently annually and reduce our impact on the environment.”

Construction on both projects commenced March 2010. The secondary

school, a replacement project in planning since 2000, is scheduled for completion November 2011. And the elementary school consolidation project – of two older schools, Mountain View and Mt. Begbie Elementary – will wrap up September 2012.

In addition, the contract will include two on-site Neighbourhood Learning Centres (NLCs). Open 365-days-a-year, the NLCs will offer communal access to its many engaging facilities – a 275-seat community theatre, acrobatics centre, the province’s first early learning hub, and the on-site counseling and social services which better equip the 750-plus students and staff.

“The community shares our excitement about these facilities,” Cooper says. “We’ve really been able to work collaboratively with a number of organizations in the community to design facilities that both work for the community and enhance the school.”

In a recent press release, the province announced 14 Neighbourhood Learning Centres in 10 school districts across B.C. All districts are being encouraged to move toward this inclusive approach.

The Revelstoke schools are designed to achieve LEED® Gold certification – a standard aiming to reduce a building’s carbon footprint through the introduction of many innovative and eco-friendly products, tools and systems. One such system comes from the Revelstoke Community Energy Corporation Thermal Energy Plant, which will provide the schools’ heating requirements.

Graham Contractors Ltd. is the confirmed proponent on the build. The

Aerial view of Revelstoke building site, August 2010.

Graham team consists of Ramsay Brunton, senior project manager, and associates, as well as HBBH Architects, RJC Structural Engineers and Cohos Evamy for mechanical and electrical.

“The Revelstoke school projects have developed into more of a team approach, solving problems as a team, faceto-face with the owner, rather than through the normal third-party approach taken during the traditional design-bidbuild process,” Brunton says.

The project is a design-build pilot for the Ministry of Education, which Brunton asserts is an efficient time-saver.

“The benefits to the community will be available at least a year ahead of a traditional design-bid-build method of delivery,” furthers Brunton. “This method of delivery has also given the school board a much more hands-on approach to the design, and the design team should be able to deliver what School District 19 wants, responding quickly to the owner’s design changes.”

A combination of structural steel, reinforced concrete and structural wood will provide the framework for the schools’ structure and finishing components – the final design to maximize the use of B.C. woods. A large glulam (layered laminated timber) component will be introduced into the build, as a result.

Adopting a “past meets present needs” approach, the final product will

be a combination of the past’s strong architectural vernacular merged with today’s efficiency and functionality.

“The building itself fits into the surrounding landscape and takes advantage of the magnificent views of the surrounding mountains,” Brunton says. “It would be fair to say that the architect looked further than just the functionality of the

building and related the three-dimensional space into the landscape.”

Enderby’s M.V. Beattie elementary school is also taking steps toward a greener future. Vicki Topping, MAIBC of MQN Architects, the site’s project architect, adds that the project began while school was still in session.

“The site-preparation contract entailed

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. www.spoabc.org

11

Left: Aerial rendering of Enderby M.V. Beattie Elementary School, September 2009.

Below: Exterior rendering of Enderby school.

that the civil engineer’s portion was worked out prior to the building tender,” Topping explains. “The school needed to relocate a few classrooms so that the partial demolition of the existing annex building could occur, and then the site was excavated and prepared with the proper structural soils. The relocation of the existing playground equipment and erection of security fencing allowed this multiple occupancy to occur on-site at the same time.”

The Enderby school, which will also incorporate a Neighborhood of Learning program space, will follow the LEED Gold guidelines.

“The design team for the MV Beattie Elementary school was very conscious

12 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

about what was needed for the school,” Topping says. “The idea of having a better interior air quality was crucial.

Therefore, low VOC and mould-resistant products and mechanical systems that make the interior air better for the occupants were utilized in the project.”

Adhering to LEED standards and the Ministry of Education’s request, the primary resource used in the build is wood as well – wood floors and panels, and glulam beams in the corridor space. The school will launch a geothermal system for its heating and cooling – the first one in the school district. And natural lighting will allow for “free lighting” most of the day.

The 100-year-old school will follow a similar “past meets present” philosophy, preserving dominant architectural features of the original building. The city’s First Nations culture will be incorporated into the building – the front atrium to resemble a medicine wheel.

Dan Horochuk, the capital projects coordinator with School Division no. 83, is the liaison for the Enderby build.

Horochuk has dedicated 26 years to the school division, specifically all of the Capital works, and now finds himself in transition toward retirement.

The Enderby school, a project that Horochuk will oversee until completion, will present the 80 kindergarteners and 275 Grade 1 to Grade 7 students with a magnitude of learning opportunities. The Enderby school is the first to incorporate interactive electronic Smart Boards in every classroom, as well as a HMI (Human Machine Interface) pad, complete with a menu to adjust lights, roll shutters, and thermostat, that will replace the light switch at the door. The HMI pad will also integrate with the audio/visual controls, presenting energy consumption data per classroom that will act as a valuable teaching tool. The pad utilizes a computerized graphic – a green-leafed tree, which turns brown during excessive energy consumption – to display the school’s energy use.

“Energy reduction is huge right now,” Horochuk says. “Having the kids able to quantify something and see the results

Right: Perspective rendering of Southern Okanagan Secondary School in Oliver.

Below: Interior rendering of multi-purpose room at Southern Okanagan school.

will effect change. Anyone can look at [the tree graphic] and understand it immediately. They don’t have to look at a graph or chart. So we’re very confident this will be a huge step in the right direction.�

On the path to a greener future, construction in the Oliver community has also helped reduce B.C.’s carbon footprint. “We are striving to be one of the few high schools in B.C. to achieve LEED Gold certification,� Mitch Van Aller, director of facilities for School District no. 53, says. “We’ve introduced geothermal heating, solar water and electricity, and a wind turbine on site.�

Production commenced on Oliver’s Southern Okanagan Secondary School June 2010 and is set for completion September 2012. The $31.8 million, ecofriendly build is also the largest project to use the Electronic Bidding System – a system that allows users to view all information related to a bid online.

In an effort to perpetuate change, the new science wing acts as a perspective learning tool for staff and students, with a complete, computerized panel that allows access to each of the school’s systems.

Add to an already growing list of ecofriendly schools in the B.C. Interior, Vernon has also begun construction on a $43 million dollar LEED-certified school renovation, thus confirming the idea that ‘green’

ROOFING CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

building is no longer a small segment of the industry, but rather a commonplace practice.

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School Plant Officials Association of B.C. www.spoabc.org

13

Unanticipated consequences of conventional school renewal

BY LANCE W. ROBERTS, PhD, UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

Facility Management Evolution

ment model of school facility renewal.

For decades, school facility manage-

The latest models employ a “mission-

ment has been guided by an engineer-

relevant” perspective. The mission-rele-

ing-based, property management model.

vant model centres on making school

Within this model, school facility manage-

renewal investments responsible for

ment has evolved. Traditional concerns

answering the question, “How will this

with the health and safety of participants,

investment improve the quality of the

as well as operational functionality of

teaching and learning environment?”

buildings, have been supplemented with more recent attention to energy and

Measuring Mission-Relevant

operational efficiency, as well as asset life-

School Renewal

cycle sustainability and carbon footprint reductions.

Conventional property-management school renewal is based on measures like

Most recently, progressive schools are

the facility conditional index. These meas-

moving beyond the property manage-

ures are useful since school buildings and

components are subject to deterioration and, as such, need to be maintained. The limitation of these measures, and the property-management approach that justifies them, is that schools are not just buildings – they are buildings with a very important public purpose.

Mission-relevant school renewal adds value by taking the educational purposes of schools into account. Like all bestpractices, mission-relevant school renewal requires valid and reliable means of measuring school conditions. For Canadian schools, I have developed two measurement tools that provide this information.

The Principals’ Assessment of Schools Survey© identifies which schools in a division’s inventory are most in need of mission-relevant school renewal. The Learning Environment Roster© then identifies what specific hindrances within each classroom require remediation. Evidence from almost a thousand schools in four provinces demonstrates the utility and validity of this mission-relevant approach.

What a Mission-Relevant Perspective Reveals It should come as no surprise that when educators provide informed assessments of the adequacy of school facilities, their evaluations differ from judgements made by engineers. Different kinds of professional judgements provide different kinds of insights.

The Learning Environment Roster© provides valid and reliable information to facility managers about what components are hindering effective teaching and learning. Recent evidence from hundreds of classrooms suggests that the following mission-relevant hindrances are typical:

14 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

• Half of school classrooms have ventilation issues that hinder effective teaching and learning, mostly related to stuffiness, dustiness, and allergens. • Sixty per cent of classrooms have aesthetic issues related to painting, as well as floor and ceiling finishes that hinder optimal learning. • Occupant safety and building security issues are found in about thirty per cent of classrooms, including such issues as hazardous materials, mould, and unauthorized entrance. • Natural lighting hindrances constrain effective learning in about a third of classrooms, including instances of both too little and too much natural light. • Interior lighting hinders optimal learning in a third of classrooms, with inade-

Unanticipated Consequences

relevant assessments of building condi-

Without following a validated, scientific

tions, conventional facility management

protocol that investigates how school

strategies will either neglect educational-

• Heating hindrances are reported in half

facilities are affecting teaching and learn-

ly consequential hindrances or uninten-

of classrooms, focusing on both inade-

ing, facility managers have no way of

tionally exacerbate or create poorer learn-

quate control and low temperature.

knowing how facilities are compromising

ing environments. The tools and proto-

the academic mission.

quate control and glare issues predominating.

These findings

cols for avoiding these undesirable results

cooling appear in about 40 per cent of

about the educational hindrances of

are available for facility managers who are

classrooms and, like heating, concen-

school facilities are unrelated to conven-

connected to the educational mission.

trate on inadequate control and high

tional property-management assess-

temperature.

ments like the facility condition index.

About the Author: Dr. Lance W. Roberts

• The quality of teaching and learning

Worse, still, is the fact that many existing

directs the Quality Schools Network at

environments is compromised by

educational hindrances are connected to

the University of Manitoba. Those peo-

acoustic hindrances in a third of class-

previous facility renewal projects, mod-

ple who are interested in learning more

rooms, with noise transfer between

ernization initiatives, or energy efficiency

about mission-relevant facility

rooms and mechanical, lighting, and

projects conducted in the schools.

management can reach him at:

• Learning hindrances connected to

echoing noises leading the list.

In short, without the benefit of mission-

Lance_Roberts@umanitoba.ca.

Sammy Tong Western Region Sales Manager Mississauga OfďŹ ce Tel: 866-805-7089 Fax: 905-712-3124 Sparks, NV 800-987-9042

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Belimo Americas 219-6279 Eagles Drive Vancouver, BC V6T 2K7 Tel: 604-221-6105 Fax: 604-221-6108 Cell: 778-772-6273 sammy.tong@ca.belimo.com www.belimo.ca

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. www.spoabc.org

15

TRANSPORTATION SECTION

A greener way of getting to school Burnaby North Secondary student helps school win Canada’s first plug-in hybrid bus

BY SHAYNA WIWIERSKI

A school bus is one of the safest methods of transportation for students to get to school.

And now, because of a new,

plug-in hybrid bus, it’s making the environment safer, too.

Western Canada IC Bus, the only bus manufacturer in North America that makes plug-in hybrid school buses, recently ran a nationwide contest looking for “Canada’s Greenest School.” The big prize, among other things, was a hybrid school bus for the contest winner’s school.

“The contest drew attention to plug-in school buses as a green alternative for environmentally-minded schools. There are advantages that school buses have over other transportation modes to get to school,” says Keith Kladder, marketing manager for IC Bus. To enter the contest, which ended in May 2010, students had to submit an essay explaining why and how their school could become the most environmentally friendly school in Canada. Ten finalists were chosen, and then the general public voted online for their favourite essays.

Jennifer Hao, from Burnaby North Secondary in School District no. 41, beat out around 250 other submissions and won the grand prize – a plug-in hybrid bus for her school – as well as a $3,000 scholarship toward her education and $500 towards eco-friendly school supplies for her classroom.

16 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

Her submission, titled Burnaby North: Youth in Action, talked about a “Green Rides Campaign” and other ways that the school could reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

“Very few students walk or bike to school, due to the number of cars blocking the main road to our buildings,” Hao states in her winning submission. “Daily traffic jams from 8:35-8:50 a.m. and 3:003:15 p.m. make it difficult for vehicles to enter and exit our school’s traffic zone.

“We have reached a conclusion that using hybrid school buses is the most effective solution for reducing pollution… Gradually we would have hybrid school buses replace our regular school buses and taxis for activities and fieldtrips. The money our school would save from the eco-transportation system would be dedicated towards green projects or expanding our bus program,” she said.

Burnaby North has not yet received the bus, which is currently being built, as the school and the district are still trying to figure out a way to properly utilize the bus.

“Technically, it was awarded to Burnaby North, but individual high schools do not own anything in the district so we haven’t found out how we will utilize it together,” says David Mushens, vice-principal at Burnaby North Secondary School. “Things come up, like maintenance and insurance, and if we spread

these expenses across the school district, it makes it less expensive to deal with.”

The bus, and the contest, has brought the topic of being greener into the school’s agenda, for students and school officials alike.

“It’s kind of refocused our energies on environmental issues, which have become a broader topic of conversation.

We have always had paper issues, but it’s become a topic between student and staff, and brought forward a much greater awareness,” Mushens says. “The district has also taken a significant interest, looking at our schools and what we can do differently. And it’s now on our radar for student involvement in planning events, and what the environmental impact will be, whereas matters like this weren’t there before.”

The contest helped Hao and her school to become more environmentally friendly, and also familiarized people about these relatively new, plug-in hybrid school buses. The first model, delivered to the market in February 2007, looks exactly like your classic school bus. The real difference is realized in the fuel economy; an average school bus typically uses over 6,400 litres of fuel annually, whereas the hybrid version uses around 2,200 litres. The hybrid can also improve fuel economy by up to 65 per cent and reduce emissions by about 40 per cent.

So how does it work? Well, like the name, you simply plug it in to a 220-volt

1-800-661-9316 Chilliwack s Edmonton s Red Deer s Calgary s Regina

www.westerncanadaicbus.com

WESTERN CANADA

BUS

TRANSPORTATION SECTION

outlet for a six- to eight-hour charge time.

The bus itself is designed for a 12-year life span – the same as a regular school bus – however, the batteries will have to be replaced likely once in that time.

Another big difference between the hybrid and standard bus version is the price tag. According to the contest website, the hybrid plug-in bus costs $200,000 CDN, approximately double the amount of a standard school bus.

And, ultimately, it’s the price tag that makes some school divisions reluctant to purchase them.

“You have to look at the big picture, which is the economics. The upfront cost and battery replacement is costly; you really have to look measurably at the real economy and dollars and cents.

Environmentally it’s great, but it takes a long time to get that $100,000 back,� says Doug Hulse, account manager for Western Canada IC Bus. According to Hulse, there are about half a dozen of them in Western Canada, with the majority of them in British Columbia and one in Saskatchewan. “The hybrid conversion has been very costly in terms of an up-front capital cost. In B.C., there has been some provincial participation in the cost of the hybrid bus.�

Even though the cost of the hybrid plug-in is quite high, Kladder has been hearing good things as well as growing interest for them from students. And because of this interest, he believes that this is just the beginning for hybrid buses. “We believe hybrid school buses are not just a short-term fix for the school bus industry. We see hybrids as a long-term strategic growth in the industry. As more automotive companies ramp up their hybrid production, especially with cars like the Toyota Prius, and introduce plugin technology to the consumer market, we can take advantage of the cost production of ion lithium batteries, and ultimately it will drive the cost down for our industry,� says Kladder.

For more information, please visit www.icbus.com and www.CanadasGreenestSchool.ca.

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throughout North America purchase the high quality

Canadian distributor for Glassless Mirrors. Glassless

dancing products from this Canadian company.

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BARRES s GLASSLESS MIRRORS s SPRUNG FLOORS s MARLEY FLOORING 18 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

íľż

TRANSPORTATION SECTION

Legal guide to

Special needs transportation supports defensible decisions

August 2010 – Education Compliance Group, Inc. announced the release of a new book by Peggy A. Burns, Esq. and Lisa J. Hudson, Defensible Decisions about Transporting Students with Special Needs: Lessons Learned from Legal Disputes.

With more than 300 pages, 16 chapters, and sections including “In Practice�, “Overview�, “Case Summaries�, and “Case Details�, Defensible Decisions will be of value to school district transportation professionals, bus contractors, special educators, and school and district administrators. “This ‘look back’ at the important cases that will define ‘the road ahead’ for transporting students with special needs supports excellent decision-making, implementation of successful practices, and effective training programs,� states Peggy Burns. “Readers will understand the ways in which safety, compliance and customer service come together to provide access to education for our special riders.�

With access to educational programs a critical legal mandate for students with disabilities, educators and school transportation professionals must recognize the need for individualized decision-making about effective and appropriate transportation.

The book’s goals include preventing legal disputes and minimizing risks. It will further readers’ understanding of the ways in which safety, compliance and customer service can be reconciled in planning and implementing special needs transportation.

Contents include: • Tips, strategies, and methods to put “In Practice.â€? • An overview of each topic to provide a snapshot of the issues, a basic understanding of the legal framework, and a fast look at the importance of the topic. • Case summaries and rulings to give readers quick insights into the cases and choose key issues for focus and further detail. • Case details to serve as comparisons to readers’ own dilemmas, motivation of creative strategies for achieving compliance, and true stories to base scenarios for training and in-services.

From “Appropriate Method,� “Discipline and Behavior� and “Length of Ride,� to “Student Information� and “Transition Services� – and each topic in between – Defensible Decisions focuses on the subjects that reach court dockets and state and federal agency agendas.

In addition, you’ll find a Glossary, Table of Cases, Index, and a newly revised edition of Peggy’s useful Q & A document, “Where Does It Say That?�

The price per copy is $75.00 (USD), plus $9.95 for shipping and handling. Order by calling toll-free at (888) 604-6141, or visit the Education Compliance Group, Inc. website at: www.educationcompliancegroup.com, or send an email to ecginc@qwestoffice.net. íľż

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Creating green legacies at your neighbourhood school with Evergreen

BY ADRIEN BYRNE, ADVISOR, STRATEGIC RELATIONS A group of school children learning about plants via Evergreen’s Learning Grounds program.

Evergreen is the leading national environmental organization that makes our cities more liveable. Through our urban sustainability programs – “Evergreen Common Grounds� and “Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds� – we are the leading national funder and facilitator of local sustainable greening projects in schoolyards, parks and communities across Canada.

Since its inception in 1995, the British Columbia division of Evergreen has engaged, educated and inspired over 10,000 students at 250 schools by deepening their individual connections with nature. Students and schools engaged in Evergreen’s Learning Grounds program learn practical, on-the-ground solutions for the restoration and care of their school and local community’s green spaces.

The School Plant Officials Association of B.C. (SPOA) is recognized by Evergreen as a key stakeholder when it comes to planting and greening our school districts. Strong relationships between Evergreen, like-minded associations such as SPOA, and leaders in the B.C education system are seen as integral to our values of bringing students and nature together.

How Does Learning Grounds Work?

Learning Grounds experts work closely with school principals, district officials, teachers and students to create outdoor classrooms that provide students with a healthy place to learn, play and develop a genuine respect for nature. Our expert Learning Grounds consultants are based across the country, including the Vancouver region.

We provide up to $3,500 in start-up funding for individual schools and up to $2,000 for daycares, subject to a grant appli-

cation process beginning September of each year. Funding is distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis. The Learning Grounds program also encourages a spirit of fundraising through the local school district and broader community.

One entrepreneurial school in the Vancouver area successfully raised over $300,000, in both cash and in-kind donations, to create a vibrant natural space in a high-density inner-city neighbourhood. This greening project also interwove culture and place through the creation of a wild bird habitat and ethnobotanical garden featuring plants traditionally used by First Nations for food, materials and medicinal purposes. A variety of detailed case studies and success stories are available on the Evergreen website.

Evergreen also maintains a comprehensive database of native plants, providing detailed information on a variety of plants suitable to your school’s ecozone. We provide a range of design services and resources that will help get your school greening project off the ground – and native plants into the ground.

Summarizing the success Evergreen has had with schools in British Columbia, Learning Grounds coordinator Dolores Altin says, “Schools appreciate the support they get from their school district and ground maintenance staff. It is about working together to develop guidelines and processes for approvals and long-term stewardship that don’t just build projects, but leave green legacies.�

Along with Learning Grounds, Evergreen continues to be a national leader in all matters of urban sustainability. In B.C., alone, we are actively engaging municipal and provincial government, the business community, a broad network of volunteers, the non-profit sector and our key stakeholders to develop an environmental legacy within the province. As a result, we continue to deliver an exciting and diverse range of projects including community gardens, farmers’ markets, urban orchards, parkland and riparian zone restoration, as well as a range of educational workshops for members of the community.

To learn more about Evergreen, Learning Grounds, funding and grant opportunities for your school, and the leading urban sustainability charity in Canada, please visit our website at www.evergreen.ca. íľż School Plant Officials Association of B.C. www.spoabc.org

21

Longer life lamps are the new ‘basic’

BY KATE CALDER

Lighting alone accounts for around 50 per cent of the energy bill in most commercial buildings, so for the end user, extended lamp life reduces significant costs for labour and lamp replacement, as well as disposal costs associated with recycling.

It’s no secret that LED technology is going to be the lighting solution of the future. With approximately 75 per cent of lighting systems today using outdated, inefficient technology, LED’s superior energy efficiency and up to 25-year life expectancy has created an excitement in the market to adopt the technology.

The next few years are going to see rapid change in the industry with the introduction of LEDs, and already early adopters in commercial settings are starting to install the technology.

Philips is excited about the future of lighting, and has dedicated substantial resources to ensure that they are at the forefront of LED product development. Nevertheless, until the lumens per watt and the colour consistency of indoor LED lighting has been developed to optimum standards, and until the longevity far outreaches traditional linear fluorescent lamps, replacing an entire operation with LEDs is still a few years away.

Even factoring in the energy savings with LEDs, the technology is still so new that replacing T8 tubes with the latest LED linear fluorescent replacement products could have a unit cost nearly 50 times that of a standard T8 lamp, and would likely deter the average individual from a substantial investment that’s yet to be “tried, tested and true.” In other words, linear fluorescent lamps still offer many advantages today in terms of light quality and total cost of ownership that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Sustainability Stepping Stone As LED technology in the indoor arena improves, and its use becomes more widespread, Philips Lighting Canada is bridging the gap between linear and LED with an industry exclusive – the

22 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

company’s 32W T8 and 34W T12 lamps manufactured to have 20 per cent longer life are now being offered at the base model price.

“The vision for tomorrow’s lighting is LED technology, but we need to be capitalizing on what’s valuable today for an efficient and sustainable approach,” says Philips Lighting Canada’s Sharon MacArthur.

Essentially, the basic versions of both the T8 and T12 product categories have been eliminated and, as a complimentary upgrade to end users, the longer life versions are the new entrylevel lamp. They’re launching this initiative with a campaign entitled “There’s a New Spec In Town.” What’s more, Philips’s industry-leading three-year, out-of-the-box warranty applies to the new base models, and performance characteristics such as lumens, lumen maintenance, colour temperatures, mercury content and CRI are equivalent in the longer-life lamps.

“Four-foot T8 linear fluorescent lamps are still a very viable product category, and we see it as a stepping stone as moving to the future of lighting,” says MacArthur.

Less Waste, Less Money Wasted Lighting alone accounts for around 50 per cent of the energy bill in most commercial buildings, so for the end user, extended lamp life reduces significant costs for labour and lamp replacement, as well as disposal costs associated with recycling. Philips offers the longest-life four-foot fluorescent lamps in the industry, with no lamp now rated at less than 30,000 hours*. This is a monumental shift when you consider that Philips has historically sold

www.GreenCapSpec.com Demand it. Meet it. Wear it.

There’s a new spec in town T Get more for your money. The Philips 32W T8 PLUS lamp is the longest-life base-model lamp in the industry. At 36,000 hours rated life*, you get an extra year of lamp life - guaranteed.

And we do this with the lowest mercury content in the industry. price. industr y. All at a base-model base model pr ice. www.GreenCapSpec.com www w.GreenCapSpec . c.com *

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Contact 1-877 WESCO CA A (937-2622) or visit www.wesco.ca www.wesco.ca

millions of the basic 24,000 hour 32W T8 lamps into the Canadian market over the past few years. (*Refers to T12 long life, 12 hours per start, instant start ballast. T8 PLUS model has a longer life.) “We’ve just added a year to the life to all of those lamps,� says MacArthur. “That means we’re producing less lamps, disposing less and introducing less mercury into the whole process – the ripple effect is pretty tremendous.�

T8 Green Technology Besides energy efficiency and long lamp life, the third factor in Philips’s position as a sustainability leader is the low toxicity of its products. Philips’s longer life four-foot T8 PLUS and T12 Long Life lamps use the company’s patented ALTO technology, which boasts the industry’s lowest mercury content. And this technology extends to the remainder of Philips extensive fluorescent

portfolio of value-add products, including their Energy Advantage 25W T8 Extra Long Life lamp, rated at 46,000 hours, with a 48-month warranty. In fact, if you couple the Philips 25W T8 with the Philips Advance Optanium ballast, Philips will further warranty the system for a staggering seven years to educational institutions!

In 2007, Philips reduced the mercury content in its T8 lamps down to only 1.7mg of 100-per-cent recycled mercury – half the content from its leading competitors. Since its launch in 1995, more than 1.5 billion fluorescent lamps with ALTO low-mercury technology have been produced, with 24 tons less mercury than previous non-ALTO lamps.

Philips’s philosophy, “prevention is better than cure�, drives the company to lead by example with solid strategies that will light a greener future. Strategies that reduce energy demands, reduce toxins, and reduce operating costs and waste with superior long-life products. Strategies that make it simple to switch to green. In the end, we all want to save money. And save the earth. It just makes sense.

About the Author: Kate Calder is a trade journalist in Toronto.

She has written articles for various industries including electrical contracting, manufacturing, commercial printing and television production. íľż

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24 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

Flooring Solutions for over 50 years We think long-term. You want a floorcovering that lasts. Erv Parent Group represents world-class flooring products from Tarkett, Johnsonite, Mondo, Altro and others to offer you the best balance between performance, maintenance, sustainability, durability and value. Whether it’s vinyl, linoleum or rubber, in areas from classrooms to corridors, gyms or labs, we have a solution for your floorcovering needs.

We cover walls too - ask us about Altro Whiterock hygienic wall systems, an alternative to traditional wallcovering systems.

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Tools of the trade Firestone introduces roof modeling tool The role of technology in the building design process has come a long way since the early days of using CAD systems to automate the drafting process. In the last twenty years, building information modeling (BIM) has transformed the way consultants, architects and contractors work together to bring ideas from concept to reality.

Firestone Building Products recognized the need to give roofing professionals an easy-to-use roof modeling tool that seamlessly integrates with popular BIM programs like AutodeskÂŽ RevitÂŽ Architecture building design software.

RoofGenuity™, the first-of-its-kind roof modeling tool for the commercial roofing industry, was introduced this summer at the American Institute of Architecture’s 2010 National Convention and Design Exposition in Miami.

RoofGenuity enables architects, consultants, roofing contractors and building owners to populate the roof area on their building designs with various configurations of Firestone roofing system BIM objects to create the optimal model for their commercial building needs. It can used for a wide range of

building types, including educational facilities; commercial, industrial and office buildings; entertainment venues; healthcare facilities; and government buildings.

To use RoofGenuity, roofing professionals can visit www.roofgenuity.com and register for a free account. After entering optional project location information, the tool determines the appropriate product recommendations and begins the roof assembly process.

Available in pre-configured or fully customizable systems, the modeling tool prompts users to select their preferred assembly features, including system type, attachment method, R-value, deck type and desired warranty. They also can choose options such as a cool roof, coverboard or vapour retarder. Based on the responses, a list of potential roof assemblies is generated, complete with product details and 3-D models.

RoofGenuity also features links to product (http://firestonebpco.com/roofing/) and technical (http://firestonebpco. com/technicalinformation/) information on the Firestone Building Products’s website. After final customizations are made, a 2-D CAD drawing or 3-D model of the finished assembly can be downloaded to a computer or exported to another BIM program.

Professionals involved in roofing decisions are invited to visit the RoofGenuity website (www.roofgenuity.com) to view a tutorial of the tool’s capabilities and begin creating exceptional roof assemblies to top off their next building project.

26 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

íľż

Thoughts on

OpsTalk

Publ ications mail agreement

#40934510

BY CHUCK MORRIS

INSIDE: SOLARWALL SYSTEMS MAKING

It has been quite a few years now since Ernie Lambert and I, as well as a few others, met with David Langstaff from DEL Communications Inc. It was a cool and rainy fall day in a hotel in Richmond that David flew out to meet with us. We were looking for something to present our association to the province with, something that would be our ‘flagship’, so the province knew who we were.

Discussions about what it could and would look like took place, as well as brainstorming for a name. We were familiar with DEL Communications as we had seen a number of their publications for other associations. It looked like a good venue to expose more of our association to our members and more importantly, to others in the education facilities management sector.

An idea was conceived, a platform devised, a name was chosen, and that was the start of a beautiful relationship. From the first issue we, as the executive of the association, saw what DEL could provide to us. We began working with them on each and every issue to enhance the magazine, to broaden our audience, to address our supporters, and to strengthen what we saw as an association of educational facility managers – a body of professional people working together ensuring safe and healthy facilities for education.

Over the course of its life, Ops Talk has evolved as an association trade magazine to something that provides more than the usual. That evolution is because of the great work DEL Communications has devoted to the magazine and the energy our association continues to pursue. It is because of its relevance, its current topics, and how Katrina Senyk, our editor, helps us keep it pointed in the right direction! Katrina, who is based out of Winnipeg, exemplifies and confirms what our desires were a number of years ago when we first met with

28 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

SCHOOLS’ FUTURES BRIGHT

David. It is because of her and her team that the magazine has truly grown to reflect who we are and what we are here for. It is a true collaboration between SPOA and DEL that we have a magazine that truly is our flagship!

Ops Talk not only features articles about important issues for readers, but also allows for input from our members on topics with which we deal on a daily basis. That provides a great opportunity for sharing of knowledge and experience amongst all of us.

Ops Talk goes to every public school district in British Columbia, to many private schools, colleges and universities, the Ministry of Education, and a number of other relevant addresses outside of B.C. It is a source of current information and offers direct solutions for members, all the while acting as a marketing messenger for our association. What could be better?

When you read your next issue of Ops Talk, give some thought to what goes into making this magazine. Think about the articles and the other contributions you see between the covers. Give thanks to the vendors we all deal with, as without their support, we would be very hard-pressed to continue with such a flagship for the association!

As one of those who sat in on the inaugural meeting to develop this magazine, and as someone who reads it cover to cover each issue, I am proud of it. I encourage all of you to think about what you are reading, what it means to your daily life, and what it means to SPOA. Thank you for continuing to support

Ops Talk, thank you for contributing articles, and thank you to David and Katrina and their team at DEL Communications for showing us off! Well done!

íľż

Today’s workers still at risk from

yesterday’s asbestos

BY MIKE MCKENNA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, B.C. CONSTRUCTION SAFETY ALLIANCE

If your workers are on the job at an older building, help make sure they're being properly protected against the deadly mineral known as asbestos. When its invisible fibres are released into the air, asbestos can be inhaled by unsuspecting workers and cause serious health problems – or death – years after exposure.

Workers, many of them in the construction industry but also those in related industries, have died from asbestosrelated diseases like mesothelioma and asbestosis.

For decades, asbestos was used everywhere in construction because of its strength, heat-resistance, and soundproofing properties. Asbestos was so integral to the building process that it was added to many common materials, including: flooring, cement, ceilings, plaster, vermiculite, caulking, roofing felt and sheets as well as pipe and electrical insulation.

Though it is no longer used in construction, asbestos continues to cast its deadly shadow well into the present. In the last decade, asbestos has killed more

workers in B.C. than any other type of workplace injury or disease. Because asbestos attacks slowly, many who have died were older or retired workers. It's expected that asbestos will remain a top killer for the next several years as more workers get sick and die from decadesold exposures.

Asbestos only becomes dangerous when disturbed, like when handled, drilled, or sanded during renovations.

Once released, asbestos’ microscopic fibres can stay suspended in the air for hours, ready to be breathed in by the unaware and unprotected. Once inhaled, the fibres then lodge themselves into the respiratory system, causing irreversible damage to lung tissue with symptoms of asbestos-related diseases not appearing until years later.

Today's workers are still at risk of being exposed to asbestos during demolition, salvage or renovation projects. As part of the construction industry, sheet metal and HVAC workers are at a higher risk of exposure as they are more likely to come into contact with asbestos while on the job.

Because structures built before 1990 are likely to contain asbestos, know beforehand if the jobsite has undergone a site survey specifically for hazardous materials like asbestos. Make sure that the hazard assessment is done by a qualified professional, as only proper laboratory results will determine if workers are at risk of exposure.

If asbestos is present, it must be properly removed before any other work can begin. Because asbestos removal is a complex and hazardous process, leave it

to the professionals who have the proper training, experience, and equipment to do the job well and safely.

Respirators and secured work zones are not the only elements required to do the job right; without proper work procedures and tools like special protective garments or a decontamination room, asbestos removal could hurt more than just those who are doing the work. Not only can asbestos fibres move into another work area if not properly contained, but they can also be transported to other locations by attaching onto people’s clothing. Later, the fibres detach and re-circulate in the air of the new environment – like the office or at home.

Before any work starts, written confirmation that the asbestos has been properly removed and disposed of should be received and available on the jobsite.

If any asbestos is found while a job is taking place – even after the removal process – stop work immediately to avoid risking further exposure.

Helping to ensure workers don't suffer from the devastating effects of an asbestos-related occupational disease is worth the extra time required for proper assessment or asbestos removal. Unlike most on-the-job accidents, asbestos is an invisible danger whose effects don't become apparent until much later – sometimes long after workers have retired from their careers.

For more information, additional resources, or asbestos-specific requirements found in the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation, please visit www.WorkSafeBC.com. íľż

School Plant Officials Association of B.C. www.spoabc.org

29

Moisture: A natural disaster

BY DARRYL WILSON, MAPEI TECHNICAL SERVICES

View of moisture issue with wood flooring.

View of moisture underneath carpet moisture.

Moisture issue underneath tile.

Vinyl sheet glue re-emulsification through seam.

30 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

There are many types of beautiful and stylish floors in schools – marble foyers in school entrances, ceramic tile in laboratories, coloured and crafted sheet vinyl in hallways and class rooms, hardwood floors in gymnasiums, carpet in administrative offices, and rubber flooring in areas surrounding aquatic centres. The average cost for installed flooring runs around $4 to $15/square foot for carpeting; $10 to $14/square foot for hardwood; $19 to 60/square foot for marble; $7 to $14/square foot for tile and $3 to $7/square foot for vinyl (according to www.costhelper.com). When work is complete, the flooring represents a significant investment by school facilities’ management. In certain circumstances, the concrete subfloor can compromise this investment, causing costly defects in the floor covering.

If the water-to-cement ratio in the concrete mix is too high, or if the concrete slab does not cure properly, it can become overly porous. As a result, the tiny channels within the concrete may remain permanently connected, increasing the permeability of the concrete slab and the likelihood of moisture movement up through the slab to the flooring. In the absence of a vapour barrier/retarder, natural moisture such as ground water can become a problem. Artificial sources of moisture like irrigation problems, incorrect exterior grading or broken plumbing can also lead to problems with moisture control. The result can be serious failures in the flooring.

In wood floors, moisture could lead to wood crowning or cupping, making that smooth gym floor more like an obstacle course. Carpet could start to buckle and smell due to excess moisture, mould and mildew. Moisture could cause efflorescence of cement-based grout in tile joints, leaving unattractive salt deposits in the grout lines separating the tiles. Stone is known for being sensitive to moisture and could sometimes change colours and/or curl in the presence of too much moisture. When sheet vinyl and other resilients are installed in conditions of excess moisture, adhesives will emulsify, turning gooey and losing their bonding strength.

These conditions occur because moisture vapour is governed by the laws of physics.

Water vapour travels from one area to another whenever a vapour pressure difference exists. In a controlled climate (HVAC), the temperature in a room is usually 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and the relative humidity is 30 to 50 per cent. Under these conditions, the air above the water-laden slab wants to hold more moisture and satisfies itself by pulling moisture from the slab. The warmer the room is, the more water is absorbed. Calcium chloride testing, which is

EMB application at Frank Hurt Secondary School in Surrey, B.C.

used to measure moisture vapour emission rates, indicates that acceptable MVER should be in the range of three pounds (1.36 kg) of moisture vapour per 1,000 square feet (92.9 m2 ) of space within a 24-hour period. Moisture issues beneath the concrete slab can cause significant increases in the MVER – sometimes as high as 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet, per 24 hours.

Surface preparation can be critically important to the MVER effect on the floor covering, whether it is tile, stone, carpet, wood or resilient. One of the essential components of surface preparation is the specification of the right moisture barrier between the concrete sub-floor and the floor covering. MAPEI supplies two types of moisture remediation, depending on a project’s needs: Planiseal™ Easy incorporates an acrylic polymer, which can be used on fresh, green concrete that is undergoing standard moisture dissipation. It has been specifically designed to treat interior concrete slabs from 14 days to one year old that exhibit MVER up to eight pounds or 90 per cent relative humidity and reduce transmission rates to three pounds or less. This product can be specified to significantly reduce the time from installation of the concrete sub-floor to installation of the floor covering under ordinary circumstances.

Planiseal™ EMB is a single-coat 100-per-cent-solids epoxy moisture barrier system for concrete slabs that exhibit MVER up

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to 20 pounds and reduces transmission rates to less than three pounds. Planiseal™ EMB's high-performance formulation penetrates into the concrete substrate while creating a solid film layer on the surface for the ultimate in moisture transmission reduction. Because of its reduced-odour formula, specifiers can choose this solution when a project involves a concrete subfloor with a serious moisture problem in an occupied building.

Safeguarding installations with the proper moisture barriers will result in sustainable, beautiful flooring that will see students through all their years of schooling. íľż

John Smith Account Executive Fire Alarm Division Direct: 604.515.8284 Ext. 128 josmith@simplexgrinnell.com www.simplexgrinnel.com SimplexGrinnell A Division of Tyco International of Canada Ltd. 1485 Lindsey Place Delta, B.C. V3M 6V1

SimplexGrinnell

Phone: 604.515.8872 Fax: 604.519.1477 1.800.492.4063 School Plant Officials Association of B.C. www.spoabc.org

31

The RGC Guarantee Program An inexpensive quality assurance option for school officials in every region of the province What is the RGC Guarantee Program and Why Specify It?

• Notifying the material manufacturer of any material deficiencies and ensuring that defective material is

The RGC Guarantee Program is a quality assurance

removed and/or replaced. RCABC requires a $100,000

program that promotes sustainability by using materials

material bond for all new roofing products accepted in

that meet or exceed national standards. The program

the RGC Guarantee Program.

does this by following industry-leading application stan-

• All the administrative oversight required to track the

dards published in the RGC Roofing Practices Manual,

job to completion and to inform the inspection firm

and by delivering a nationally recognized roofing appren-

when future re-inspections are due.

ticeship program that requires a strict ratio of journeyperProfessional roofing consultants and inspectors provide

Why is the RGC Guarantee Program unique?

independent third-party oversight on every roofing job

• Five- and 10-year coverage for workmanship and

sons to apprentices while the roof is being installed.

that specifies the RGC Guarantee.

materials. • Qualified “Red Sealâ€? roofers working for professional

How Much Does the RGC Guarantee Program Add to the Cost of the Project?

The cost of an RGC Guarantee is straightforward and depends on whether it is a five- or 10-year term. The cost of a five-year guarantee is five and a half per cent of the contract value (three and a half per cent for independent inspection and two per cent for guarantee coverage). The

roofing contractors. • Independent “acceptedâ€? inspectors, where neither they, nor their firms, are RCABC members and do not pay dues to the association. They are preferably selected by the owner. • Two-year re-inspection on five-year, and two-, five-, and eight-year re-inspections on a 10-year. • RGC staff, using a proprietary data base, notifies

cost of a 10-year guarantee is eight per cent of the con-

inspection firms when re-inspections are due. Reports

tract value (four and a half per cent for independent

are filed with RGC and provided to the owner. Techni-

inspection and three and a half per cent for guarantee

cal advice is available directly and/or online at

coverage). Using the example above ($100,000 contract), the cost of the five year RGC Guarantee is $5,500 (for the five years or about $1,100 per year). For 10 years, the cost would be $8,000 or $800 a year, which is an even greater saving and certainly worth the peace-of-mind. The cost includes all inspections as the work progresses, as well as all re-inspections at two years (on a five-year term), and

www.rcabc.org. • RGC Guarantee Standards are the industry standards for British Columbia. • Accepted materials are rigorously reviewed to ensure they meet or exceed industry standards. • A third-party guarantee is in force for the entire term backed up by RCABC and not prorated.

two, five and eight on the 10-year guarantee.

The RGC Guarantee Certificate is only issued once the

The RGC Guarantee Includes:

work is complete and all work or material deficiencies are

• All the administrative oversight required as the job

addressed and an “approved� final report is issued by an

progresses (receiving, data entry, and filing). • Notifying the roofing contractor of any deficiencies

independent inspection firm and filed with RCABC. Unlike other warranties, the RGC Guarantee Certificate

(recording completion). RCABC holds $50,000 perform-

can only be issued by roofing contractors that are mem-

ance bonds on probationary members for two years

bers of the Roofing Contractors Association of British

and $25,000 bonds on all RCABC active members.

Columbia.

32 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

íľż

Get out of ‘hot water’ – Design temperatures only happen a few times a year

BY ROY COLLVER Modern condensing boiler equipment is becoming more efficient at getting all of the heat out of fossil fuels, and becoming more reliable and affordable every year. Even better, we are at the edge of innovations in control and system design that, combined with the more efficient boilers, will be soon able to guarantee reductions of over 50 per cent of energy input versus conventional heating systems – new or retrofit.

Here are some well-proven concepts, backed up by new research, that prove

Resources Canada - CANMET Energy Technology Centre in Ottawa. They generated the following chart in order to be able to more easily test appliances for part-load efficiency (refer to the CSA Standard P.10-07) – have a look.

This chart is a thing of beauty, a game-changer – it backs up what we have been saying for years, and I think it will usher in a whole new era of efficiency innovation. It distills down a whole bunch of information into an easily understood graphic depiction of how

our heating systems in Canada work.

Based on climate data from many major cities in Canada, the dotted red line is an average load profile for these cities and they all fit the profile very closely. To simplify appliance and system testing, the red line was broken down to three discrete load capacities, illustrating how – on average – our heating systems run at 15 per cent or less capacity for 30 per cent of the heating season; 40 per cent or less capacity for 60 per cent of the season; and at full capacity for only 10 per cent of the time. This elegant little chart directs us toward the fundamental concepts we will be using in the coming years to refine both equipment and system designs for greater efficiency. How can we take advantage of this information to make our heating systems energy misers?

Number one in importance is to stop over-sizing boilers – short-cycling boilers are big energy hogs. From the P.10 chart we can see that even a “properly”

how easy it can be.

Much of this has been said before (see Art McDonald’s excellent article in the Spring 2009 Ops Talk), but there are still some skeptics who doubt the efficacy of these strategies. Doubt no more!

Research done in the last decade has proven some pretty basic concepts that we have been promoting for many years. Much of the information I have studied on this topic has been vetted by the intrepid researchers at the Natural School Plant Officials Association of B.C. www.spoabc.org

33

sized on/off boiler will short cycle for over 90 per cent of the heating season.

If we are over sizing above the maximum input needed, we are making the problem even worse.

Number two: match the heat output to the actual load by staging or modulating the input to the boiler plant. A 5:1 turn-down ratio will reduce short cycling to only 14 per cent of the heating season. There are more and more boilers on the market today that can reach down to a 20 per cent (5:1) firing rate, and even lower, and in larger schools, the staging of multiple boilers has the same effect as modulating a single boiler. See how powerful the P.10 chart is in illustrating some of these principles.

The variation illustrated below is a perfect example of how we can utilize this tool.

Number three – Use outdoor reset to lower water temperatures as low as possible, whenever possible. This is a “nobrainer� and should be required of any boiler. Some movement in this country is afoot to legislate mandatory outdoor reset control for all boilers; however, there is significant push-back from some stakeholders who have yet to embrace the concept of low temperature hydronic boilers, and therefore who do not have products that can easily comply.

Reducing water temperature based on warmer outdoor temperatures works for just about any heating application you can imagine. Many doubters deny this strategy can work with baseboard radiators or fan coils, but they are just plain wrong. The chart below is from one of

34 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

the biggest baseboard manufacturers in North America, and every manufacturer has similar specifications.

Based on these types of charts, a general rule for estimating is that a 10 degree Fahrenheit reduction in water temperature reduces heat output by 11 per cent, which just about perfectly tracks the reduction in heat loss from a space as the outdoor temperature warms up from design conditions. So you doubters out there have a hard look at the information presented here – this is not blue sky and wishful thinking, it is based on science and sound engineering principles, as well as many years of experience.

Outdoor reset is a proven strategy that saves energy big time for a very minor outlay – many boilers today, especially low temperature and condensing boilers, simply throw it in to their onboard control for free.

And lastly, number four: use condensing boilers to maximize the benefit from outdoor reset and to squeeze the last bit of energy from the flue gasses. We used to throw hot flue gasses up the chimney (500°F at the flue collar of an atmospheric boiler is not uncommon), along with a whole bunch of dilution air and water vapour. Now we can cool flue gasses down to as low as the boiler’s return water temperature and condense the water vapour right in the boiler, recovering the latent heat from the condensate – there’s nothing left to recover – we can get it all.

For further information, please visit the IBC Technologies website at http://www.ibcboiler.com/ or call (604) 877-0277. íľż

White reflective roof coatings: Improving the sustainability of existing roofs

BY JASON SMITH

For more than a decade, buzzwords such as “cool roof” and “sustainable roofing” have dominated nearly every publication dealing with industrial roofing. However, it is sometimes mistakenly assumed that cool or sustainable roofing applies exclusively to new construction. What does it mean to have a sustainable roof? A sustainable roof is one that is “designed, constructed, maintained, and rehabilitated with an emphasis throughout its life cycle on using natural resources efficiently and preserving the global environment.”1 There are several ways to convert an existing commercial roof into a sustainable one. They include: the application of a reflective white (cool roof) coating; the addition of photovoltaic panels; and the application of metal or vegetative roofs. This article will focus on the rehabilitation aspect of sustainability; specifically, on the effects and benefits of the applying reflective coatings on the performance and life-cycle costing of the roof.

Extending the Expected Useful Life The average expected useful life (EUL) of various roof systems is shown in the chart below.

As a roof comes to the end of its theoretical useful life, a roofing professional can determine if a roof is a candidate for enhanced sustainability through the use of a reflective coating.

The typical approach for this determination would include an infrared scan to search for leaks or wet insulation. All identified wet areas must be cut out and replaced. In all cases, flashings surrounding scuppers, drains, penetrations and HVAC units need to be sealed, re-flashed, and replaced if damaged. All ridging, blisters, splits and fishmouths must be repaired. Any ponding areas must have either new drains or crickets installed (crickets are tapered triangles that help direct the flow of water to a drain). Once these issues are addressed, the roof can be coated.

The application of a reflective coating is one of the simplest ways a roof can become sustainable. Many of the roof coatings on the market can be applied with a regular paint roller.

Multiple component reflective coatings (e.g., two-component polyurethanes and polyureas) require a metered dispenser system and a higher degree of operational sophistication. Reflective coatings come in a variety of chemistries, including acrylic, polyurethane, urea, silicone and polyurethane-urea hybrids. In addition, new advances in soy-based technology have allowed formulators to incorporate “greener” bio-based raw materials into their sustainable coatings.

Applying a reflective coating to a roof will add between five and ten years to the life of a properly designed roof. By implementing routine preventive maintenance (e.g., regular evaluations, cleaning drains, thermal scans to check for leaks, etc.), the working life of the roof can be extended even further. By extending the working life of the roof, the owner also realizes a significant cost saving. For example, a modified bitumen roof consisting of two-plies and a mineral cap sheet, with an esti-

ROOFING SYSTEM

SURFACE TYPE

EUL (min. ¼ in/ft)

Built Up (three- or four-ply)

Gravel

25-30 years

Modified Bitumen (two-ply)

Granules

20-25 years

Single Ply (TPO, Heat Weld PVC)

Unsurfaced/Eposed Membrane

15-20 years

Single Ply (EPDM, adhered)

Unsurfaced/Eposed Membrane

10-15 years

Metal (standing seam)

Fluoropolymer Paint

40 years

Source: “Roof Management Program for Multiple Roof Systems”, Interface, Nov. 2008.

36 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

mated useful life of about 20 years, when painted with a reflective coating around year 20, can reduce the overall life-cycle cost of the roof by about 15 per cent.

Energy Savings A good quality, reflective roof coating system will also save energy costs for the building owner. More than a third of the total energy in Canada is used to cool, heat and operate buildings. When compared to dark roofs, roofs with restorative white reflective coatings require up to 40 per cent less energy to cool the interior, reducing peak cooling demands by up to 15 per cent.

Online calculators, such as www.roofcalc.com, provide userfriendly calculating tools to determine approximate energy savings. The decrease in cost is directly related to the reflectivity and emissivity of the coating chosen, as shown in the chart below.

ing to release absorbed heat, is not a requirement for Energy Star; however, emissivity values have been listed with reflectance values of coatings since 2007.

Currently, 220 manufacturers have joined the Energy Star program.3 It should be noted that the simple addition of a reflective white coating can also add to the value of a roof by contributing valuable LEED® points4.

LEED Points In 2003, building industry leaders formed the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC). The council adopted LEED Canada, which is similar to the U.S. version of LEED, which was started in 1996. The mission of LEED is to reduce the heat island effect, the phenomena whereby heat is absorbed and reradiated by clusters of buildings in densely built areas.

LEED provides a point rating system establishing maintenance standards not only for new construction, but also for building rehabilitation.

In roof rehabilitation, coatings that are used to improve reflectance and provide an additional water barrier can also help a facility earn valuable LEED points. Points (or credits) are earned based on a set of prerequisites in these six major categories:

The temperature differential (the difference between the roof temperature and the air temperature) is indirectly proportional to the solar reflectance. Therefore, the more a coating reflects sunlight, the lower the temperature observed on the roof surface. The chart shows that coatings using titanium dioxide (white) come closest to optical whiteness (100 percent reflectance); titanium dioxide is therefore the best solar reflector available to formulators. Reflectivity is the primary criteria for obtaining roof coating Energy Star® qualification2, which uses the following reflectance guidelines: For roofs with slopes of 2:12 or less: Initial Solar Reflectance

≥0.65

Reflectance After Three Years

≥0.50

For roofs with slopes greater than 2:12.

Initial Solar Reflectance

≥0.25

Reflectance After Three Years

≥0.15

Coatings that continue to show high reflectance beyond the three-year mark translate to continued energy savings for the building owner. Emissivity, a measure of the ability of the coatSchool Plant Officials Association of B.C. www.spoabc.org

37

• Sustainable sites – 14 possible points • Energy and atmosphere – 5 possible points • Water efficiency – 17 possible points • Materials and resources – 13 possible points • Indoor environmental quality – 15 possible points • Innovation and design process – 5 possible points The points required to obtain different LEED certifications range from 26 to 32

points (for the most basic certification) to 52 to 69 points (for the highest Platinum certification). Regardless of whether a roof coating is used as part of a restoration or new construction plan, LEED points are typically applied in the materials and resources category. Your local architect, roofing consultant, or manufacturer’s representative can typically help you analyze and compare the LEED contribution potential of various roofing solutions.

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Conclusion With all of the buzz in the roofing industry regarding sustainability, using a reflective coating may be the simplest way for a building owner to reduce energy consumption while extending the working life of their roof. When used in conjunction with a responsible, ecofriendly restoration or rehabilitation plan, the use of a reflective coating can contribute to LEED certification, transforming an existing roof into a sustainable one.

About the Author: Jason Smith is a research and development chemist for The Garland Company, Inc., a manufacturer of high-performance solutions for the commercial building envelope. Prior to joining Garland, Smith was a senior development chemist for an international manufacturer and distributor specializing in adhesives for the industrial and consumer markets. He has an M.S. in polymer chemistry and coatings technology from DePaul University, Chicago.

Footnotes:

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From Proceedings of the Sustainable Low-Slope Roofing Workshop, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, October 1996.

ENERGY STARÂŽ is a registered trademark of the U.S. government. The ENERGY STAR Program represents a voluntary partnership between businesses and organizations and the federal government to promote energy efficiency and environmental activities.

From USGBC website: www.usgbc.org/leed/.

LEEDÂŽ Buildings performance refers to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental DesignÂŽ (LEED) Green Building Rating SystemÂŽ, which is a voluntary, consensus-building national standard that was initiated by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for developing high-performance sustainable buildings. LEEDÂŽ, Leadership in Energy and Environmental DesignÂŽ, and Green Building Rating SystemÂŽ are registered trademarks of The U.S. Green Building Council. íľż

Work smarter, not harder Use the new generation of sustainably green microbial cleaning products

BY CHARLES ROBINSON If you are tired of the endless cleaning, scrubbing, rinsing and polishing required to keep your high-traffic floors bright and clean, it may be time to try the new generation of sustainably green microbial cleaning products in your facility; you'll save both time and money, and you'll be surprised how clean your floors will become.

When you use the new generation of sustainable microbial cleaning products, you will only need to wet the floor area with the product for the cleaning action to start working; simply damp-mop a floor area from edge to edge, and once the product is in place, it starts working! Billions of tiny scrubbers keep on working for up to 80 hours, deep cleaning and removing all traces of soils, foods, and other deposits, leaving a brighter, cleaner surface for your clients and guests. Plus, you won’t need to use much of the product; usually two to four ounces in a gallon of warm water is all that is required.

The billions of tiny scrubbers in the product do the work for you, deep cleaning into floor surface pores to remove deposits and build-ups that have developed over time, so you won’t need to scrub any corners. For faster results on heavy build-up, you could soak the floor using the product in diluted form, let it sit for an hour, then come back and brush or squeegee the entire area and let dry.

After you’ve applied the product, you won’t need to rinse as the floor will dry bright and clean. As well, you won’t need to clean as often; most clients report that they can reduce their frequency of cleaning by 30 to 50 per cent as a result of using these products. For properties with multiple cleanings scheduled per day, you'll find that your floors are cleaner and require less actual cleanings per day, thus saving you time and money.

Furthermore, you won’t need to disinfect as often. Those clients who need to disinfect regularly due to health concerns (such as hospitals, retirement facilities and other types of institutions) find that the regular use of these products, in conjunction with sanitizing cleaners, can actually provide the best of both worlds – eliminating harmful micro-organisms and deep cleaning to remove organic matter and odours The regular use of the new generation of sustainable green cleaning products effectively displaces harmful microbe populations from floor surfaces over time.

These sustainable, microbial green cleaning products for floor cleaning include general-purpose products for deep cleaning and deodorizing, deep-cleaning products for deodorizing

smelly areas like bathrooms, kitchens, and garbage bins, and products for degreasing busy kitchen floor areas.

Ideally, you should be looking for third-party certified (Ecologo™ or Green Seal™ are good examples) microbial cleaning products that are considered “one-passâ€? cleaning products and are part of a sustainable product line (all the ingredients are made from renewable resources and the products decompose quickly and easily, recycling back to the earth with minimal impact on our world).

For more information, visit www.eatoils.com.

About the Author: Charles Robinson is the national sales manager at World Ware Enterprises Ltd., Manufacturers of EatOils™ Microbial Green Cleaning Products. Based in Cambridge, Ontario, WorldWare has distributors across Canada and throughout the world. íľż

k a or l W Ith Al s W N me TE !

Co RIT anty W rr Wa

We eP Permanently er man nently Fix: Mo oisture Issues Basement Moisture Damp, Musty Crawlspaces Drainage Issues Foundation Drainage Pump Systems Sump Pump Humidityy Issues Leaking Foundation Found dation Cracks W et e Elev vator Pits Wet Elevator Professional Pr offessiona e al Associations Associations

www.bsv.ca .bsv.ca 604 581 1115 www 604-581-1115 School Plant Officials Association of B.C. www.spoabc.org

39

Terasen Gas helping schools take big steps towards reducing their carbon footprints Brent Hunt, energy solutions manager – Terasen Gas (left), stands with Harold Schock, energy and sustainability manager – School District No. 23, at Helen Gorman Elementary School as the geoexchange system retrofit takes place.

It’s no secret: heating and cooling the vast hallways and spaces of a school can leave a fairly hefty carbon footprint. That’s why Terasen Gas is working hard to help school districts find more energy-efficient ways to provide heating and cooling. For School District No. 23, the wheels are already in motion at Helen Gorman Elementary in West Kelowna. An agreement with Terasen Gas will result in the school’s traditional heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system being upgraded to an energy-efficient geoexchange system.

Geoexchange systems provide many benefits for developers, building owners and end-users, ranging from indoor comfort, to benefitting the environment, to stable rates which provide financial certainty regarding the price of energy.

“We’ve been tasked with reducing our emissions, and Terasen Gas has provided an innovative and cost-effective way to help us achieve this goal,” says Larry Paul, secretary treasurer at School District 23 in central Kelowna. “This system will substantially reduce our natural gas consumption and support the province’s climate action goals.”

Terasen Gas’s geoexchange systems are an extremely effective way to reduce energy use in a building. By using ground-source heat technology, the system captures heat from the earth and circulates it throughout the building. In warmer months, it generates space cooling. The end result is reduced energy consumption, resulting in a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and a smaller carbon footprint.

“As one of the first utility companies in Canada to include alternative energy solutions as part of its regulated energy service offerings, our agreement with School District 23 will help them use energy efficiently and thereby benefit the environment,” says Doug Stout, vice Geoexchange systems are one of Terasen Gas’s principal alternative energy solutions, and can be implemented in both new construction and in retrofits such as Helen Gorman Elementary.

40 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

The geoexchange system being installed at Helen Gorman Elementary will be a costeffective way to increase energy efficiency and cut the facility’s carbon footprint.

president, energy solutions and external relations at Terasen Gas and FortisBC. “School District 23 has shown great leadership and vision in finding an innovative way to help Helen Gorman Elementary School move towards becoming carbon neutral, which also supports our efforts to encourage B.C. toward a sustainable energy future.�

The Helen Gorman Elementary School’s geoexchange system is certainly an enviable model for other schools to see how a geoexchange system can be used to help reduce their energy usage and GHGs. In addition, Delta School District 37 is also making great strides. In collaboration with Terasen Gas, they are in the process of evaluating the implementation of alternative thermal energy solutions for schools within the Delta district. Through this collaboration, the school district is aiming to cut their carbon footprint and ultimately become carbon neutral.

As an integrated energy provider with an ongoing focus and strategy on energy efficiency and conservation, Terasen Gas is

committed to developing innovative alternative energy solutions like geoexchange systems for schools.

To learn more about geoexchange and other alternative energy solutions for your school, please visit terasengas.com. íľż

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School Plant Officials Association of B.C. www.spoabc.org

41

Studentawards.com: Grants programs are on the rise

BY SUZANNE TYSON, PRESIDENT, STUDENTAWARDS INC. For over 13 years, the Studentawards Inc. mission has been to help students find sources of funding to help them pay for their higher education – the free money that comes from scholarships, grants and bursaries.

Studentawards has a research team that digs up hundreds of scholarships, worth millions of dollars, and lists them within our database. When students register at www.studentawards.com or www.boursetudes.com, they will be matched with the awards that most closely fit their personal profiles.

One of the biggest aspects of my job is to expand the pool of

money sources for students. Every week, I’m out with our relationship development team meeting with Canadian corporations to discuss the ways they can support students (and their parents!) by creating scholarships and other financial awards. It has been proven many times that supporting education provides a positive return on investment for corporations – from goodwill to more customers and happier employees. The conversations we have are usually well-received, although the economy has recently put a crunch on the availability of funds for these programs.

A new trend we’ve noticed is companies’ interest in exploring school grants

Since

1983

42 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

One brand-new program is the recent WWF-Canada Green CommUnity School Grants Program: “Through the generous support of Loblaw Companies Ltd., WWF-Canada will grant $600,000 over three years, up to $200,000 a year, to Canadian elementary and secondary schools. The grants will help reduce a community’s impact on the environment, increase understanding of environmental issues and solutions, stimulate environmental leadership, and inspire students and communities to take action.� programs. Scholarships are a great way to reward and recognize individual students, but the financial requirements to create a national program are sometimes too great. A grants program, however, is an innovative solution because the financial awards can benefit one classroom, a school, or even an entire community.

If time permits, a little web-surfing could turn up local grants programs that could benefit your school or community.

Most of these programs are run annually, so if you miss the deadline this year, check the site for their next cycle. Here are a few others to investigate: • Green Apple School Program: http://www.fonds-ecoecole.ca/home.en.html • Earth Day Canada Community Environment Fund: http://www.earthday.ca/ envirofund/default.aspx • Sunlight Green Kids: http:// www.sunlightgreencleankids. ca/en/index.html • bp A+ for Energy: http://www.bp.com/ modularhome.do?categoryId=1060& The Studentawards team will be out

Kelowna .............................................. 250-763-1555 Penticton ............................................. 250-490-3552 Vernon ................................................. 250-542-9893 Salmon Arm ......................................... 250-832-9818 Big White ............................................. 250-448-7326

there working to create more of these programs. You can help by asking your local business to create something for your community, or to get their head

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School Plant Officials Association of B.C. www.spoabc.org

43

Choosing the right air filter and filter media

BY BOB JACKSON, CAFS NORSPEC FILTRATION LTD. SARNIA, ON Poor indoor-air quality (IAQ) is more than

Fortunately, many of these triggers

researchers, indoor air often is two to

just a nuisance; it’s costly, too. Poor IAQ

can be eliminated or significantly

five times more polluted than outdoor

significantly influences the occurrence of

reduced by the proper selection of air

air. Most of the respirable dust and

communicable respiratory illnesses and

filters in a building's HVAC system.

other particles people breathe into

allergies, asthma, and sick-building

Advances in air filtration have led to the

their lungs is smaller than 10 microns in

development of systems that provide

size.

Therefore, the first step in determining the best type of HVAC filter needed – and an important step in any IAQrelated building strategy – is to identify the types and sizes of particular pollutants in the building. Once problematic pollutants are identified, it is time to look at filter efficiency. Filtration efficiency is defined by how well a filter cleans indoor air by removing airborne particles. Low-efficiency filters – those

symptoms. Some of the airborne triggers for these illnesses include microorganisms, respirable particles such as dust and smoke, volatile organic compounds, and allergens.

In Canada, 5.7 million school children

superior IAQ while reducing energy costs and helping commercial and institutional buildings achieve greenbuilding milestones.

and close to one million teachers, administrators, and others walk into

Air Filtration and IAQ

15,000 school buildings every day – and

The average human breathes in

at least 50 per cent of these schools have

about 16,000 quarts of air, which con-

been diagnosed with indoor air quality

tain about 70,000 visible and invisible

problems.

particles, each day. According to

Air Filtration Specialists 44 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

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that are 25 per cent efficient in removing particles three to 10 micrometres in size are typically are used to keep lint and dust from clogging the heating and cooling coils of HVAC systems.

Medium efficiency filters – those that are up to 80 per cent efficient in removing particles three to 10 micrometres in size typically are used to remove mould, pollen, soot, and other small particles. High efficiency filters – those that are up to 99 per cent efficient in removing three to 10 micrometres in size typically are capable of airborne nuclei generated from coughs and colds, smoke, and extremely fine particles such as toner dust.

But just what is effective air filtration?

ASHRAE (the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) has a test standard that quantifies the performance of HVAC filters. ASHRAE Test Standard 52.2-2007 measures a filter's ability to

remove airborne particles between 0.3 and 10 micrometres in size. A minimum-efficiency reporting value (MERV) is assigned to a filter based on its efficiency in three different particle-size ranges (0.3 to one micrometres, one to three micrometres, and three to 10 micrometres). The higher the MERV, the greater the ability to remove high quantities of small particles from air.

For most schools, air filters with a MERV eight rating or better are the minimum. However, recent developments in filter media technology have now produced economical filters with ratings of MERV 11 and MERV 13.

Cleaner Air is Greener Air In addition to providing superior IAQ and reducing energy consumption, HVAC filter selection has a direct effect on a number of green-building issues, including: • Greenhouse-gas emissions: A 0.05-

in.-wg. reduction in a filter's initial airflow resistance can reduce carbondioxide (CO2) emissions by up to four per cent, or 120 lbs. per filter. A 0.20in.-wg. reduction in a filter's initial airflow resistance can reduce CO2 emissions by up to nine per cent, or 480 lbs. per filter. • Raw-material use: Some filter media can be made with recycled polymer from manufacturing waste streams and provide better performance using less media than other filters. • Waste output: High-capacity pleated filters can extend filter life and reduce changeouts. Extended filter life can reduce waste streams while minimizing resistance to airflow.

In conclusion, careful selection of HVAC filters and filter media can improve IAQ, save money, and reduce waste.

íľż

Index to advertisers Allmar International .....................................................................11

MAPEI Inc........................................................................................9

Barclay Restorations.....................................................................24

Norspec Filtration Ltd. .................................................................44

Basement Systems Vancouver ....................................................39

Nu-Tech Systems Ltd. ..................................................................45

Belimo Americas ...........................................................................15

Philips Lighting Canada / WESCO .............................................23

Blue Imp Recreational Products of Canada Ltd. .......................38

Preferred Consulting & Roof Management ...............................24

Canstar Restorations ......................................................................3

Reliable Controls Corporation ...................................................IBC

Centaur Products Inc....................................................................14

Roofing Contractors Association of British Columbia..............13

Don's Power Vac........................................................................OBC

Shanahan’s.....................................................................................26

E.B. Horsman & Son .....................................................................26

Sharps Audio Visual .......................................................................7

Energy Wise Distributors Ltd......................................................20

Shutters & Shade ..........................................................................20

EnPointe Enterprises....................................................................18

SimplexGrinnell.............................................................................31

Erv Parent Group ..........................................................................25

Smith Energy Inc.............................................................................6

Firestone Building Products ........................................................27

Spears Sales & Services Ltd. .......................................................31

Garaventa (Canada) Ltd.................................................................8

Stutters Disaster Kleenup ............................................................43

Garland Canada, Inc.....................................................................37

Talius ............................................................................................IFC

IBC Energy Saving Technologies................................................35

Terasen Gas...................................................................................41

IRC Building Sciences Group Inc. ...............................................42

Tero Consultants Ltd......................................................................5

JM Bean & Co. Ltd........................................................................15

Western Bus Parts & Service Ltd................................................19

KMBR Architects Planners Inc. ...................................................12

Western Canada IC Bus Inc.........................................................17

46 Ops Talk • Fall 2010

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