Sustainable Builder Magazine - Winter 2010

WINTER 2010 • Vol. 1, Issue 4

Sustainable Builder B6<6O>C:

Are Big Homes Still Green?

A Good Builder/Architect/Rater Relationship is Essential to Building a LEED Home

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Winter

2010

CONTENTS winter 2010 • Vol. 1, issue 4

Sustainable Builder B6<6O>C:

Are Big Homes Still Green?

2 How Green is Big? 3 If Smaller Homes are Greener,

A Good Builder/Architect/Rater Relationship is Essential to Building a LEED Home

Then Why are Greener Homes Not Smaller?

ON THE COVER: John Godden (Clearsphere), Reza Hosseinian (Teddington Homes Inc.) and Thomas Moore (Thomas Moore Architect)

37 Green Architect Makes the Case for Smaller Homes 38 Solar Site Planning 39 Updating Your Craft

6 Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Reconnect

44 New Retrofit Program 10 Go Big or Go Home

Bill McDonough’s Vision of a Sustainable Future

for Toronto Condos; Green Building Program for Toronto’s Youth

12 Big News from NYC 45 MyHaven is a Company with a GreenVision

15 Accelerating High-Rise

Green Technology Adoptions

16 Effective Ventilation in Large Homes 18 STEP Right Up to the

Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program

20 Versatile, Sustainably Sourced Accoya

Now Available from Upper Canada Forest Products

26 Cover story Very Big and Very Green

32 Ontario’s Renewable Energy Industry 34 Small, Green, and Big Enough for Families to Prosper

46 Taking the Risk Out of Retrofits 48 German Government Builds Solar Project in Woodstock

50 The Priva Campus

located in De Lier, The Netherlands opened in 2007 (Zero CO2 emissions)

52 Hitting the Wall in 2012: Can You Judge a Book by its Cover?

54 Big News from the OPA;

Canada’s First Net-zero Office Building

55 Air Barriers Rules for 2012

Sustainable Builder B6<6O>C:

Sustainable Builder B6<6O>C:

How Green is Big?

W

elcome to the winter issue of Sustainable Builder Magazine, where we ask the question: Are big home still green? Our cover story, by Tracy Hanes, features Teddington Homes, an excellent builder who is constructing very large, very green homes in Toronto, and our feature article, also by her, explores the paradox: If smaller homes are greener homes, then why are green homes so big? She makes the case that there are incentives for builders to go green on their larger homes that may not exist for smaller ones.

Making the case for smaller homes, is Sam Goldberg’s article based on conversations with well-known local green architect Dean Goodman, and a feature article on several small, very green homes built by Habitat for Humanity. Clearly the debate will continue, and although the parameters will vary if you are building a 10,000-sq.ft. mansion, a 50-story condo, or a 1000-sq.ft. habitat home, the quest to make your project as green as possible is a challenge we whole heartedly support.

This issue we have also featured several other leading green builders and renovators who are pushing green building to new levels: Endura, Del Ridge, and MyHaven.

We are pleased to have Stephen Carpenter as our featured columnist this issue. He is one of the top names in the industry, and his firm, EnerModal (recently purchased

by Marshall Macklin Monaghan), does the vast majority of LEED ND applications in this country. (As an aside, another large green engineering firm was also bought in the last few weeks, as Halsall and Associates is now owned by Parsons Brinckerhoff.) So, while he hardly brings an outsider’s perspective, like Jim Harris and David Donnelly did before him, Steve did bring us something of a cross-border perspective as a result of being part of a Canadian trade mission to New York City. Both John Godden and I also participated in that misison, thanks to the great work of Lorena Magee at CMHC, who organized the junket.

In this issue we are very happy to have a column from another industry leader, Jamie James, of Tridel and Windmill Developments, introduce the new TowerLabs@ MaRS initiative that will be doing research on high-rise residential green building and, hopefully, publishing much of those insights here. Constantine Eliadis provides us with insight into the logic behind the Feed-in-Tariff policy in Ontario and Ashley Smith, from HOK, provides us with some food for thought on the tremendous value in solar planning and site design.

As usual, John Godden has given us a couple of great articles to ruminate over, and for the first time also appears on the cover, along with architect Thomas Moore and Reza Hosseinian of Teddington Homes.

In addition to our usual features, you will notice several short pieces and even a job posting in this issue. We are always looking to provide opportunities for programs and important initiatives that directly affect the industry, as long as they align with our goal of providing the industry with highly relevant news, events, and activities related to green building.

I want to thank all those who advertised and contributed to make our final edition of 2010 larger and better than ever. Special thanks go out to our new copy editor, Jennifer D. Foster, who has been wonderful to work with this issue. Any typos you may find are purely the result of my tinkering after Jennifer has run her eagle eyes over the text.

We are very proud to have produced four quality issues in this, our first year, and we appreciate all the excellent feedback and support readers have given us. We are set to publish our spring issue in March 2011, and we will also have a special issue on the changing role of wood in green building in the spring.

We are interested in your thoughts, or if you would like to submit a story ideas, kindly send them to Publisher@SBMagazine.ca, For information on advertising rates, inserts, content marketing, reprints, or to get on our mailing list, please send a note to Sales@SBMagazine.ca. Our website keeps getting better and better, so please visit www.SBMagazine.ca to see what’s new.

On behalf of Giulio, John, Tracy, Jennifer, Tony, and myself, I’d like to wish you all Happy Holidays and all the best for 2011. We look forward to renewing our relationship with you in the New Year.

Sincerely, Lenard Hart, Publishing Editor

SBM winter 2010

256 Doris Ave. Unit 2109 Toronto, ON M2N6X8 416-898-0835 • fax 416-250-6322 B6<6O>C: www.SBMagazine.ca

Sustainable Builder Sustainable Builder Magazine is a sponsor of

Publishing Editor: Lenard Hart Hart.Lenard@gmailcom This is a quarterly publication.

Subscription rates: $24 annually or $7 per single copy.

To advertise, contribute a story, or get on our distribution list, please contact: Sales@SBmagazine.ca Submit news, events, or articles to: Publisher@SBMagazine.com Feature Writer: Tracy Hanes Copy Editor: Jennifer D. Foster Contributing Authors: •Steve Carpenter • Constantine Eliadis • John Godden • Sam Goldberg • Jamie James • Lenard Hart • Peter Love • Tim Van Seters • Ashley Smith • Michael Lio Creative: Tony Lomuto Graphic Designs Unlimited LTony@sympatico.ca Photographer: Graham Dickhout Photography Copyright by Sustainable Builder Magazine.

Contents may not be reprinted or reproduced without publisher’s written permission Publisher@SBMagazine.ca The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors exclusively and assumed to be original work. Sustainable Builder Magazine can not be held liable for any damage as a result of publishing such works.

Publication Mail Agreement #42014026 Return undelivered Canadian address mail to: Sustainable Builder Magazine 2109-256 Doris Ave., Toronto, ON M2N 6X8

If Smaller Homes are Greener, Then Why are Greener Homes Not Smaller?

T

By Tracy Hanes

he general opinion in the Green Building sector is the smaller you build, the greener it will be.

But, the reality is that most lowrise production builders find small homes are much harder to build and sell as green homes than larger homes. So it begs the question: Are Big Homes Green?

It seems obvious that using less resources and having less space you have to heat and cool would make smaller homes greener homes. Yet, most of the near-zero and LEED platinum homes we see in the mar-

ketplace are not 1,400-sq. ft. townhomes.

They are, in fact, usually quite large - 3,000 sq. ft. on up. The same may be true for highrise on a per building basis, rather than on a per unit one. Minto and Tridel are building large high-rise buildings to LEED standards, but per unit that cost is averaged based on square footage.

Not surprisingly, the key factor seems to be cost. Like it or not, when we start to deal with near-zero energy homes, the upgrade costs become significant and the relative percentage of the upgrade as compared to the base cost becomes prohibitive.

Marshall Homes’ president Craig Mar-

shall, who pioneered innovations like solar thermal hot-water heating and geothermal systems in production homes, makes this point: “If you’re building a house in the Bridle Path in Toronto, then you’re spending $6 million anyway, so not why not make it green? Big houses take up more space, but you have the resources to still make them highly energy and resource efficient.”

LEED for homes does give added credit to smaller houses. The LEED Home Adjustment sets point thresholds like silver or gold based on the number of occupants and the size of the house. Smaller houses with a larger number of bedrooms reach higher

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SBMwinter winter2010 2010 3

levels of certification at lower points thresholds.

“I get some grief about the projects I work on,” says Toronto architect Thomas Moore, who designed the subject of this issue’s cover story, a LEED registered megahome in Lawrence Park, which has 6,000 sq. ft. of living space on its main two floors, plus 4,000 sq.ft. of finished basement. “But I enjoy the freedom these projects provide to be innovative. There will always be large homes, and you’re not going to change that, but you can make them better.”

Large homes can accommodate more occupants than smaller ones; the Lawrence Park LEED home will house a couple and their three children, plus grandparents who will live in the finished walkout basement.

In Toronto especially, it’s also not unusual for new Canadian families to have multiple generations or members of their extended family sharing a home.

Moore and Marshall say big homes often allow for more room for extensive green features. “You can make a big house perform easier than a smaller house, because you have more room – like bigger yards for

geothermal heating and huge roofs for solar panels,” says Marshall. He also says in larger homes he’s able to put in features like grey-water recycling systems (which require space in addition to heating, cooling and hot-water heating equipment – which may not fit comfortably in a tiny basements or tiny budgets).

Marshall points out that with the Ontario government’s Feed-in Tariff, homeowners of large homes with suitable roofs can not only hedge against rising hydro costs, they can also reap substantial payback – and generate more electricity than they use by installing solar systems of up to 10 kilowatts.

Ingrid McCallum, manager of sales and marketing for Townwood Homes, which built Canada’s first all EnerGuide rated community (Riverstone), points out that green is initially still expensive and, thus, it’s affluent buyers who can afford homes with those features. “Those consumers are usually not willing to compromise on the size of home they want,” she notes.

Townwood has built two Energy Star developments: Mackenzie Ridge in Vaughan,

where it was mandated, and King’s College in Mississauga, where it implemented the program voluntarily. In its Mackenzie Ridge subdivision – Townwood built a 4,800 sq. ft. “Green is 50” home, which us-

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McCallum says because green is still a moving target, there is still a lot of confusion about green products and practices, and trial and error about which ones work

more effectively. Eventually, as they become proven in larger, higher-end homes, she says they will become more popular and filter down to smaller, less expensive homes.

She feels the market is not willing to embrace “smaller-is-greener” homes.

Marshall agrees. “I did fairly large single detached homes in Oshawa, and townhouses in Ajax, (which had one block of LEED towns),” he explains. “The buyers of the smaller houses just don’t seem to be as interested in green features as buyers of the larger ones. I can build bigger houses in Oshawa that use less energy than the smaller homes in Ajax.”

Canadian Home Builders’ Association president, Victor Fiume, who is general manager of Durham Custom Homes, an Energy Star builder and builder of the first GreenHouse certified home in Canada, says he doesn’t expect to see a trend toward smaller houses anytime soon.

“The most popular houses we sell are larger homes, and I don’t see that changing at all,” he said. “Personally, I think we do need to start reducing the size of homes, and I think they are way too large, but peo-

ple go through lifecycles. They start out with a smaller home, move up to a bigger home, may move up again, then downsize. So, not everybody is buying these huge homes, but you have to allow people to do that.”

In the end, while it might make for a good display at the National Home Show, small very green homes are a real challenge for single-family home builders. In the multi-residential sector, the challenge is not nearly as pronounced, as bachelors and one bedrooms as small as 400 sq.ft. sell briskly in LEED buildings.

There the relative cost of green improvement that can be assessed is on a per sq.ft. basis. The TAF Green Loan has shown that for every three cents per square foot of costs in upgrades, a savings of seven cents can be realized from utility bills. So, the math is good for both the small and the larger units. Clearly, some sort of creative financial mechanism or distributed power systems might give the same results for singlefamily homes.

Until then, the drivers for production builders to produce small green homes will remain low.

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Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Reconnect

A view of the Waterloo Region Museum

T

By Staff

oronto-based architect Ajon Moriyama was one of the star speakers at the Green Building Festival this past September, where he and George Stockton presented the amazing rehabilitation of the Wadi Hanifah a previously dead river in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). Moriyama & Teshima Architects have contributed to the design of numerous award-winning projects and competitions, including the New Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, the Saudi Arabian National Museum in Riyadh, the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, the Bata Shoe

Museum in Toronto, the master plan and environmentally sustainable infrastructure facilities for the 520-hectare campus of Kuwait University in Kuwait, and, most recently, the Holy City of Makkah’s Master Plan in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Working along with engineers from The Walter Fedy Partnership, they have just won new accolades at the Wood WORKS! Wood Design Awards for the Waterloo Region Museum.

“Wood use is at the heart of human-centred design, and this is evidenced by how often it is appearing in our public buildings,” noted Marianne Berube, Wood WORKS! Ontario’s Executive Director.

Front entry of the Waterloo Region Museum

6 SBM SBMwinter winter2010 2010

Sustainable Builder B6<6O>C:

Sustainable Builder B6<6O>C:

Special Issue Spring 2011

Wood WORKS! has partnered with Sustainable Builder Magazine to produce a Special Spring Issue of their industry magazine dedicate to the wood-related and sustainability issues, in order to support and encourage the use of wood in the building industry in Ontario.

We believe the upcoming wood issue of Sustainable Builder Magazine to be a valuable opportunity to promote your products, services and the industry in general since it will clearly position wood products as an important aspect of sustainable building strategies.

We encourage you to support this unique opportunity. Your advertising participation of this very special issue will identify you as an industry leader and a supporter of sustainable building.

Additionally we need your help in coming up with the best story ideas. Sustainable Builder Magazine has already sought article suggestions from Wood WORKS! for this issue so if you have content ideas please let us know. Initial topics ideas include: 6 story mid-rise in BC, a story on Wood WORKS!, the case for wood as our most sustainable building material, feature on the mid-rise construction report, a story on carbon sequestering, and a discussion of LEED’s Materials and Resources Credit 7: Certified Wood.

Have you supplied products to a recently completed green building project that used wood in innovative and sustainable ways? Do you regularly work with an architect who specifies wood in sustainable construction projects? Tell us – even if you’re not able to participate in the issue as an advertiser.

The high level of pertinent content in Sustainable Builder Magazine gives it a long shelf life and makes it an effective tool for you to market to the green building industry in Ontario.

Contact Giulio at 647-988-0664, or sales@SBMagaazine.ca

SBM winter 2010

Huron Hall The Waterloo Region Museum is expecting to achieve LEED Silver certification, and it has made some outstanding contributions to renewable design, winning the Green Building Wood Design Award in November at The Carlu in Toronto. The building reflects upon and utilizes the legacy of the area’s Mennonite settlers. It was largely constructed of sustainably harvested local timber, and reused wood from a 200year-old demolished barn made up the wall cladding.

Reclaimed wood from other sources was used for the birch hardwood flooring on the mezzanine level and in the gift shop area.

The museum features a triangular reflecting pool, a waterfall, and a pond, which is meant to evoke memories of the Grand River, the most significant physical feature of the region and one of the reasons the Mennonite settlers were originally drawn to live there. This water feature also functions as a storm water retention pond and a water cistern for the building’s grey water systems. The landscape design incorporates droughttolerant, low-maintenance native plant species and requires no irrigation. As a result of these measures, the museum’s water usage is more than 60 per cent less than a typical building of its type.

A reflective “white” roof is used to reduce heat-island effect, “dark-sky” site lighting is used, energy-efficient in-floor radiant heating was incorporated extensively, as was low-emitting materials. Designed to provide daylight and outside views for more than 90 per cent of staff-occupied spaces, it also comes with a green housekeeping plan for the building’s operation.

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Bill McDonoughâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Vision of a Sustainable Future

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I

By Lenard Hart

t is possible that you have never heard of William McDonough; perhaps you haven’t read his book Cradle to Cradle, and perhaps you don’t watch U.S. news much and haven’t heard that he has been the winner of three U.S. presidential awards, or that Time magazine in 1999 recognized him as a “Hero for the Planet.” Nonetheless, if you care about the future of this planet (or even if you are just looking for a name to drop at the next Green Drinks mixer), you should take a minute to get acquainted with his big ideas.

McDonough has been a renowned green architect for more than 20 years, and he has been out on the lecture circuit off and on since his 2002 book’s re-

“

ly architectural and design crowd that efficiency is not an end in itself, noting that “efficient Nazis are worse than inefficient ones.” Arguing that what is more important is doing the right thing, because “doing less of the wrong thing is not the same as doing the right thing.”

His point is that we still haven’t changed the unsustainable ways in which we approach building and design, so we should not be celebrating a 25 per cent reduction in massive greenhouse gas emissions, when we should be aiming at no emissions.

McDonough notes that while we have found ways to get more out of our “fossil solar legacy” (coal, oil, and gas), we have yet to embrace the idea of not using fossil fuels altogether. In his practice he is now “designing for 10 billion,” asking the au-

It took us 5,000 years to put wheels on our luggage

”

lease, speaking to thousands about sustainable design and materials manufacturing. More than just spreading a message, he has been remaking the world through his actions, planning a dozen green cities in China, sitting on the board of Walmart, and designing energy- positive buildings like Nike’s European headquarters.

Sustainable Builder Magazine had the chance to see him speak at the Urban Green Expo in New York this past September, and here is a bit of what he had to say. Never one to soft sell his position, he starts by stating that he was done talking about limits, scarcity, and the population problem, noting that “we lose our sense of human dignity when we tell a child that he or she is a population problem.”

His message is one that “celebrates the earth’s abundance,” because “scarcity never inspired anyone.” He chided the large-

dience to image how would they would change the way they design buildings and specify materials, if they took into account the fact there will soon be 10 billion people who will follow their lead.

This seems a version of the Kantian imperative for the 21st century. The philosopher Immanuel Kant argues that we can rationally, as opposed to divinely, determine correct ethical choices, because our choices should be such that they could become a universal rule for all to follow.

McDonough adds the idea that the impacts of our choices will be magnified 10 billion times by 10 billion people. Under this model, no amount of pollution, waste, or resource usage is insignificant. No one has done more to address the “what difference does it make” attitude that most North Americans have toward fossil fuels use, toxicity, and resource waste.

Ironically, McDonough argues that we actually do not have an energy shortage, as we have an almost unlimited source of power that is conveniently both “massively oversized, remotely located, and wireless” (by this he means the sun), and all we need to do is learn to use its power. In this sense, he still sees a strong need for improved efficiency and notes that “we throw away half our economy each day.”

He argues that we need to create an economy that is powered by the sun, using materials that are infinitely recyclable and produce no waste.

McDonough asserts that “we have a materials rather than an energy problem, because we have put our carbon in the wrong place.” He explains that “carbon belongs in the soil, not in the air.” He looks to nature for examples of how to design better. “The preconditions for life are growth, freely available energy, and an open metabolic flow of materials.” He translates this into a model for building design and notes that we can’t design better than nature. “Nature is not efficient, it’s effective.” He cites the “waste” of a cherry tree in producing blossoms as an inefficient but beautiful and highly effective means of reproduction. He doubts our ability to outdesign nature, noting “it took us 5,000 years to put wheels on our luggage.”

McDonough has tremendous faith that designers and architects can make a difference, if they can simply think about the ultimate goal of their designs. He posits the following as a good starting place: Our goal is a delightfully diverse, safe, healthy, and just world, with clean air, water, soil, and power – economically, equitably, ecologically, and elegantly enjoyed.

To this end, McDonough is releasing to the public all of the materials toxicity research his company has done in the last 20 years. In partnership with Google, he has created an open-source site at www. c2ccertified.org. It is free to anyone who wants to know what’s in the stuff they are building, or specifying, with. To see an online version of McDonough’s message, see his 2005 TED talk at www.ted.com.

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Big News from NYC Régine Clément (left) Trade Commissioner at the Consulate General of Canada speaks to trade mission representative

A

s part of the Canadian delegation to By the Urban Green Expo in New York Stephen City (NYC) in late SeptemCarpenter ber, I had the opportunity to both present on and hear about some of Canada’s premier green buildings. It was a great opportunity to share with the American audience some examples of Canadian innovation in the areas of energy efficiency and sustainable design.

However, one of the most interesting pieces of news I picked up was an example of legislative initiative and foresight out of NYC. This fall, New York City Council enacted four laws that, I hope, will inspire other cities and municipalities (especially those in Canada) to adopt similar initiatives to support green buildings.

The Motivation The trip was, perhaps, most interesting for what went on outside the forum; we got to spend time with the head of the USGBC NYC chapter and members of Bloomberg’s Green Team.

New York is rapidly changing its approach to conservation, and with thousands of inefficient older buildings, the city s prime territory for retrofit activity. Largely as a result of the mayor’s initiative, the city has undergone several initiatives to upgrade its building stock.

The New Laws Commonly known as the Greener, Greater Buildings Plan, this new set of energy codes and compliance rules were adopted by New York’s City Council. They override less stringent state requirements. The 16 recommendations of the Green Task Force adopted by city council addressed issues of energy intensity, water use, and lighting codes.

12 SBM winter 2010

Energy Intensity The original proposal was to have all buildings more than 50,000 sq. ft. in size meet a certain energy intensity (BTU/sq. ft). This would mean that privately owned buildings more than a century old would have to perform mandatory energy retrofits to meet these targets. This is a radical proposal compared to the incentive-based programs for private developers we have in Canada.

However, largely due to a strong rent-control lobbying from tenants groups worried about cost increases on rent-controlled units, the proposal was amended to require only that these buildings have an energy audit done and that the results be published.

The proposed compliance rules include a host of progress inspections on everything from foundation insulation to window Uvalues to air infiltration rates through the building envelope. The code itself includes myriad reporting requirements from energy modelling to detailed calculations in application drawings. Some of the changes include:

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• • • •

Increasing the allowable size of solar shades.

Reducing summer heat with roofs that comply with the reflective roof LEED point.

Allowing larger solar rooftop installations.

Removing zoning impediments to alternative energy projects.

Water Use In terms of the water laws (Task Force Proposal on Water Efficiency 1, 3, 6, and 20), they are designed to save the city billions of gallons of water annually by: • Mandating efficiency standards for plumbing fixtures.

• Reducing leaks on major water-using equipment by requiring the installation of metres.

• Prohibiting the installation of “once-through” cooling systems that emit heat into drinking water, which is then dumped into the sewer systems.

• Decreasing the use of bottled water by requiring faucets for filling bottles on new drinking fountains and limiting the use of bottled-water dispensers.

Lighting Codes Proposed by the Lighting and Daylighting Committee of the NYC Green Codes Task Force, four new lighting laws will help decrease energy use and bring outdated codes and technology up to 21-st century standards.

• Now daylighting levels count toward the lighting level required in public corridors and exits, and photo/occupancy sensors can be used in these areas. The minimum illumination was decreased to a one-foot candle from two-foot candles, in keeping with national standards.

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•

The current requirement for occupancy sensors in certain commercial building rooms is replaced with vacancy sensors that turn off automatically, but require manual turn-on.

Two bills reduce the common-area lighting requirements for apartment buildings by creating standards based on foot candles (illumination), rather than power consumption (watts).

Here at Home Given the scope of such an enterprise, it has been phased in over 10 years based on street address, but it should prove to be influential in motivating change. Currently in Ontario the OPA’s MEER program refunds energy audits for multi-residential buildings at $35 per unit, and, rumour is, next year full funding for audits may be available in some areas.

Many municipalities and cities have adopted progressive green building requirements for their own buildings (for example, the City of Kitchener requires LEED Gold for all new city-owned buildings). However, New York’s initiative goes much further, by addressing existing and new buildings - private, and public.

Canadian cities would do well to watch the progress of New York’s program and implement a similar plan for their own “greener, greater buildings.”

Stephen Carpenter, chair of the Canada Green Building Council Technical Advisory Group, is president of Enermodal Engineering, Canada’s largest green building consultant. Operating since 1980, Enermodal has offices in Kitchener, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Toronto. Enermodal is currently working on 250 LEED projects and was the consultant for 40 per cent of all LEED Canada NC certified projects.

The View from Up There

Accelerating High-Rise Green Technology Adoption

A

By Jamie James

s our population becomes increasingly concentrated in urban areas, more Canadians find themselves living and working in high-rise towers. In the City of Toronto, one in three people lives in a high-rise apartment or condominium, and more than 2,300 towers shape our urban landscape.

It’s no surprise, then, that Toronto has one of the highest concentrations of high-rise residential buildings in North America. While sustainable urban growth is greatly supported by the higher densities, these buildings account for about 30 to 40 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions in this city. (www.towerrenewal.ca) Green technologies and products that address energy efficiency and environmental performance currently exist, but are not systematically adopted by the development and construction industries. In fact, new technologies with enormous promise often have trouble moving from the on-deck circle to the batter’s box in our industry.

From the builder’s perspective, the barriers most frequently cited are risk and cost. As a result, lack of a long track record is a major barrier for green product developers and suppliers. So, we have a classic chicken-and-egg conundrum: how does an alternative approach gain traction in the mainstream?

One way is to increase the customer’s familiarity and understanding of the new approach through mediated pilot and demonstration projects – which is what Tridel, Toronto’s largest high-rise condominium developer, has been doing for several years through their unique in-house research and development (R&D) program.

In 2004, a full two years before Tridel made a firm marketing commitment to construct all new buildings to achieve LEED certification, the company began working with suppliers and manufacturers to test and modify new and existing products that would help the company achieve its energy and environmental goals. The intent was to mitigate risk by eliminating unintended consequences and quantifying the costs and benefits. The need for financial certainty was particularly important, since Tridel was also setting up a green loan program with the Toronto Atmospheric Fund to finance the upgrade costs. Six years later, Tridel’s buildings have been significantly transformed, particularly with respect to the HVAC systems. This is largely because of the work the company did with manufacturers to improve product integration.

While Tridel was integrating new energy-efficient products and systems, the MaRS Discovery District emerged as an innovation hub, with a global reputation in downtown Toronto.

Tridel and MaRS have now established a collaboration that will act as a channel, linking Canada’s green building technologies and the high-rise real estate sector. The result will be a series of in-situ living labs in Toronto’s high-rise buildings, managed in part by Tower Labs @ MaRS, a new not-for-profit.

Tower Labs’ mission is to accelerate the adoption of clean and renewable low-impact technologies, products, and materials by the building sector. Supporting this mission, Tower Labs will focus on

identifying green building technology priorities and working with real estate clients, like Tridel, to field-test new products and approaches in client tower “labs.”

Increasing the industry’s knowledge of new products and new approaches will naturally help to increase their adoption. For while there may be inertia when it comes to trying something new for the first time, there is huge potential for mimicry within the industry once something has been shown to work.

By demonstrating how well new green measures work in practice, Tower Labs @ MaRS aims to create a ripple effect in the industry, stimulating further adoption of approaches that will reduce the environmental impact of our built environment. I look forward to writing about this work in future columns.

Jamie James is a Founder of Tower Labs and 350 Capital and advises Tridel on sustainability. James also serves as a Director of the Canada Green Building Council.

Tridel and Tower Labs are posting the following job description as a joint “appointment” with a common purpose – to manage research and development projects and activities with a key focus on green building innovations. It is anticipated that the Innovation Manager will split his/her time between Tridel’s head office and the MaRS Discovery District office of Tower Labs. Due to the start-up nature of Tower Labs, the successful candidate will have demonstrated an entrepreneurial spirit in addition to effective management skills in a team environment and an attention to detail.

Position Requirements: • LEED Accredited Professional • Preferably a Mechanical Professional Engineer with 4 – 8 years relevant experience • Excellent verbal and written communication skills and business acumen • Self motivated and self directed • Passionate interest in achieving accomplishments in Environmental Sustainability Goals • Open and Inquisitive mind, ready to challenge status quo Position Responsibilities: • Split responsibility of working for both Tridel (Deltera) as well as Project Manager for Tower Labs.

Joint responsibilities with complementary goals and objectives between both organizations.

For more information see http://tridelcondos.blogspot.com. Qualified applicants are requested to send an electronic version of an updated CV and cover letter, indicating salary history and/or expectations, to careers@tridel.com. Please specify in the subject line and cover letter that you are applying for the Tridel-Tower Labs position.

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Effective Ventilation in Large Homes

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By esearch from the 1990s by John CMHC and Godden Ontario Hydro revealed the inefficiencies of air-handling equipment.

As with most issues in residential construction, things are slow to evolve. Twenty-five years later, with the advent of ENERGY STAR and smart metres, electrical energy conservation is a central focus for residential ventilation. Keep the five principles of good ventilation in mind as you read on: motor and blower efficiency; right sizing; ductwork performance; intelligent controls; and quiet operation.

An ENERGY STAR rating deals with a best-in-class rating in a given product category based on third-party testing. In categories where product improvement has been slow, ENERGY STAR describes low levels of energy performance. Section 9.32 of the Ontario Building Code (OBC) allows for exhaust-only ventilation based on the “capacity” of a fan and not its actual performance. Houses in Ontario are becoming more airtight, which begs the question: Can exhaust fans provide the continuous ventilation required for the occupant’s health? ENERGY STAR exhaust fans are a mandatory requirement in ENERGY STAR

Version 4.0 and LEED Canada homes. ENERGY STAR piggy backs on OBC 9.32 and only requires flow determination on HRV/ERVs, which is rarely executed properly. LEED does something different, and rewards builders with up to five points for installing, performance testing, and controlling HRV/ERVs and exhaust fans.

In measuring the flows of exhaust fans, we discover how they actually work. Not all ENERGY STAR fans are created equal.

Initially the bar has been set quite low: – 1.4 CFM/WATT. That is, a 50 CFM bathroom fan could use up to 70 watts. Panasonic is the first manufacturer to use DC motor technology and, as a result, achieves performance, fan efficiency, and quiet operation. The Whisper Green ™ bathroom exhaust fan achieves 9.8 CFM/WATT at less than 0.3 sones. Panasonic’s noise reduction is unmatched and is so low it sometimes cannot be measured. And it has smart controls, such as motion sensors, which run at higher speeds during occupancy and shut off after a timed delay. The DC blower motor not only saves electricity, but also allows for constant airflow. During installation, the biggest variables are the configuration of duct work and vent terminations. When

the Whisper Green™ faces more static, or crushed or improperly sized duct work, it speeds up to maintain airflow.

In the mechanical design of Teddington’s Lawrence Park home, exhaust-ducted ERVs are connected to each bathroom for ventilation. Fresh air is supplied back to each heating zone via five air-handling systems. In larger bathrooms, HRV/ERVs do not have the capacity to handle larger loads. Some ensuite bathrooms can be 300 to 500 sq. ft. in size, housing large shower stalls, steam rooms, saunas, and whirlpools.

A variable speed higher- capacity fan is required for this application.

Air displacement requires an exhaust stream and “make up air.” If the ensuite bathroom door is closed, how will a normal exhaust fan deal with excess humidity?

The Panasonic fan can actually pull against the undercut on the door. The passive or trickle vent, used in Europe, is another feature of the Teddington home. This passive vent allows up to 18 CFM to “wash” down walls in the bathroom zone, allowing for displacement. It could also be used in the bedrooms, to deliver fresh air with an exhaust-only ventilation system.

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The OBC mandates HRV/ERV installation for homes with five or more bedrooms.

Parts larger, Namesmore and Dimensions Most airtight homes are not receiving adequate ventilation through exMain Body haust-only ventilation systems.Outside The Hood approach should be to follow the five principles of effective ventilation. Sizing is based on capacity, but measuring the actual performance on the system, ensuring quiet operation, and installing intelligent controls is what gives us effective ventilation in larger homes.

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SBM winter 2010

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STEP Right Up to the Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program

A

By Tim Van Seters

wide array of environmental technologies is introduced into the marketplace every year. Many of these offer innovative solutions for improving the environment and our standard of living. However, adoption of the technologies is often slow, because of a lack of information on performance and cost effectiveness, as well as the perceived risk associated with implementing new products or practices.

The multi-agency Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program (STEP), led by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), was introduced in 2004 to help address these issues and accelerate the process of adoption.

The programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major objectives are to monitor and evaluate clean water, air, and

18 SBM winter 2010

energy technologies with respect to the environment and human health, and to work with municipal partners and other groups to address barriers, develop guidelines,

and foster broader implementation of the technologies.

Evaluations are conducted according to established scientific protocols, with an

celerate the acceptance and implementation of new green technologies.

For more information on STEP, or to see the results of ongoing and completed technology evaluations, visit the program website at www.sustainabletechnologies.ca.

Tim Van Seters is Manager of the Sustainable Technologies Evaluation Program at the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. independent review on publications. The results are available on the program website.

In the early years of the program, evaluations and outreach activities were largely focused on storm-water management and water conservation practices, such as green roofs and rainwater harvesting. The program has since been expanded to include assessments of renewable energy and green building technologies.

The Archetype Sustainable House at the TRCA’s Kortright Centre, in Vaughan, is the primary location for the program’s green building technology evaluations.

Constructed in 2007, the two semi-detached houses were designed to be a model for the next generation of green homes and provide a learning facility for trades, students, homeowners, and builders. House A features technologies the average homeowner could implement today in terms of renovations or new construction. House B hosts newer technologies that are still being tested, but may become practical options for homeowners in the near future.

As part of the monitoring program, the two houses have been instrumented with monitoring devices and a central data acquisition and web-based reporting system.

Building performance is being evaluated with regard to thermal performance of the building envelope, net energy consumption and production (that is, energy balance), greenhouse gas emissions, and water conservation. Costs and savings related to individual technologies and materials are also being assessed, relative to conventional alternatives to determine pay-back periods and assign a dollar value to the energy and water conservation data.

Ultimately, monitoring evaluations are meant to provide factual, independent information on technologies that will help address concerns and show how the technologies can be applied to optimize benefits. Through best-practice recommendations and outreach, the program helps to foster interest, overcome barriers, and ac-

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Versatile, Sustainably Sourced Accoya

Now Available from Upper Canada Forest Products

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reated from sustainably sourced softwood, Accoya® rivals or exceeds tropical hardwoods when it comes to durability, stability and aesthetic impact. The leading-edge technology behind Accoya optimizes the wood’s performance through a non-toxic process known as acetylation, which alters the wood’s structure. The result is a pure, natural wood product with an extended lifespan that maintains the highest performance standards while reducing its environmental impact.

For most types of exterior applications as well as projects where energy conservation and sustainability are important, Accoya is a smart alternative to treated woods and increasingly scarce tropical hardwoods.

Upper Canada Forest Products, a division of the UCS Forest Group of Companies and Canada’s premier distributor of specialty wood products, has added Accoya to its product line. Accoya is now available from all of Upper Canada Forest Products’ Canadian distribution centers.

The performance of Accoya and its green credentials align with UCFP’s commitment to providing top-of-the-line materials to customers in the millworker, building and design industry.

UCS Forest Group of Companies is known as Sierra Forest Products in the United States: Chicago, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Denver, Upper Canada Forest Products in Canada: Toronto, Calgary, Kelowna and Vancouver and UCS Global Internationally.

Outstanding Strength, Performance and Durability Accoya is reliably strong, and its hardness is greatly improved through the acetylation process. The result is a wood that

Exterior Shading - UoF: Accoya was chosen for adjustable exterior shading devices by the University of Florida for their entry in the Solar Decathlon, an international design competition.

20 SBM winter 2010

Decking - Private Home, USA: This LEED-H Green Life Smart Life showcase home in Nararangansett, Rhode Island used Accoya with a clear polyurethane coating for the front porch and steps and rear deck; the use of Accoya contributed to the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s LEED-H status by adding points in the Materials & Resources category.

does not compromise its bending strength.

Accoya also provides improved dimensional stability as a result of the acetylation process. This process increases the acetyl content of the wood beyond the 2.0 to 4.5% found in the most durable hardwoods. Resisting swelling and shrinkage in both radial and tangential directions, Accoya is proven to minimize swelling caused by moisture uptake by as much as 70 to 80%. From extremely dry to water-saturated conditions, Accoya provides outstanding dimensional stability, an ideal attribute when used in an application where fit can be the leading cause of problems, such as in window and door applications.

Testing in a variety of conditionsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including above ground, below ground and in waterâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;reveals that Accoya offers exceptional durability even in the toughest weather scenarios. Categorized as Class 1 durability, this performance is supported by a 50-year guarantee for applications above ground and a 25-year guarantee for below ground applications.

The dimensional stability and durability of Accoya makes the product apt for uses such as windows, doors and siding. Requiring less maintenance over time, all major coating systems can be used on Accoya with exceptional results. Because of its sta-

ble surface, coatings are able to adhere to the wood better, with paints and varnishes lasting three to four times longer in extensive studies. Long-term tests with various coating systems reveal that the acetylated wood outperforms untreated wood, showing significantly less cracking, flaking and

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erosion than the untreated wood after 9 _ years of exposure. While the UV resistant qualities of Accoya make a wider range of color coating options possible, the woodâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural beauty also lasts longer compared to other woods, even in exposed conditions.

Whereas most woods are affected by rot

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SBM winter 2010

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Cladding and Siding - Private Residence Renovation, USA: Renovating this 1960s private residence in Arizona, both finished and unfinished Accoya was used on the roof as well as the floor.

and degradation caused by insects and fungi, Accoya is an effective barrier to these threats, making it a longer-lasting product than standard tropical hardwoods or other wood alternatives. Indigestible to insects, Accoya deters insects and micro-organisms and, as a result, does not decay. Additional-

ly, Accoya is virtually rot-proof.

With reduced thermal conductivity, Accoya is ideal for uses where energy conservation is critical; these uses include windows and cladding, among others. A userfriendly product, Accoya is easy to machine and extremely versatile in its applications.

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22 SBM winter 2010

Moreover, its long-lasting lifecycle and low maintenance result in significantly lower costs over the long term.

An Adaptable Solution for a Range of Applications From extreme dry desert heat to plummeting temperatures and wet conditions, from above ground to underground placement, Accoya withstands a variety of external environments while retaining its appearance and performance record. Because of this, the applications for Accoya run the gamut from doors to furniture, cladding and siding to decking and even boat building. Accoya has been put to the test in projects globally, proving its ability to endure a range of environmental conditions and a plethora of uses.

Due to its low thermal conductivity, Accoya is frequently used for window frames.

It has been applied in new homes in the Netherlands, a lighthouse in the Republic of Ireland and a private residence in Greece.

Given the product’s dimensional stability, windows and doors are not affected by swelling and can be used with ease. In projects from Thailand to the United Kingdom, Accoya has also been used for shutters and louvers. No matter the design aesthetic, Accoya contributes natural beauty that is low-main-

Windows and Doors - New Homes, the Netherlands: In the Netherlands, Accoya was used to create wood standard windows and large window frames for a project that included 51 family houses and 119 apartments.

tenance and durable. Its dimensional stability and UV resistanceâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which contribute to a lower cost over the lifecycle of the building or projectâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;also make it an excellent material for cladding, siding and facades.

Similarly, decks are an area where natural beauty, strength and performance are crucial; Accoya exceeds all these standards in deck applications. Plus, its non-toxicity makes it safe for people and pets as well as the environment.

More non-traditional uses of Accoya have spanned from a heavily-trafficked road bridge in the Netherlands and an ornamental bridge in China to canal linings, marina decking, rowing boats, flowerbeds and outdoor furniture. With its strength and versatility, the uses for Accoya are limited only by imagination.

Uncompromised Sustainability Standards Compared to other building materials such as concrete, plastic and steel, wood offers a number of advantages. In addition to its natural beauty and range of applications, it is a sustainable, recyclable, reusable and biodegradable resource. Whereas products such as steel, plastic and concrete require gas and petroleum for production, wood is a naturally renewable. Furthermore, Accoya is produced from fast-growing softwoods, which helps to preserve limited tropical hardwoods.

Accoya was recently awarded the prestigious Cradle-to-Cradle Gold level certifica-

tion. On a cradle-to-gate basis, which measures environmental impact from manufacturing to just before the final transpor-

tation of the product, Accoya is incredibly competitive. Compared to market rivals including aluminum, steel, and unsustain-

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Windows and Doors - Grand Designs Home, UK: Two doors and eight windows made from Accoya were included in this sustainable home which was built live on UK television by renowned Grand Designs presenter, Kevin McCloud.

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ably sourced cedar, Accoya results in significantly less greenhouse gas emissions. From a cradle-to-grave perspective, which measures the impact of the full product lifecycle through disposal, Accoya also excels due to its non-toxicity, long lifespan, and ability to be recycled or reused without releasing adverse chemicals or toxins into the environment.

As a natural insulator, wood also reduces energy use while simultaneously mitigating the effects of global warming by acting as a carbon sink. The process of creating Accoya does not release harmful chemicals or compounds into the environment. Unlike other products that insert chemical preservatives such as oil, ammonia or heavy metal compounds into the wood, the production of Accoya does not add any elements to the wood that do not already naturally exist in it. Standing out from these other products, the creation of Accoya does not result in harmful byproducts; instead, the acetylation process produces a small amount of beneficial fertilizer which is reused.

The Solution to Today’s Building Needs With the addition of Accoya to its product offerings, Upper Canada Forest Products reinforces its commitment to supplying exceptional materials that perform well and meet responsible forestry practices. With its sustainable sourcing, Accoya is readily – and reliably—available. From sun to snow and traditional to non-traditional applications, Accoya offers versatility, strength and durability while providing a sustainable alternative to the unsustainable use of tropical hardwoods.

To learn more about Accoya, visit http:// www.Accoya.com. For more information on Upper Canada Forest Products, go to http:// www.ucsforestgroup.com.

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25

COVER STORY

Very Big and Very Green Teddington Homes Set a New Standard in Lawrence Park basement, is a rarity: a 5,000-square-foot. plus home targeting LEED Silver (and, very large, very green luxury home quite possibly, Gold) certification. in one of Torontoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exclusive The home is in Lawrence Park, one of neighbourhoods is raising the bar the most affluent communities in Cana for sustainability. da characterized by rolling hills, parks a The two-storey residence, with 6,000 ravine and winding streets. Lots are deep sq. ft. of living space on the main two but narrow, and the homes include a mix floors, plus another 4,000 in the walkout of English cottage, Tudor Revival, Geor-

A

By Tracy Hanes

High performance windows necessary for comfort and energy savings

26 SBM winter 2010

Reza Hosseinian (Teddington Homes Inc.) and Thomas Moore (Thomas Moore Architect)

gian, and Colonial styles, with most built between 1910 and 1940. The neighbourhood is popular for redevelopment, and the LEED-targeted Georgian-style home is replacing an older but also massive house on the same lot.

For builder Teddington Homes and Toronto architect Thomas Moore, the project posed an interesting challenge and the op-

Exterior wall detailing necessary for maximum durability

Styrofoam insulation used against basement wall for moisture management

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27

Pressure testing of attic duct systems to reduce energy losses

portunity to bring sustainable principles to a large-scale custom project.

“It’s our office’s first LEED project and, to my surprise, I learned it’s one of the first substantial residential projects of this type around,” said Reza Hosseinian, a principal in Teddington Homes, along with his father Javad Hosseinian.

The company was formed in 2007 by the Hosseinians, who had been building under a different name with other partners. Javad has been building high-end, custom homes in the Toronto area since the late 1980s. Both father and son are familiar with the principles for energy efficiency.

Reza, who holds a master’s degree in physical sciences and an undergraduate degree in environmental science, joined his father in 2000, to help grow the business, with aims to increase the volume of homes, the style, and the calibre. “Thomas Moore got us excited about LEED,” says Reza. “And there was an opportunity for us to work with him, as he had a client with the desire and the means to have a LEED home. We decided to go for it.”

Though Teddington had been practicing a high standard of construction, the Hosseinians, who have an interest in the environ-

28 SBM winter 2010

ment and sustainability, saw the LEED project as a learning opportunity to further incorporate green practices into their business. Beyond quality construction, they had to think about sustainable site development, water and energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor air quality.

Architect Moore became sold on LEED after attending green seminars at an architecture conference in May 2009. “I got excited about applying the LEED program to a project when I realized LEED was at the infancy stage in residential work,” Moore explains.

He suggested his Lawrence Park client consider LEED for their new house after reading a newspaper article about an extensively renovated home in nearby Moore Park that was targeting LEED, and had attracted a buyer because of the green factor. As it turned out, the Lawrence Park client knew the owner of the renovated home.

“It tweaked his interest,” says Moore. “He talked to the other homeowner and was impressed it could be a straightforward technical process, but said ‘I still want to build the house I want.’ He was sympathetically green but practical.”

The first step for Teddington was to “find out what LEED was all about, and the steps we needed to qualify. Way before construction started, from the window supplier to the HVAC contractor to the plumber, we had to meet with each individual contractor and brainstorm with them,” says Reza.

And the client didn’t want to pay for unproven products or things that didn’t make sense. Originally, the plan was to include geothermal heating and triple-glazed windows. Both those ideas were discarded upon further investigation, even though the heating system ducts had already been designed for geothermal. “Geothermal was a $100,000 extra with a 30-year payback, which made no sense,” says Moore, who also says energy modelling by three separate experts all yielded the same conclusion. The choice of a central natural gas boiler resulted from a computer simulation that revealed the electrical heat pump would actually cost $112 more to operate annually.

“We scrapped geothermal in the middle of the process after all the ducts were designed for it,” said Hosseinian. “We tried to get the same LEED rating, but using different equipment.” That involved installing a modulating boiler and a five-zoned air-handling distribution system, which only operates at its highest capacity when needed.

“The ducting used had to be completely sealed. There were a lot of ducts, and it was quite complicated. But, when we did the pressure test, we had minimal leakage, and minimum energy loss,” says Reza.

Originally, solar panels hadn’t been part of the plan, but photovoltaics were added,

along with solar hot water preheating, heating and drain water heat recovery. A greywater recycling system was added to re-use drain water to flush toilets.

Triple-glazed windows would have been $30,000 extra, which translated to only $149 in annual savings. Moore says double glazing has improved dramatically, challenging the need for triple glazing, and he discovered no LEED-certified commercial buildings have used triple glazing.

All lumber used was FSC certified and pre-cut exactly to each dimension, avoiding on-site wasted wood. “I’ve never seen such a quiet construction site,” observes Moore.

“All that cutting was not necessary, and there wasn’t the constant whine of saws.”

Insulation played a major role in achieving LEED points. For example, the home’s R32 walls were well above the code requirement of R19. “The insulation value is well beyond what code requires,” explains Reza.

“In this process, we had to pay attention to the layers of insulation and make sure they fit properly and not squeezed in. Using more rigid mineral wool batts helped.”

One of the big challenges was lighting.

Large energy-efficient custom homes can use more energy for lighting than for space heating. The homeowner has an art collection and wanted it properly illuminated. Moore spent a lot of time working with D2S, a res-

Shielding erected to protect existing trees. Backyard location of 10 000 liter rain water harvester which catches 50% of rain water for irrigation purposes

idential lighting designer and supplier, to come up with the best solution. While the home uses some LED and CFL lighting, the quality of illumination was not the same as halogen, and not acceptable to the client.

“In the commercial world, LED fixtures are well advanced in terms of size, design, and style, but are not there in the residential world,” said Moore. “They don’t have enough ‘cone,’ so they tend to be very direct and somewhat beam-like.”

Moore specified a new generation of M16 halogen bulbs, which use less electricity and last 5,000 hours. The home’s automation system can monitor dimming and will limit the wattage of the bulbs to 80 per cent of their maximum. However, they did sacrifice one LEED point, because the M16 didn’t meet the specs.

“The homeowners are spending extra money now, realizing they will get a return on their investment (in terms of energy savings) in 10 years,” says Reza. “Aside from that, while LEED is not popular now, it will become popular, and this house will have extra resale value attached.”

One of the constant challenges for Teddington was maintaining production timelines. “Going LEED took twice as long as a regular project this size.

It was extremely time- challenging,” notes Reza. Moore says a LEED project requires

Open web trusses conserve wood and allow for concealed mechanical systems

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From left to right: Chris Gilmore (John LIoyd & Associates), Maz Shakour and Reza Hosseinian (Teddington Homes Inc.), John Godden (Clearsphere), Thomas Moore and Paul Tran (Thomas Moore Architect)

more discipline, scheduling, and organization, “and you have to bring all the parties together regularly, which adds at least a week. Some products require advanced ordering, too, and if they are not ready, there can be delays.” And, there’s more inspection work and more documentation.

Moore was enthused about the necessary teamwork involved: “It’s an integrated approach with all disciplines participating, and it’s great to have everyone involved, from the owner to the subcontractors. It’s very dynamic. There was a nice spirit of teamwork.” He estimates that building LEED gold cost the homeowner just 8 per cent more than it would have to build it to

30 SBM winter 2010

Ontario Building Code standard.

Additional insights the Housseinians will take away from this project and make standard practice on their homes going forward include using mineral wool batt (Roxul) insulation, requiring all their contractors to be responsible for reducing their own waste, and value engineering all the framing lumber to be delivered pre-cut to spec.

“After 20 years of building homes, the calibre of our homes has improved a lot, and now we are eco building, too,” Reza points out. “I have a degree in environmental sciences, and it was my father who encouraged me to get into the field. Now he’s delighted we’re using environmentally friendly tech-

nology in our homes.”

The Hosseinians, both father and son, will put the LEED experience they gained on this house to use on future projects. “We are certainly going to implement a lot of the upgrades we learned from LEED. If we can significantly reduce our homes’ carbon emissions – and this house saves 9.5 tonnes of greenhouse gas per year when we compare code-built – then why not do it?” says Reza.

Teddington will now offer LEED packages as an option to future clients, for homeowners who want the green upgrade.

To find out more about Teddington Homes, visit www.Teddington.ca

We fully support Teddington Homes Green Building Initiatives and we congratulate them on their outstanding achievements

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Ontario’s Renewable Energy Industry

By Constantine Eliadis

O

ntario has historically built its own enormous and expensive generating stations and then charged consumers below-cost prices for electricity, racking up enormous debts that to be paid through additional charges on electricity bills for more than 10 years. Ontarians seem to like low prices, even if they are getting their other pocket picked in the process.

In 2010, this traditional process has been turned inside-out. The Ontario Power Authority (OPA), directed by the province, is now signing 20-year deals with private developers for homegrown solar (photovoltaic or solar PV) electricity and paying them up to 10 times the market price.

Ontario’s Feed-In-Tariff or FIT program is the instrument by which this is happening, and it has created frenetic activity as project developers scramble to find capital to finance their FIT-eligible projects and the roof-tops they need to park them on.

These are the two key ingredients (along with a 60 per cent domestic content requirement) necessary to get applications

32 SBM winter 2010

approved and to lock in 20-year contracts with the government.

Suddenly everyone wants to be in the electricity business. More than 1,000 FIT applications have been submitted, representing approximately 2,600 MW. This is equivalent to some 10 per cent of Ontario’s current grid capacity.

A closer examination of the industry, the economy, and the environment, may make a market experiment like FIT seem a reasonable means to an end, albeit an expensive one at the outset. There is a cost to changing a paradigm. Ontario’s electricity infrastructure needs a shake up as much of it on its last legs. Estimates of $60 billion are frequently tossed about as the price tag to renew it. That’s really big money. So, Ontario urgently needs an alternative to paying that bill.

Maybe there’s something in a program like FIT that could help kick-start a new power generation industry, and, in the process, lessen Ontario’s reliance on (and need to fix) its aging infrastructure. The theory is sound, but, like any experiment, it takes time to see the results and assess the costs.

This summer, Potentia Energy landed FIT contracts (22 of them in fact) with the OPA to build such projects and sell the electricity to the grid. Potentia Energy is one of the more successful developers in the province, according to the OPA’s published list of companies. It has a build/own/operate model for onsite renewable and clean energy. It essentially leases roof space and undertakes to construct and operate the system. Chris Asimakis, President of Potentia Energy, points out that “these projects represent a $25-million injection in the Ontario economy in materials and labour, and, unlike ‘mega-plants,’ these projects will be producing power in months, not years.” In fact, a requirement of the FIT program is that renewable power generation must start within three years. “Ontario’s electricity grid is strained to the max on the hottest days of the summer, when air conditioners are humming,” notes Asimakis. “And because moving electricity around the province is also a real problem, this local power generation further lowers the need for significant infrastructure investment.”

While it will clearly come at significant cost, Ontario has made considerable commitments to reduce electricity consumption and to promote clean and green electricity generation technologies. The government has also recently announced that it will assign conservation targets to all Ontario electric utilities as a condition of their distribution licence. This is an unprecedented development in the sector and demonstrates the strength of the government’s commitment to the environmental agenda. For the next four years, the government has set a target is 1,330 MW of peak electricity demand reduction (about 5 per cent of the current electricity system capacity) from conservation programs delivered by local electric utilities across the province, funded by the Ontario Power Authority and paid for by Ontario electricity ratepayers.

Regardless of where you stand on the climate change issue, there are demonstrable benefits to making Ontario a smarter and more efficient user of electricity.

(1) It makes Ontario more competitive in the global marketplace.

(2) It eliminates greenhouse gases and pollution, which makes Ontario a more desirable place to live, and a more attractive trading and political partner to the world.

(3) It lowers the impact of power gen-

eration on health and associated healthcare costs.

The ambitious goals and policies entrenched in the Green Energy and Economy Act (2009) puts Ontario on the map as a world leader in conservation and renewable energy.

In response to a question about concerns over the costs of the FIT program and other high-cost initiatives, Asimakis took a page from Sir Nicholas Stern, who wrote the pre-eminent report on the costs of climate change. “The utilization of fossil fuel is the biggest market failure of all time.”

He aimed this pointed remark at the longstanding subsidies and distorted fossil fuel policies and pricing. If the actual costs of producing fossil fuels were embedded in the price (the true costs are currently not captured in the commodity fuel price, such as the cost of environmental degradation and health-care costs), the “alternatives” would be cheap in comparison.

These initiatives are not without risk,

“

but non-action is clearly riskier. The government subsidies in the FIT program are being used for the good of the environment, the economy, and the population.

By accelerating the technology diffusion curve (or the market uptake) for solar PV technology, we will, hopefully, see these sorts of projects be initiated much sooner on their own business case.

Ontario’s artificially low electricity prices are THE biggest barrier to mainstream renewable energy in the province.

So, any alternative that would see electrical cost quadruple may be more effective, but much less desirable in that it would cause an entirely different kind of “FIT” in Ontario.

The utilization of fossil fuel is the biggest market failure of all time

”

Constantine Eliadis has worked in Ontario’s electricity sector for more than a decade and is Principal of Akrivos Inc., a management consultancy in the energy sector. He is a Director of Sustainable Buildings Canada. He is also a contributing editor to Building Strategies & Sustainability Magazine.

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Finished home with solar panels on roof.

Small, Green, and Big Enough for Families to Prosper

H

By Staff

abitat for Humanity has been quietly building some on the greenest and most energy-efficient small homes in Ontario for lower-income families. Two projects in Peterborough, one in Keswick, and now one planned for Brampton, are pushing the limits of R-values and sustainability. By design, Habitat does not build large homes; in fact, it maximizes every inch of its homes and keeps them all well under 1,500 sq.ft.

Given the great work that BILD and other organizations have done to promote Habitat, most people in the industry are likely quite familiar with the Habitat building process: it has a few key experts who lead

Preparing solar panels.

34 SBM winter 2010

an army of enthusiastic volunteers, some very skilled, some not. Then Habitat families provide sweat equity and pay market value for their homes, getting their mortgage from Habitat itself.

In Keswick, work is now complete on a 912-sq.ft. bungalow built using a baby version of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;super-studâ&#x20AC;? wall system, allowing for thermally broken stick framing of wall studs that created a seven-inch wall cavity for added insulation. Together with BPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s R4 sheathing, this combination made for an R32 wall assembly. A partnership between Air Max industries and Direct Energy has been formed at the Keswick project, and a new 98 per cent efficient Energy Star-rated Flow Max dual-purpose water heater was donated to the Habitat house. That way, Direct Energy can monitor it for consideration as a future rental.

The house also features a high-efficiency vanEE heat recovery ventilation unit (HRV), with an ECM motor and a platinum control donated by Air Solutions. The home has solar and combo heating, and rates a 30 on the HERS scale (or approximately 85 - with 3 kW of PV - on the EnerGuide Scale). The total predicted space and domestic hot-water heating costs via natural gas are $385 a year. The home is targeted for a LEED Platinum certification.

LEED Gold designations are being sought for the two homes with the Towerhill Project in Peterborough. These homes had the usual green upgrades for energy,

water, and IAQ, but such homes also require that the homeowner be educated and better prepared to maintain them going forward.

During the first year, Habitat partnered with the homeowners, where they learned the maintenance issues involved in HRV filter cleaning, how to use programmable thermostats in winter and summer, how to adjust duct flow, and to refrain from using toxic paints and finishes in the air-tight homes.

Also in Peterborough, Habitat partnered with Fleming College, to undertake the construction of a LEED Platinum certification home, one of the greenest and most sustainable homes in Canada. Far from being a collection of green add-ons to a conventional build, this home was designed from the ground up, to make the most sustainable choices at every opportunity.

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Infloor radiant heat.

Locally fabricated straw bale structurally insulated panels (SIPs) are the main feature of this home. These innovative SIPs are made of renewable material and cost a fraction of the price of traditional panels, with greater reliability and consistency of finish. Triple-

Moving steel roofing structure.

glazed windows and R70+ cellulose insulation in the attic make this one of the most thermally resistant envelopes in Canada.

The building features solar hot-water preheating and an on-demand boiler for highperformance domestic hot water. The boiler

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separately provides in-floor radiant heating, augmented with forced-air heating, when needed. A five kW photovoltaic array is gridtied through the microFIT program to bring overall energy use close to net zero.

The entire project was built without using any toxic materials or finishes on the interior. Building materials included magnesium oxide wallboard, local clay plasters, and local or FSC-certified wood. Adhesives, caulking, paints, and all surface treatments were non-off-gassing or non-toxic to the occupants. The building produced 80 per cent less construction waste than a typical home, due to diligent source separation and diversion to recycling and reuse.

Finally, Habitat Brampton is in the final planning stages of its large project. Fourteen attached homes will be built to near or net zero standards, using the full 11-inch version of the super stud to produce an R48 wall on 24-inch centeres. Leased PV will be installed on the roofs.

With Habitat making very successful overtures into the upper reaches of the green spectrum across the GTA, it begs the question: If low-income families are eager to pay market value for very green upgrades on these small homes, why is it the rest of the industry thinks it deserves a sales and marketing award for selling a $4,000 Energy Star upgrade on an $800,000 McMansion?

Strawbale walls.

Green Architect Makes the Case for Smaller Homes

I

n the 1950s, the average house had 300 sq.ft. of floor space for every family member. By 2003, a study in the Journal of Industrial Ecology showed that number had tripled to almost 893 sq.ft. per person. Proportionately, the average household in those days had 3.6 family members: two parents and 1.6 kids. By 2007, the average household had shrunk to 2.6 people, and, yet, houses were bigger and consumed more energy.

Recently, I sat down with Dean Goodman of Levitt Goodman Architects, and discussed the question of home size. Goodman has been featured in several magazines for building his own green home, as well as a number of other green projects.

He feels there is no real difference between a “green” and a “sustainable” house. In fact, he feels it is important not to differentiate between the two terms. If a client has decided to build a larger home, the team involved (architect, engineers, and builder) should work together to make it as sustainable as possible.

Goodman corroborates these statistical trends. His own family home had about 300 sq.ft. per person. Goodman says he’s noticed the growth in building size in his practice, yet is not following this path. He feels it’s important to discuss all options with clients who wish to build a sustainable home, including considering making the home smaller. Goodman raises the issue of a home’s size with clients because, by definition, a 3,500-sq.ft. building uses less resources than a 4,000-sq.ft. one.

“It takes energy and resources to make a hunk of wire or a piece of ductwork, and you can save them by reducing the size,” he notes.

This, in turn, saves money for the client on several levels: the reduction saves material costs and energy costs necessary to transport the material. The biggest saving is seen with the long-term energy costs of heating, cooling, and lighting that space for that building’s life.

Goodman points out that even if the client is resolute in wanting a larger home, there are still many ways of making that home more sustainable. He says North Americans have a mantra to keep costs down that says “cheaper is better,” but in his experience, that’s not true. It’s neither economical nor is it in any way sustainable.

“If you are going to install windows that last eight or 10 years and the alternative are units have a 30-year lifetime guarantee, then even if the is cost twice as much, you save 33 per cent over the lifecycle of that product,” he explains.

“Most of the homes that we call sustainable are still the custom-built larger homes.

But, many of the mass-produced homes are trying to be greener, despite the fact that they’re stuck in the marketplace, where they

compete only on price.

The solution may be for By government to take a Sam larger role in sustainable Goldberg building,” says Goodman, and, most often, the math simply does not add up.

“In several European countries, if you demolish an existing building the builder is responsible for the recycling of all the materials. Likewise if the government here also mandated such sustainability, then we would all build totally differently.

Goodman noted that while the original builder may or may not be around 70 or 80 years later, the appliance maker, furnace manufacture, wiring companies and others with shorter lifecycles should still be in business and should have an obligation to take back their materials at the end of their usable life. Goodman cites North American companies like Interface Carpet, which takes back its products and recycles. This company is being environmentally responsible and turning a tidy profit.

He suggests that if we look at the full environmental impact of the goods we manufacture, we would radically change the building industry. Currently, North American pipe and wire have a hard time trying to compete with offshore products, where labour costs are substantially lower. “If there was an upfront charge for the environmental impact of the transportation, the carbon, and the degradation of the environment, it may make North American manufacturers more cost and quality competitive,” he notes.

Since cost is such a big factor in building

homes, why don’t we include the full costs? Goodman suggests that we need to include all of the inputs to get the true cost of building. “We talk about buying food ‘grown local,’ so why not ‘locally sourced’ building materials?” Goodman ponders.

Along the same lines, Goodman states we should also be prepared to pay the real cost of energy and not a government subsidized amount. That alone would impact the type of homes we build.

In the end, Goodman acknowledges there are going to be consumers who want large green luxury homes, yet he feels sustainability is about all the collective choices you make.”

In choosing materials for the home builders he asks: “Is the product local? What is the longevity of the product? When designing lighting, do we consider the type of light?”

Goodman thinks we can still learn from the builders in the 17th and 18th centuries in terms of how they designed to maximize on natural light, and natural heating and cooling.

Goodman stresses that the knowledge and the experience to build better homes exists. And, regardless of the size of home being built, we need to make it sustainable, which, for Goodman, includes asking: “Do you think we could we make this a bit smaller?”

Sam Goldberg established Canada’s first biodiesel retail outlet in 2003. Since then has been involved in energy conservation, green construction and renewable energy development.

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H

Solar Site Planning

istory, it seems, has a way of repeating itself. The first known solar-planned cities of Greece, in around the fourth century BC, was a reaction to fuBy el wood scarcity, heavy taxation, and usage reAshley strictions, in other Smith words, an energy crisis.

Similarly, the first modern wave of German solar site planning came about after the Second World War, when the Ruhr District, the source of most of the nation’s coal, was occupied by the Allies leaving the German population without a steady source of energy. It is now the beginning of the 21st century, and global society is beginning to understand that it’s on the verge of yet another energy (and environmental) crisis.

The ancient Greek city of Olynthus is the oldest known, formally planned solar development. Sitting at similar latitude

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to New York and Chicago, the Olynthus street grid is laid out on the cardinal directions, with each home oriented to open southward. The homes are a townhouse style, with a common foundation and a recessed second storey, to allow ample winter sunlight to the main floor. Streets and rows of homes were spaced so that, true to Greek egalitarian philosophy, each received equal access to winter solar gains.

In the two millennia that have followed this period, there has been very little in the way of solar planning policy or identification of solar rights at the same scale. This is a shame, because solar site planning calculations are easy. In Ontario, space heating accounts for just under half of the residential energy budget, which is on the order of 200-300 kWh/m2 per annum. Research carried out by NRCan, in conjunc-

tion with CMHC, has shown that solar passive design can reduce a home’s heating demand by up to 50 per cent compared to a traditionally designed home with no solar considerations (NRCan: Tap the Sun, 1998). This presents an opportunity for significant reduction in residential energy demand through passive design strategies and would appear to be an area in need of greater collaboration amongst planners, architects, and engineers.

A RETScreen model comparing a thermal envelope of a home built to OBC levels with a thermal envelope built to Passive House levels and proper solar orientation shows a 74.8 per cent reduction in spaceheating requirement for the latter. A second model carried out on the same building with Ontario Building Code standards, and with the total area of glazing and the direction of windows optimized, still yielded a 42.4 per cent reduction in space-heating requirements. RETScreen is feasibility level software, and the absolute numbers cannot be taken with confidence, but the orders of magnitude are telling. You don’t have to build to Passive House standards to achieve significant heating and cooling reduction from solar optimization.

Sustainability within the North American residential development sector has become synonymous with rating systems such as LEED® for Homes, R-2000, and Energy Star. These rating systems focus on lowering the energy demand of individual buildings largely via techniques such as improved insulation and high-efficiency appliances. These rating systems and building envelope improvements are commendable and desirable, but they seem to treat sustainable technologies as modular and do not seem to consider the site as a whole or the financial and environmental benefits which can come from an integrated approach to site design. Nearly half of a building’s space heating load can be circumvented strictly via a planning and design exercise, and these principles could be implemented by developers in their practice with relatively low costs. Maybe, its time to rethink solar site planning Ashley Smith, LEED AP, is the Sustainable Design Area Leader for The HOK Planning Group in Toronto and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biodiversity and Conservation from McGill, and a Master’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Extra reinforcing is necessary at stair locations and around the perimeter of the home or around any floor openings.

These locations will contain the concrete bond beams that give these homes their strength. If necessary, a wire conduit is run through the floor, so wires can later be fished through.

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I

By Staff

f a 17th- century builder were to wake from a long Rip Van Winklelike nap and walk onto the EnduraHome Inc. job site, he would find that many of the practices he used hundreds of years ago are still used today.

And, while the resulting esthetics and durability are largely the same, the energy efficiency is radically better these days.

With the goal of lowering the environmental impact, promoting occupant health and well-being, and ensuring the durability and the long-term sustainability of the homes it builds, EnduraHome is an example of a traditional crafts-based builder using traditional masonry building style.

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ICF foundation walls and clay blocks tie together perfectly.

Horizontal bans show the concrete bond beams and concrete floor. The only use of lumber in this home is in the roof trusses.

The entire structure is anchored with hurricane plates, giving this home the ability to withstand the pressures of hurricane-strength winds!

After all is done, our exterior walls are 18â&#x20AC;? thick and provide an R-46 insulation factor. We used EIFS cladding on the homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exterior.

Add in advanced block and insulating forms, and you get some of the best building envelopes this side of the Atlantic.

EnduraHome builds solid structural masonry buildings using clay block and insulated concrete forms (ICF). While many

Interior load-bearing walls are being laid.

This job can be done by one person, if necessary, and progresses quickly.

new buildings are likely to only last a few decades, these homes will last for centuries, without any real maintenance. Their solid masonry systems optimize the high R-value and thermal mass for heat regulation. Other advantages include no VOC materials and

finishes, sound attenuation, and humidity control. And, they are also fire-, flood- and mould-proof.

While much of the industry has looked to advanced technologies to make buildings greener, a few have stuck to tried-and-true

A view of the truss connection on the top floor, where hurricane clips are embedded into concrete bond beams. A connection is created, tying everything from the roof to the footings.

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Temporary braces are placed on the previously poured concrete floor, providing the support while the top floor is poured. The bracing will be kept in place for a few weeks while concrete sets.

building techniques, tweaking them to update their energy performance. While the air tightness and cost efficiency of using solid block walls may have changed over the years, its extreme durability and high thermal mass storage ability has remained

Eleven-centimetre clay partition blocks create rooms throughout the home. These blocks are non-load-bearing, but provide great sound insulation - a perfect solution for quick wall-building.

a constant. Using natural materials, often locally sourced, the design of cement and clay block has been improved to the point where the R-values hare greatly improved.

Ustilizing traditional artisan plastering in the interiors and exterior insulation and

finishing systems (EIFS) allow EnduraHome to offer low VOC and natural interior finishes, such as milk paints, American clay, and sand-based plaster.

EnduraHome’s unique clay-block construction is an energy efficient update of the

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Cross-section of the floor system, and how the fill blocks sit on top of the beams. The metal loops sticking up are found only at ends of beams and are pulled up by workers, allowing concrete and any extra rebar to create a stronger connection.

traditional blocks construction. They are lighter and stronger than concrete blocks, and they provide a high level of insulation due to their cellulose construction.

As we move toward the goal of net-zero of higher efficiency and lower environmental impact buildings, both new and old techniques will need to be revised and rethought. Whether it’s solar orientation, natural ventilation, thermal mass, or durability, there are traditional examples that builders can look to - and then improve upon - for tremendous results.

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After the floor is put together, wire mesh and in-floor heating pipes are laid down, and the concrete is poured.

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42 SBM winter 2010

A view of the stair underside, after plywood forms and supports have been removed. The stairs are heavily reinforced with rebar that runs side-to-side and lengthwise, tying into the block walls.

All this is finished with typical mortar plaster, then painted.

a cozy, energy-efficient home starts with PinK

s )DEAL FOR RETROlT ADDITIONS and new construction s %XCEPTIONAL MOISTURE resistance and durability s 3AVES UP TO ON HEATING and cooling costs* s 1UALIlES FOR &EDERAL AND Provincial Government grants

s 4RUSTED INSULATING PERFORMANCE s /UTSTANDING ENERGY EFlCIENCY s /VER RECYCLED CONTENT s !DDS COMFORT TO THE HOME s %ASY TO INSTALL s .ON COMBUSTIBLE s 3AFE FOR THE HOME

To learn more about why PINK FIBERGLAS ® is the insulation preferred † by most Canadian homeowners, contact your Owens Corning Area Sales Manager.

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Leger Marketing Study. THE PINK PANTHER™ & © 1964-2010 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. All Rights Reser ved. The colour PINK is a registered trademark of Owens Corning. *Actual savings vary depending on initial insulation levels, climate, house tightness, and occupant activities. 70% recycled content is based on the average recycled glass content in all Owens Corning fiberglass batts, rolls and unbonded loosefill insulation manufactured in Canada. The GREENGUARD INDOOR AIR QUALITY CERTIFIEDSM Mark is a registered certification mark used under licence through the GREENGUARD Environmental Institute. Owens Corning PINK insulation is GREENGUARD Certified for indoor air quality, except bonded loosefill products. ©2010 Owens Corning. All Rights Reserved.

SBM winter 2010

43

New Retrofit Program for Toronto Condos

R

oughly 40 per cent of Toronto residents now live in high rises and 90 per cent of new residential construction in Toronto is condominiums.

These buildings often use more energy per square foot than your average Toronto single-family house.

Utility costs can account for 30 to 40 per cent of the average condominium’s operating expenses and are the single largest controllable expense for most condos. The Toronto Atmospheric Fund’s TowerWise program is dedicated to helping condo residents get control of their energy costs with free expert advice and assistance, including the newly published Power of Green guide to improving energy efficiency (see www.TowerWise.ca).

Green Building Program for Toronto’s Youth

R

ight now, there are over 25,000 young people living in Toronto who never graduated from high school and are living on social assistance. Toronto’s youth unemployment rate is 20 per cent (twice as high as adult unemployment). Each year, over 200,000 Ontario students leave school without graduating.

YouthBuild Toronto responds to staggering statistics revealing the plight of young adults in Toronto by giving them the training and skills needed become skilled workers in green building.

YouthBuild is a youth and community development program that addresses the challenges young people face when living below the poverty line: educational attainment, skill development, employment and civic engagement.

The program includes diverse learning opportunities and participant supports to help young adults design and follow their own life and career path, through George Brown College’s Green Construction Craftworker Program. Energy retrofits, renovations, rainwater harvesting systems, waste management systems, green roofs, bike shelSBM winter 2010 44 SBM winter 2010

ters, you name it – YouthBuild will help with skilled workers, expert supervisors and community volunteers.

YouthBuild participants are young adults between the ages of 16 - 29 who have left school without graduating, are unemployed and on social assistance. Moreover, they lack the crucial supports and direction necessary to succeed. Each year, 30 youth will be selected for the full-time eight month program.

A number of urban challenges have resulted in significant demands on developers. YouthBuild Toronto offers a solid action plan to achieve results for youth, local communities, builder, and developers.

YouthBuild Toronto is currently testing the program and raising funds to support an annual budget of $500,000. Beginning in January 2011, they will launch a 3-year pilot program.

There are a number of ways the Building Community can help, either by promoting the program, partnering with it, donating to it, or volunteering to help out.

For more information, please contact: Lynsey Kissane, lkissane@georgebrown.ca o 416_415_5000 ext. 3030 • m 416_909_5101

MyHaven is a Company with a GreenVision

T

By Tracy Hanes

he impetus to be a green builder most often comes from two distinct sources: the desire to market green or to take advantage of some funding, discount, or added allotment; or from a company’s senior staff member (usually the owner) who believes they have a responsibility to act to reduce resource depletion and affect climate change. That is, it either externally or internally motivated.

Few builders fall purely into one or the other of these archetypes. But the distinction is important because the way company approaches green building is radically different for each approach.

A builder who has an externally driven market approach often focuses solely on the building product. Those more internally driven by social responsibility still must focus on the building, but will also find alternative means to be green in their business, even if those means are not really marketable or saleable.

MyHaven Homes is an example of a company that is internally driven to be green. Paul Caverly, company president, is a true believer in green and has created an overall corporate philosophy to drive sustainability. This philosophy underpins MyHaven’s building and renovating work and their corporate vision, and it manifests itself in their 37-point proprietary process, called Enviro-Logic, for green building and renovating. The guiding principles inform the choices they propose to client include: -Reducing the total cost of home or facility’s ownership -Improving energy efficiency and water conservation -Providing safer, healthier, and more productive built environments -Promoting sustainable environmental stewardship.

MyHaven facilitates clients in making green choices by providing them with options tailored to their needs and budget. Their Enviro-Logic checklist and itemized Scope of Work included with all budgets serve as a menu of green and sustainable options for clients to consider.

Below are just 10 of the 37 points that make up the MyHaven Enviro-Logic construction process.

1. Bases out of a green office that conserves resources like paper, recycles appropriately, and uses Bullfrog Power to purchase renewable power 2. Integrated design and project planning through honest communication between the owner, architect, contractor and all parties involved 3. Renovation hazard identification of materials like lead, asbestos, and mould so that they may be remediated properly 4. Detailed preliminary budgeting to closely monitor costs to prevent overruns 5. Value engineering to optimize efficiency of contraction and material use 6. Occupant and environment-focused construction practices such as installing construction filters to protect and prevent HVAC system contamination, sourcing low VOC materials, providing ventilation during construction, and ensuring construction material moisture has dried appropriately before covering 7. Air cleaning policy near the end of construction to remove construction dust and air born contaminants before the owner takes occupancy, using portable air scrubbers equipped with multiple stage particle filters–including HEPA filters.

8. Customer orientation, education, care and maintenance for the first year after project completion 9. A GreenVision five year warranty on workmanship and assistance in administration of manufacturers’ product warrantees 10. Waste management and sorting of sorting on all construction sites Sustainable building is more than making energy efficient buildings. It’s about redesigning the building process to be accountable for, and to reduce, externalities like waste and operating costs.

Paul Caverly and MyHaven are true believers who have not only redesigned the buildings they build and renovate, but have become green leaders in the way they do business.

To find more info about MyHaven Greenvision Homes log on greenhomebuildertoronto.com or call Paul Caverly at: (905) 508–8075 to arrange a project planning consultation.

SBM SBMwinter winter2010 2010 45

Taking the Risk Out of Retrofits For the Love of Conservation

by Peter Love

C

ities from Toronto to Orangeville, have made a policy of it. Universities from UBC to York see the wisdom in it. School boards across Nova Scotia and Canada’s first “carbon neutral” school in Lively, Ont., learned about it. Hospitals across Canada, such as Sunnybrook and L’Institut Phillippe-Pinel Hopital, got

46 SBM winter 2010

healthier from it. The Royal Canadian Mint banked on it. Armed forces bases, such as CFB Kingston, are better able to protect us because of it. The federal government has been overseeing the use of it to upgrade federal buildings for the last 19 years. And, the Empire State Building is in the middle of making it the biggest one ever.

What is “it”? It is Performance Based Solutions (PBS), used to implement energy efficiency, renewable energy, and infrastructure renewal initiatives.

Performance based solutions consist of a range of ways in which a private energy service company takes responsibility for funding an upgrade project, taking its remuneration based on the success of the project.

In this way, the company transfers the risk from the building owner onto itself. This allows the building owner to put more of his or her time, energy, and limited financial resources into the services provided.

One of the more common types of PBS is an Energy Performance Contract, where the energy service company guarantees the utility savings to be achieved by the project.

Reducing energy consumption continues to grow as a priority for all levels of governments, as well as public institutions and private companies. For governments, this priority forms an essential component of their plans to achieve environmental tar-

gets, primarily in terms of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. More than 80 per cent of the man-made GHG emissions in Canada come from the production and use of energy. For provincial governments that are responsible for the electricity system, promotion of energy conservation and efficiency are also embraced, because it reduces the need for expensive additions of electricity generation, transmission, and distribution assets.

For energy end users, the need to reduce energy use is a growing priority, because it represents a way to control rising energy costs. An important but often unrecognized benefit of investment in energy efficiency is that such investments are relatively labour intensive, with most of the labour supplied by companies in the immediate vicinity of the project.

The potential for energy savings and GHG emission reductions in the commercial/ institutional sector is very large.

This sector is responsible for 14 per cent of all secondary energy consumed in Canada and 9 per cent of Canada’s man-made GHG emissions. Within this sector, office buildings (including public administration

buildings), health care, social assistance, and education represent more than 50 per cent of the load. It is estimated that commercial/institutional buildings can typically achieve savings of 15 to 35 per cent.

These potential annual savings are critical in meeting energy conservation and GHG emission reduction targets.

Despite environmental and economic benefits, and the progress that has been made to implement various measures in leading organizations, the full potential for energy efficiency measures are nowhere close to being realized. This is due to a number of barriers. Three of the most important are: • Limited Information on Opportunities: Most energy users do not have energy experts in their organization, and those organizations that do are often surrounded by management and executives who are more focused on the organization’s core competencies. They are, thus, often unaware of the existing opportunities. Energy bills lack explanations and clarity, which make it difficult for many organizations to even understand their actual usage patterns.

• Confidence in the Savings: Even if opportunities for energy savings are identified, organizations often lack confidence that these savings will be achieved..

• Financing: Even if management becomes comfortable with the potential savings, the upfront financing required for projects must compete with other capital projects, which typically relate to the organi-

zation’s core competencies.

These barriers are fundamental, and, if not adequately addressed, they can severely limit the role of energy efficiency in meeting energy and GHG targets. One of the most effective ways of overcoming all three of these barriers is through the provision of a range of guaranteed Performance Based Solutions.

A new advocacy organization, the Energy Services Association of Canada, has recently been created to actively promote government policies and regulatory support for greater use of guaranteed Performance Based Solutions, to implement energy efficiency, renewable energy, and infrastructure renewal initiatives. The eight founding members of this association are Ainsworth, Ameresco, Direct Energy, Honeywell, Johnson Controls, MCW Custom Energy Solutions, Siemens, and Trane. Together, these companies are responsible for more than 90 per cent of the $450 million spent annually on the PBS business in Canada. And the projects financed through PBS’s generate $45 million in energy savings every year. The Association recently appointed Anthony DaSilva from Ameresco as its first Chair, and Luis Rodrigues of Honeywell as its Vice-Chair.

For more information on Performance Based Solutions and the Energy Services Association of Canada, visit www.energyservicesassociation.ca.

Peter Love formed Love Energy Consultants after having served as Ontario’s first Chief Energy Conservation Officer. He is an Adjunct Professor at York University’s Faculty of Environmental Studies and was recently appointed the Energy Services Association of Canada’s first President.

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95 Konrad Cres Markham, ON L3R 8T8 T.: (905) 415-5148 • F.: (905) 882-9783 • www.centralglassandmirror.ca SBM winter 2010

49 47

German Government Builds Solar Project in Woodstock

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he 110 residents of the Oxford Gardens retirement home are the lucky recipients of Canada’s largest solar thermal heating and cooling sys-

Helicopter view on the solar roof on Oxford Gardens Retirement Community

48 SBM winter 2010

tem.

German businesses are hoping the Oxford Garden project provides an example to other North American property owners considering a solar installation. While the technology came from Germany, local companies did the work of installing the system.

“The German government decided to invest here in North America, in Woodstock, because this is a wonderful demonstration project.” said Bill Van Haeren, co-owner of Oxford Gardens. “We were lucky that this building was strong enough to accommodate this

“There were a couple of small ones running as pilot projects, but this one is designed to air condition the building for about 80% of the summer months.”

Oxford Gardens is a recently renovated retirement home with 101 individual suites. A 90 ton electric chiller is currently used for the air conditioning of the 9,900 m2 building and over 3,000 L of hot water is used on a daily basis.

The system took more than a year to plan and construction took place during

rgl

building consultants limited

sustainable building & design.

Opening Ceremony of Canada’s biggest solar cooling project in Woodstock on Oxford Gardens Retirement Community roof.

extra load. If people design new buildings, it would be wonderful if they could face the building south, like this one was perfectly, but also make the structure strong enough.”

The project consists of 162 solar collectors that cover more than 525 square metres of the building’s roof. The system incorporates more than 1,200 metres of stainless steel pipe.

The system will provide the 9,900square-metre building and all the units with hot water, heat the indoor pool and provide air-conditioning during the summer months.

“This is one of the first ones in North America of this size,” Van Haeren said.

the past three months.

To track the progress of the installation, go to www.proterrasolar.com/en/projects/ oxford-gardens for something close to realtime monitoring.

Ph: 905.875.4550 Fax: 905.875.4950 michael@rglconsultants.ca

RGL Building Consultants Ltd. Comprehensive consulting services designed to help our clients continuously improve their design and construction practices and deliver higher performing homes.

Services:

• Consulting/Training • Air Tightness Testing • Air Leakage Investigations • Thermal Imaging • Trades Scopes of Work Reviews

Programs offered:

• EnerGuide Rating Service • ENERGY STAR® for New Homes • GreenHouse™ Certified Construction • LEED Canada for Homes

Serving Southern Ontario

SBM winter 2010

49

The Priva Campus located in De Lier, The Netherlands opened in 2007 (Zero CO2 emissions)

O

ver the past 20 + years European business has become very aware of our need to preserve the planet for our children and grandchildren. As a result, they have become equally dedicated to sustainability, energy conservation, and, leadership in the reduction of their carbon footprint in every aspect of their operations.

Priva B.V. (based in De Lier, The Netherlands) is a global enterprise dedicated to research, development and the manufacture of automation systems (HVAC Controls) for commercial, industrial, institutional, (multiple occupancy)residential and horticultural applications. Priva is owned by the “Prins” family and managed by Meiny Prins (“Netherlands Business Woman of the Year” in 2009). Several years ago Ms. Prins had a vision for a new “Priva Campus” on the site of the current manufacturing facility in De Lier.

The new facility accommodates a conference & training centre, a restaurant (used every day by employees and visitors) warehouse/assembly area, and offices for over 300 employees. Structurally, the building is actually “two” buildings joined together by a “green roof” to form an atrium between the two.

The building uses no natural gas and, is powered 100% by green energy. There are no CO2 emissions and all glass is triple glazed to assist with maintaining a comfortable climate. All building materials are ecologically friendly. The Priva Campus has a rating

50 SBM winter 2010

equivalent to the North American LEED Platinum standard and sets an example for all office/warehouse complexes (or any other structure) to follow going forward.

The Atrium at Priva The level of interest in sustainable buildings in Canada will grow in relationship to the increase in the cost of energy; not necessarily in an effort to help the environment.

The “extra costs for sustainable materials, automated systems (HVAC, lighting, etc.) load shedding etc. will be paid for in less than 10 years. Along the way the occupants will have a more comfortable, healthier and more productive environment in which to work.

What can you do to have an immediate impact on reducing energy consumption, thereby reducing your operating costs going forward? Consider installing a building automation system to control heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. Control variations in heating and cooling using the automation system, rather than manual adjusting thermostats every day. Lights need only to be illuminated when the room or office is occupied. Occupancy sensors combined with a lighting control module (integrated with the building automation system) will take care of this function. Install CFL and LED lighting wherever possible. These are basic, relatively inexpensive methods of making your building green and will result in immediate energy savings, improved comfort levels for occupants and a much higher rental

appeal going forward.

Two other initiatives to consider include having an energy audit completed by a LEED AP qualified engineer. This procedure will establish a benchmark for sustainability and energy management. The second initiative is to evaluate your current building automation system including age, performance and its forward/backward migration capabilities.

Retrofitting building automation systems account for more than 60% of all installations.

Whether we work or live there, we want to feel comfortable and at ease in an indoor environment. Building automation solutions are intended to translate those needs to an idea environment with the lowest possible energy and maintenance costs. Through intelligent and green technologies the factors that determine the wellness of people in an indoor environment can be regulated.

In conclusion, the most cost effective means of reducing energy consumption and cost is to install and/or update your building automation system.

For more information on Priva Building Intelligence (Canada) log on www.priva.ca Paul Ireland is the General Manager of Priva Building Intelligence, a subsidiary of Priva North America Inc. (based in Vineland Station, Ontario and doing business in Canada for over 28 years). Paul has held senior management positions with Siemens Building Technologies Inc. and ADT Security Services Inc.

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• All mechanical and electrical components are accessible from the front of the unit.

• The MAXAIR fan coil is so compact that it fits anywhere: laundry room, attic, crawl space, you can even place it in a closet.

• The supply outlets can be placed in the wall, ceiling or floor.

• Heating coil and fan/motor slide out for easy service.

• Each unit has four choices of locations for the return air connections.

• It can be installed in new or existing homes.

• One of the most extensive warranties in the business: 1-year parts & labour, 2-years on parts only, where applicable.

• It takes less than 1/3 of the space of a conventional heating and air conditioning unit.

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• With the increased efficiency of this optional Electronically Commuted Motor (ECM), homeowners will be free to cycle air continuously with a minimal increase in electricity cost.

Continuous fan operation helps improve filtration, reduce temperature variations, and helps keep the air clear of dust and allergens – making your customers’ homes more comfortable.

• Energy savings, temperature control and comfort levels are achieved in individual levels of the home by prioritizing the requirements. This is achieved by installing optional space thermostats. If any area calls for heating or cooling, the individual thermostat allows the space it serves to achieve optimum comfort and still maintain continuous air circulation throughout the home.

• This method of prioritizing is a great energy savings measure while offering an increased comfort level to the home owner.

• The FLEXAIR™ insulated 2½" supply duct will fit in a standard 2"x 4" wall cavity.

• Can be mounted for vertical or horizontal airflow.

• Can be combined with humidifiers, high efficiency air cleaners or ERVs / HRVs. • Snap-together branch duct and diffuser connections.

MAX ELECTRICAL SAVINGS • ECMs are ultra-high-efficient programmable brushless DC motors that are more efficient than the permanently split capacitor (PSC) motors used in most residential furnaces. This is especially true at lower speeds used for continuous circulation in many new homes.

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SBM winter 2010

51

Hitting the Wall in 2012: Can You Judge a Book by its Cover?

I

By John Godden

n the spring 2010 issue of Sustainable Builder Magazine, the last big innovation in residential housing was discussed, namely the moving from 2 x 4 studs to 2 x 6 studs, because of the energy crisis. The next big innovation seems to be the use of insulating sheathing being driven by the energy performance in SB-12 in the 2012 Building Code. Apart from airtightness and mechanical systems, the single most important decision a builder will make is, how to construct walls as of January 1, 2012.

My advice? Chose a building envelope strategy that allows for flexibility. The Sustainable Housing Foundation (SHF) has created The Envelope Challenge, sponsored

by Building Products of Canada, Roxul Insulation, and Clearsphere Consulting. The goal is to determine which one is the “BEST WALL” for leading ENERGY STAR builders to use when the code changes in 2012.

In partnership with Ryerson University and a graduate Building Science student, 10 wall assemblies, currently being used by G50 Builders, will be evaluated. The Ryerson Study and The Envelope Challenge will endeavour to define the best options.

How does the builder determine the definition of best wall? Sustainability defines best wall, by considering a life cycle-costing approach. Other factors, such as thermal performance, structural integrity, and durability, must be considered if the building system will last the next 100 years. ENERGY STAR trade-offs in Version 1 to 4, and SB-12 in the new building code, draw

52 SBM winter 2010

er effective R value in the 2 x 6 wall? The answer is thermal bridging. Studs can account for 25 per cent of the volume of the exterior wall, which reduces the average effective R value. Currently, the 2 x 4 wall system is slightly less expensive and saves wood. In 2012, 2 x 4 wall systems will require thicker insulated sheathing, to meet the minimum nominal value of R 22.

our attention to a key decision for builders. All the houses are assumed to have 3.1 air changes at 50 to satisfy the prescriptive path. The trade-off is between R wall values and mechanicals, that is: space heating, ventilation, and DHWH. If a builder is considering ENERGY STAR VerSurface Temperature On Sheathing sion 5, he or she must consider both improvements. Build the Wall 1 : (R20) 2x6 with Wood Sheathing walls at R24 now and upgrade OUTDOOR the mechanicals, when needed.

Effective R = 17.94 INDOOR 28º F 25 º F 68 º F It has to happen in this order; we cannot change the walls and Inside surface temp of sheathing windows after the fact.

Wall 2 : (R14) 2x4 with R5 Insulated Sheathing The question is: Why do we use 2 x 6 stud walls? If one deOUTDOOR Effective R = 19.94 INDOOR 37º F 37º F cides to stay with 2 x 6 cavity 68 º F walls without insulated sheathInside surface temp of sheathing ing, the only option is to inWall 1 is better than Wall 2 : Higher Effective R and Breathability crease R values down the road, ensuring they are within the wall cavity. One approach would be 2-lb foam insulation at three to four times Perhaps “fear” is the reason production the cost of an expensive R24 batt. Both builders keep using the conventional 2 x have diminishing marginal returns, because 6 framing with OSB sheathing. For the of the thermal bridging of the wall studs. price, it represents a structurally sound, relThe spray foam would provide benefits if atively airtight, and versatile nailing surface the performance path were chosen, because that supports many exterior finishes, such credit would be given for higher levels of as brick, siding, and stucco. The thickairtightness in the computer simulation. ness of OSB allows more room to square Contrary to popular understanding, a 2 up platform framing that is built on lessx 4 wall with R14 batts and one inch of in- than-perfect foundations. Carpenters presulation sheathing yields a higher, more ef- fer OSB sheathing, because they can walk fective R value of 19.34, in comparison to on it, use pneumatic nailers for speed, and the R20 batt in the 2 x 6 wall with an R val- readily attach house wraps on to it - withue of 17.94. What accounts for the low- out the wind pulling it away. When ENER-

GY STAR builders move to foam insulating sheathings, their airtightness performance can actually decrease, because of numerous holes in the exterior of the building envelope. Framers, as they reach the roof framing stage, boast of OSBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s structural rigidity compared to foam, especially when framing town houses. With the lower price, structural stability, and fewer claims of callbacks â&#x20AC;&#x201C; why should they change!

Like it or not, the new building code requires energy performance. Insulating sheathing is generally better for durability. Less thermal bridging means a warmer wall cavity, which reduces the possibility of condensation, moisture damage, and mould growth. Many people refer to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;double vapourâ&#x20AC;? barrier, which usually refers to walls above grade. The poly vapour barrier on the inside, in conjunction with 7/16 OSB on the outside, creates a situation where construction moisture gets trapped in the wall and can result in moisture damage.

The outside sheathing needs to have a high enough permeance to allow for drying potential to the outside. In the diagram of the 2 x 6 wall, the temperature of the inside face of the sheathingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface is below

freezing, which causes condensation. Some poly isoboard sheathing is covered with foil and can trap moisture. At R5, they may not have enough thickness to prevent a dew point within the wall, based on the outdoor temperatures. XTPS insulations, like Cladmate at 3.5 perms, have enough water vapour permeance to allow moisture to pass through them. Notice that the 2 x 4 wall with less cavity insulation has a higher temperature on the inside face of the sheathing surface, and, thus reduces the chance of condensation and mould growth.

In the 2012 Building Code in Zone 1, with space-heating efficiency greater than 90 AFUE, there are eight compliance packages out of 13 that use R24 walls. Foam sheathing definitely increases thermal performance by reducing thermal bridging.

This has an additional benefit of keeping the wall cavity warm and, thus, enhances durability. The issue with foam sheathing is, they require wind bracing.

A current innovation is insulated structural foam sheathing. At roughly the same cost as other foam sheathing, it reduces the need for the added bracing and would cost less by comparison.

On a standard home, the difference be-

tween R20 batts and R22 batts is roughly $300 to $400. This could be used to subsidize the cost of the structural insulated sheathing. The R24 wall, that is R20 batts plus R4 insulating sheathing, may only cost approximately $1,000 more per house in 2012. Using this strategy, a builder could move to ENERGY STAR Version 5 simply by adding R22 batts to the R4 insulating sheathing, thereby achieving an effective R value of 25.7. Building Products of Canada R-4 Insulsheathing has a water vapour permeance of 3.5 perms, which allows the wall to breath to the exterior. In G50 discovery houses, the feedback from framers is positive; it is easy to work with. The challenge seems to be finding a nailing system that maintains a framerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s production level.

Any builders interested in participating in the Envelope Challenge and the Ryerson Study can contact John Godden at info@ clearsphere.ca.

Clearly, a wall system using insulating sheathing is more thermally efficient, durable, and less prone to moisture damage and mould. If structural insulation sheathing is used, it can also be structurally sound. The 2012 Building Code is most definitely a â&#x20AC;&#x153;bookâ&#x20AC;? that judges houses by their covers.

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SBM winter 2010

53

Big News from the OPA

By Staff

T

he Ontario Power Authority (OPA) has hired one of the building industry’s top energy conservation strategists and environmental champions to head its conservation programs division. For the last 11 years, Andrew Pride was at Minto (both Minto Urban Communities and Minto Group), creating the Minto Energy Management division that later became the Minto Green Team.

He is now Vice-President, Conserva-

tion, at the OPA, overseeing $1.3 billion in conservation programs over the next four years.

As he is also a friend to this magazine, we thought it appropriate to congratulate him on the appointment, and to congratulate the OPA on getting the industry’s top green building expert to oversee its programs.

This cannot help but move things forward in various new programs aimed at the built environment, to be delivered through the local electrical utilities from 2011 to 2014.

clearsphere

Canada’s First Net-zero Office Building

D building on sustainable sustainableopportunities opportunities building on

CONSULTING I EDUCATING I CONSTRUCTING

SERVICES Sustainable Building Consultants ENERGY STAR®, “R-2000” and LEED Canada for Homes GreenHouseTM Certified Construction Building System Design Optimization & Performance Testing On-Site Training Renewable Energy Integration Contact: John B. Godden B.E.S. 416.481.4218 info@clearsphere.ca www.clearsphere.ca

Clearsphere - A Division of Alpha-Tec Consulting & Construction

54 SBM winter 2010

By Staff

el Ridge Homes has unveiled plans for the first net-zero office building in Canada. Powered exclusively by renewable energy resources, including wind, sun, and geothermal, the Del Ridge Corporate Centre will be a four-storey, 32,000-sq.ft. office building soon to be located at Kennedy Road, just south of the 407, in Scarborough, Ont. Not only will it be the new home of Del Ridge’s corporate head offices, but the building will also have office spaces available for other businesses with an interest in sustainability or green construction.

“Del Ridge is committed to introducing any practical and safe idea to help us all reach a point of sustainability,” says Dave de Sylva, partner at Del Ridge Homes. “We’ve shown how passionate we are about this in our communities; now it’s time to walk the walk with our new corporate head offices and take it to the next level,” he adds.

Much like existing Del Ridge Green projects, the Del Ridge Corporate Centre will feature: • Underground parking with an enclosed ramp, which does not require winter heating.

• Construction with insulated concrete forms for minimal energy transfer.

• Geothermal heating and cooling.

• Tripled-glazed, low E2 argon windows.

• A 40-kilowatt solar array on the roof.

The Del Ridge Corporate Centre will be tied into the Del Ridge Energy Farm, a 50-acre farm containing a 1,500-kilowatt horizontal turbine.

Air Barriers Rules for 2012

T

he Ontario Building Code will adopt new air barrier rules for houses in 2012. The new requirements clarify and flesh out the existing requirements. What’s important today and will continue to be important after 2012 is that air barriers need to be continuous, from one envelope component to another, from one material to another. For builders accustomed to building Energy Star™ or R-2000 houses the new requirements represent little change to their current practices.

A few areas are now notably addressed within the text of the new code. Continuity of the air barrier into the basement will be explicitly required. The implication is that the header wrap at the first floor header will no longer be permitted to dangle without connection to the foundation wall or to a sheet air barrier over the foundation wall.

Builders will need to decide how to build a durable, airtight connection between the two components.

Builders will also have to decide who connects the header wrap – the framer, the insulator, or the builder’s handyman. In some cases, a change to contract scopes of work will be necessary. In all cases, the builder will have to think about how to access areas that become inaccessible after framing (e.g. at stairways).

Where the foundation wall is the primary air barrier in the basement, it needs to be caulked to the basement slab. All penetrations through the foundation wall will also need to be caulked. Finally, sump pit covers will need to be installed and sealed in new houses according to the 2012 Code.

The only other notable clarification provided by the 2012 Code is where an interior floor projects through an exterior wall to become an exterior floor. In these cases, the code requires that the air bar-

By

Michael Lio Speaking in Code rier of the wall under the floor must be continuous with or sealed to the subfloor or the air barrier on the underside of the floor. The air barrier of the wall above the floor must be continuous with or sealed to the subfloor or the air barrier on the top

of the floor, and the spaces between floor joists must be blocked and sealed. The government’s new Code and Construction Guide for Housing provides a number of details that clarify the new air barrier requirements.

Municipal building departments will need to determine what constitutes an acceptable air barrier and what does not.

They will have to determine what whole house air barrier performance, beyond a single identified discontinuity, is acceptable and what whole house performance is not. Would an order to comply be issued for the house that tests at 4 ACH? How about 5 or 6 ACH? Municipalities will also need to think about how the new rules affect them.

As builders explore ways of adding insulation to the 2012 envelopes they build,

new opportunities for enhancing the air barrier characteristics of the building will present themselves. Those who use exterior insulating sheathings, for instance, may want to explore ways to better exploit the airtightening characteristics of the sheathing. This becomes particularly true for those sheathings with shiplapped joints.

Recent field testing of Owen Corning’s CodeBordTM exterior insulating sheathing showed the great contribution that the exterior sheathing can make the overall airtightness of the building.

The testing focussed on the airtightness contribution of the exterior sheathing alone. No insulation, polyethylene vapour barrier or drywall were installed prior to the testing. Some simple gasketing details were used to create a continuous exterior air barrier. Figures 1 and 2 show some of the gasketing details that were employed.

Sheathing was installed over the house framing, with gasketing installed to create the continuous seal over the exterior of the house.

A number of configurations of the CodeBordTM Air Barrier system were tested. With only the exterior insulating sheathing installed as the building air barrier system, the testing showed that R-2000 airtightness levels can be ACHieved. For the demonstration home, built by a GTA production builder, its air leakage rate tested at 1.54 ac/h!

While the new Code doesn’t come with a long list of new air barrier requirements, it will give builders a reason to do the job better and in many cases with less effort.

Exploiting every benefit that a material and component can provide and applying those to save money elsewhere for the smart and nimble builder can often mean a better product and bigger margins.

Michael Lio is a building scientist and a professional engineer. He is the Executive Director of the Homeowner Protection Centre of Canada. He can be contacted at consulting@mlio.ca.

SBM winter 2010 55

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