drip drip: Staying ahead of the water conservation curve P.42 “ B e g r at e f u l yo u ’ v e n e v e r b e e n i n t h at m u c h pa i n t h at yo u ’ v e wa n t e d t o e n d i t. ”
What’s cool? Technology in the heating market! P.61
Rising Stars Three builders jump on board as EnerQuality takes a multi-unit approach
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Contents
28 Push & Pull Our crystal ball suggests the 2019 housing market won’t be stagnant for everyone
42 What’s on Tap? With water a growing concern, some innovative companies are leading the wave
36 Rising Stars
EnerQuality launches its multifamily high-rise program 7 One Voice Working with a #homebeliever government to bring more housing to Ontario 9 Ontario Report Celebrating one-to-one ratios and WSIB cuts, new local association presidents, EnerQuality’s Awards Gala and workshops, the Housing Supply Action Plan and the ‘missing middle’ 15 Frame of Mind Will district heating power future neighbourhoods? ohba.ca
17 Inside Storey Many of us fight inner demons and dark thoughts. How do we recognize the signs and respond? 21 Top Shelf Hot items for builders, contractors and designers include easy-to-install flooring, a wifi-connected generator, sound-proofing panelling, a cable railing system, a touch-to-open smart lock and the first vapourpermeable spray foam for exterior use.
61 Take Comfort Connectivity and technology highlight heating and cooling trends
49 Building Buzz Excitement and a dose of reality regarding new tradesperson ratios, news from Tarion, a groundbreaking geothermal partnership in Markham and much more. 61 Product Focus What’s hot? What’s cool? Our six experts weigh in on the leading residential climate control trends. 68 Words to Build By David Hill, President, Ballantry Homes
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The Molinaro Group’s Brock 2 project in Burlington will be among the first Energy Star Multifamily program candidates.
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The official publication of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association WINTER 2019 | Vol. 35 Issue 1
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One Voice
New year with a new government Exploring new approaches to bringing more housing supply and choice to Ontario AS we embark on a new year,
if you’re like me, you have likely spent some time assessing what you did (or didn’t) get accomplished last year, as well as thinking about your goals, hopes and dreams for 2019. Whether it’s shedding a few pounds after an indulgent holiday season, hitting the gym, organizing a family vacation or planning a home renovation project, a new year signals a fresh start. It’s a time to look at where you have been and then envision where you are headed. And that is exactly what we are doing at OHBA: analyzing the success of our past year of advocacy work on behalf of our members and charting the course for the coming year. Last year, OHBA launched our #homebeliever campaign with a simple and clear message: the need for more housing supply and choices across Ontario. The idea galvanized our local associations and OHBA members and the message resonated with politicians, stakeholders, the media and the general public. It was a success. ohba.ca
“We are pleased to find ourselves working with a #homebeliever government at Queen’s Park.” And now, a year later, as we get organized for what promises to be a very busy 2019, we are pleased to find ourselves working with a #homebeliever government at Queen’s Park—a government that is committed to bringing more housing supply and choice to communities across Ontario. In the first six months of their term, Premier Ford and his PC Ontario government have already made significant decisions that will really help our members get more housing on the market, and more quickly! A major government initiative was to introduce reforms that will modernize
the skilled trades in Ontario through Bill 47, Making Ontario Open for Business Act. A necessary and very welcome change is the move to set all journeyperson-to-apprentice ratios at one-to-one. This means members can provide more opportunities to train the next generation of Ontario’s skilled tradespeople and modernize the regulatory model. OHBA members are already feeling the positive impact of the trades ratios changes, as you can read about on page 49. One sector where some of those new apprentices may be finding work is in the construction of rental housing. As part of incentivizing investors to create more rental housing, the government will exempt new rental units—varying from purpose-built to a new basement apartment—from rent controls. The government also launched the Housing Supply Action Plan (HSAP) as part of its Fall Economic Statement (p. 12). The consultation document, Increasing Housing Supply in Ontario, focuses directly on the issues of supply and choice by looking at the key features that create barriers for our industry and members to bringing homes to the market, including: Speed, Mix, Cost, Rent and Innovation. (You can view the document at mah.gov.on.ca/ AssetFactory.aspx?did=19940.)
For #homebelievers across Ontario, this consultation provides an opportunity to talk about how best to increase housing supply and choice in their communities. No doubt, 2019 will have some storm clouds, with interest rate increases expected and ongoing tariff and trade issues, but the silver lining is a provincial government that is talking in a language #homebelievers can understand. OHB
joe vaccaro is the CEO of the ontario home builders’ association
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Ontario Report
Celebrating one-to-one apprenticeship ratios are (left to right): Steve Beaudrie and Travis Bird of Hilden Homes; OHBA Past President Eric DenOuden; The Honourable Todd Smith, Government House Leader and Minister of Government and Consumer Services; Quinte HBA President John-Ross Parks; Quinte HBA Executive Officer Ruth Estwick; OHBA 1st V.P. Bob Shickedanz; and OHBA CEO Joe Vaccaro.
One-to-One for everyone! The provincial government is making historic reforms designed to modernize the skilled trades in Ontario. Bill 47, which was introduced in the Legislature in November 2018, decisively addresses four OHBA resolutions passed at our Annual Meeting of Members in Ottawa in September. Changes outlined in Bill 47 include:
1. Setting all journeyperson-to-apprentice rations at one-to-one. 2. Implementing a moratorium on trade classifications and reclassifications. 3. Winding down the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT). This will effectively eliminate OCOT enforcement along with journeyperson and apprentice fees that funded OCOT.
OHBA was pleased to be on hand for the introduction of the legislation and looks forward to working with government to develop a replacement model for regulation of the skilled trades and apprenticeship system early this year. Thanks to all OHBA members and local associations that have been persistent and long-standing advocates on this issue. Visit OHBA’s YouTube channel to hear directly from members on what one-to-one apprenticeship ratios mean to their business, and see our more expanded story on page 49.
Huge WSIB Premium Rate Cut for 2019 WSIB is implementing significantly lower premium rates for 2019. The premium rate for home builders (RG 764) is being cut from $7.24 for every $100 of a worker’s income to $4.33—a decrease of 40.2%.
ohba.ca
For all industries, WSIB rates will decline an average of 29.8% this year. This rate decrease is equivalent to a savings of up to $2,694 per worker based on the 2019 maximum earnings ceiling of $92,600.
Combined with the previous 2017 and 2018 rate decreases, these changes will save professional renovators and home builders up to $4,417 this year, compared to the rate levels in 2016.
OHBA continues to call on WSIB to modernize premium groups by implementing their Rate Framework plan, which is scheduled to begin in 2020. These changes will provide fairness across construction rate groups.
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Ontario Report 2019 Ontario Home Builders’ Association
Local HBA Presidents Cheryl Shindruk
Emidio DiPalo
Christine Hollywood
Scott Deroo
Peter DeBoer
(Chair) BILD
Durham Region
Kingston Frontenac
Oxford County
St. Thomas-Elgin
John Hickey
Jennifer Johnson
TBA
Monique Cleary
John Meinen
Bluewater
Grey-Bruce
Lanark-Leeds
Stratford & Area
Jennifer Stuart
Kevin Brousseau
Sue Wastell
Peterborough & the Kawarthas
Brantford
Guelph & District
London
John-Ross Parks
Jon Rumble
Len Herrewynen
Tony Alfieri
Quinte
John Simperl
Chatham-Kent
Haldimand-Norfolk
Niagara
Doug Bain
Thunder Bay
Alex Markell
Keith Thomas
Robert Miller
Sarnia-Lambton
Glenn Anderson
Cornwall
Haliburton County
North Bay & District
Peter Brewda
Waterloo Region
Simcoe County
Trish Bradley
Nick Carnicelli
Josh Kardish
Greater Dufferin
Hamilton-Halton
Greater Ottawa
You’re Invited! EnerQuality Awards Gala
Since 1999, EnerQuality has been recognizing innovation and excellence in the building industry. This year, celebrating its 20th anniversary, EnerQuality will introduce new awards and a refreshed format to identify and celebrate change-makers— from students, industry and internal champions through to longstanding leaders, pioneers and builders who helped pave the way. This year’s EQ Awards Gala is set for February 28 at the new, elegant and modern Toronto Marriott Markham. New awards this year include: People’s Choice (voting open from February 1-8), Product Innovation, Student Award for Best Energy Efficient Innovation, while the Green Marketing Campaign has been modernized, splitting it into two categories. As always, the favourite awards will again be presented, including Builder Achievement, Building Innovation, Energy Star Builder, Net Zero and, of course, Ontario Green Builder. Also new this year is the EQ Awards Magazine, a premier commemorative magazine featuring the finalists and builder projects, including sharing stories about the milestones achieved by the industry over the last 20 years. For more information, to submit nominations for a leader, builder or innovator, an individual or organization of any size, or to purchase your tickets or advertising, visit EQawards.ca., or email Jessika@enerquality.ca .
Karla Colasimone Sudbury & District
Ryan Lane Windsor Essex
EnerQuality Training Upgrade and stay current with these workshop opportunities
January 14 – Part 9 Air Barrier/ Airtightness
The first offering of this workshop sold out in advance, so we’re bringing it back! Take an intensive one-day course covering key Residential Part 9 Air Barrier/Airtightness and learn how you can meet the current OBC for less cost (SB12) than prescriptive compliance. January 15 – EnerGuide Rating System
Explore the newest version of the energy-performance rating and labelling program for key consumer items, including houses. January 16 – Energy Star Multifamily Builder Workshop (1/2 day)
A new program just hit the housing market. For the first time midand high-rise builders can certify buildings with the trusted Energy Star brand. Learn the roles and responsibilities of a licensed Energy Star builder, the program requirements and certification process, as well as the differences between a Code building and one that is Energy Star-certified. January 17 – Energy Star Multifamily Licensed Professional Workshop
This workshop will teach licensed professionals the roles and responsibilities of an Energy Star LP, the full scope and details of energy modelling, testing and verification, the quality assurance protocol and what is expected of LPs in the program. This first-time-in-Canada program is developed for buildings that are 15% above code and brings the familiar quality standard and consumer recognition to midand high-rise buildings. For information, visit Enerquality.ca/home-builders/education .
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Ontario Report
The Missing Middle
Growth Plan: A new report entitled What is the Missing Middle?, produced by Evergreen and the Canadian Urban Institute with support from OHBA, explores the lack of available and affordable housing options for middle-income households in both the ownership and rental sectors. The ‘missing middle’ describes a range of housing types between single-family detached houses and apartment buildings that have gone ‘missing’ in many cities over the last 60-70 years. The report suggests that building for the ‘missing middle’ could address specific housing challenges and also identifies potential solutions for increasing the supply of mid-rise housing opportunities. Visit Evergreen.ca to read the entire report.
Province Announces Housing Supply Action Plan Consultation On November 28, the Honourable Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH), made an announcement attended by OHBA CEO Joe Vaccaro and 1st Vice-President Bob Schickedanz that further solidified the Ontario government’s commitment to provide more housing supply and choice to Ontarians. Earlier in November, the PC government released a Housing Supply Action Plan consultation to address the barriers to creating more housing. The final plan following the current consultation is set to be released in Spring 2019. It will include measures that the province can take to increase the supply of new ownership and rental housing in Ontario and will support the government’s commitment to reduce red tape and make it easier to live and do business in Ontario. OHBA will be consulting broadly with members and will be consolidating our historic positions, as well as resolutions passed at Annual Meetings of Members, and also seeking new input and ideas from members and local associations. We will also be meeting directly with cabinet ministers and MPPs and we encourage local home builders’ associations to do so as well. This consultation represents an important opportunity to share with the government industry solutions for addressing the barriers to new ownership and rental housing supply. Key theme areas covered in the consultation:
Speed: It takes too long for development projects to get approved. Mix: There are too many restrictions on what can be built to get the right mix of housing where it is needed. Cost: Development costs are too high because of high land prices and government-imposed fees and charges. Rent: It is too hard to be a landlord in Ontario, and tenants need to be protected. Innovation: Other concerns, opportunities and innovations to increase housing supply should be addressed. The consultation closes on January 25, 2019 and OHBA strongly encourages local home builders’ associations to be engaged and to meet with their MPPs and reach out to their municipal partners. Please provide your comments and suggestions to OHBA Director of Policy, Mike Collins-Williams (mikecw@ ohba.ca) no later than January 17, 2019. 12
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Updates to
Ontario’s Environment Plan On November 29, the provincial government released a new Made-inOntario Environment Plan to protect our air, land and water and reduce litter and waste while lowering greenhouse gas emissions and helping communities protect themselves from climate change. The new plan released by the government has been posted for public input on the Environmental Registry (013-4208) until January 28, 2019. OHBA is preparing its submission. The new plan commits to what the PCs see as a more targeted, pragmatic and flexible approach to achieving the Province’s environmental objectives, while balancing Ontario’s economic interests. This includes a strong focus on the impacts on Ontario businesses and jobs, and more effectively recognizing the contributions of industries that have already made significant strides to green their operations. Ontario is currently a leading jurisdiction in Canada when it comes to energy efficiency standards in its Building Code. Key elements and language in the proposed plan include:
M odernize the Ontario Building Code (OBC) to better equip homes and buildings to withstand extreme weather events. Review the OBC and support the adoption of cost-effective energyefficiency measures that can lower the cost of electricity and natural gas needed to operate buildings. Modernize Ontario’s environmental assessment process, which dates to the 1970s, to address duplication, streamline processes, improve service standards to reduce delays and better recognize other planning processes. Recognize that excess soil is often a resource that can be reused. Set clear rules to allow industry to reduce construction costs, limit soil being sent to landfill and lower greenhouse gas emissions from trucking by supporting beneficial reuses of safe soils. Revise the brownfields regulation and the record-of-site-condition guide to reduce barriers to redevelop and revitalize
historically contaminated lands, putting vacant prime land back to good use. Work in collaboration with municipalities and stakeholders to ensure that conservation authorities focus and deliver on their core mandate of protecting people and property from flooding and other natural hazards and conserving natural resources. Improve coordination of land-use planning and environmental approval processes by updating ministry guidelines to help municipalities avoid the impacts of conflicting land uses. Consider how wastewater and stormwater financing could be updated to improve investment and support new and innovative technologies and practices. Encourage the voluntary display of home energy-efficiency information on real estate listings to better inform buyers and encourage energy-efficiency measures. ohba.ca
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Frame of Mind
POwer to the people Will district heating fuel future neighbourhoods? by D r . Av i F r i e d m a n
as energy consumption grows, non-renewable resources are becoming scarcer and more expensive. Many clean power sources have been proposed to meet these energy needs. One can argue, however, that so far, those heating and cooling innovations are still costly and, to a large measure, inefficient. But a net-zero-energy (NZE) neighbourhood, powered by a central source, can offer significant financial savings and carbonfootprint reduction and can be up to three times more efficient. The same principle of an NZE home can apply to an entire neighbourhood. All the dwellings in a community rely on combined heat and power systems from one shared, centralized source called district heating. The centralized energy infrastructure heats and cools the entire neighbourhood using local or renewable energy sources, power from which is then distributed to individual homes. Leftover energy is returned and ohba.ca
stored in the plant’s thermal storage area, redistributed later as needed. A single NZE dwelling is a costly investment, but its aim can be far more easily achieved in a row of townhouses, condos or apartment buildings. While solar heating is easier to set up in a rural or suburban home, auto usage and attendant infrastructure in such settings counteract a project’s sustainable impact. Urban neighbourhoods, though, can efficiently support alternative and combined power sources, in part given that the maintenance needed to support them is limited to one power plant. NZE dwellings reduce energy consumption by limiting size and orienting the home to take advantage of passive solar gain, natural daylight and indoor airflow. Local wind patterns, topography, ground depth of winter frost and shadows from other buildings and trees are also important considerations. But many of these
factors are more easily managed when designing on a community scale, since one can more readily anticipate and change the topography and orientation of a street layout to take advantage of the winter sun while limiting the summer heat. Paisano Green in El Paso, Texas, which houses 93 people, is a district heating community. It’s the first place in the U.S. to allow NZE, fossil-fuel-free living in a LEED platinum environment. The community (pictured) is comprised of four three-storey apartment blocks in the west and a long one-storey building for single-occupancy residences in the east. Some 640 solar rooftop panels provide a 165-kilowatt energy source, accounting for most of the electricity use in the development. Two wind turbines on site provide an additional 10 kW. Orientation was extremely important to the development to both maximize the energy collected from the sun and minimize the solar heat entering the residences. Windows rarely face east or west and have been placed on the north and south facades. Proper insulation and sun-deflective technology ensure that minimal air conditioning is needed. Roofing has been chosen to reflect the sun’s energy rather than absorb it. The use of mini-split heat pumps and energy-recovery ventilators, in addition to a high-efficiency heating and cooling system, make for highly sustainable air conditioning when required. All connection spaces are open to the exterior environment and, therefore, do not require heating, cooling or ventilation. Further, all apartments have been equipped with efficient fixtures and appliances, including LED lighting and a heat pump instead of an electric water heater. Paisano Green is a landmark achievement in energy distribution practice. A model of environmental conservation, it also demonstrates the affordability of sustainable living and serves as an example for the rest of us. OHB Dr. Avi Friedman is an architect, professor and social observer. He can be reached at avi.friedman@mcgill.ca.
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Inside Storey won’t teach you how to cure or treat someone’s condition, they will help clients recognize the telling signs and symptoms in co-workers and others, and show them how to address it. Denise Waligora, Training and Delivery Specialist for Mental Health First Aid for the Mental Health Commission of Canada, supports more than 1,200 instructors around Canada whose courses cover substance and mood-related disorders, from depression and bipolar disorder to anxiety and trauma-related disorders. OHB: Is it getting easier to talk about mental illness?
out of the dark Dealing with mental illness in the workplace By Ted McIntyre with Denise Waligora, Mental Health Commission of Canada
blackness envelops you, drowning the light and clarity of thought. There is no mollifying acceptance that the sun will come up tomorrow, of the potential to somehow alleviate what torments you—not even a hint of the heart-wrenching anguish and guilt of those who will be left behind. Only justification of what you’re about to do. From the outside, the signs can be hard to spot. Be it depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or other mental illness, many are capable of hiding symptoms and their darkest, innermost thoughts, particularly in moments of social interaction and distraction. Sometimes, though, it’s as obvious to others as a slap in the face. But even if outsiders can spot the signs, they usually can’t analyze or properly appreciate the oppressive weight of life you might feel. Outsiders don’t get it—because, in reality, you don’t get it. A complex interplay of genetic, biological, ohba.ca
personality and environmental factors have spun a brain-altering web from which you cannot escape. And the issue is pervasive. According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, in any given year, one in five will personally experience a mental health problem or illness, while approximately 8% of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives. A further 1% of Canadians will experience bipolar disorder (or “manic depression”). By age 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness. Suicide, meanwhile, accounts for 24% of all deaths among 15- to 24-year-olds and 16% among 25- to 44-year-olds, with the mortality rate due to suicide among men being four times that of women. But mental illness can be as treatable as diabetes or heart disease. That’s why courses such as those offered by the Mental Health Commission of Canada are so important. While they
DENISE WALIGORA: There’s more awareness and comfort, for sure. That’s one of the focuses of our course—to break down that stigma, so that if someone is struggling in their workplace, it’s easier to talk about it. Our course helps identify changes in behaviour, so you can say, “I’ve noticed these things—that you’re staying in your office and your door is closed, and am just wondering what’s going on.” There’s more awareness, like Bell’s Let’s Talk Day (Jan. 30). All the years when I was on the front line of dealing with this, people struggled, thinking they were the only ones who felt that way. It’s OK to say, “I’m not having a good day.” We talk a lot about language in our course too, including language around suicide. You say someone has died of suicide, not that they’ve committed suicide. ‘Committed’ has a negative connotation, such as with a crime or a sin or that someone has been committed to a psychiatric hospital. We’d never say someone committed cancer; we’d say they died from complications of cancer. APart from emotional costs, there are financial ones too.
There’s a $51 billion annual loss to the Canadian economy because of mental health. We talk about absenteeism, because you’re not at work, but also ‘presenteeism,’ where you’re at work but not being productive because you can’t focus, your anxiety is too high, you don’t ontario home builder WINTER 2019
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have energy or motivation. Imagine if you have a workplace where your colleagues have all been trained in mental health first aid, and they’re comfortable, when they notice these changes in your behaviour, to be a good listener and have that conversation with you. Don’t stand over somebody— sit down next to them. Grab a coffee and walk around the block. Listen non-judgmentally. The signs can be hard to spot.
When Robin Williams died of suicide in 2014, from the outside it appeared that he had a loving family, a fabulous career, was loved around the world and was financially stable. But when someone is in that amount of despair, they feel, “I’m a burden to my family and nobody should have to take care of me like this.” The constant theme was that they just wanted the pain to end and don’t know how else to make it stop. I lost my best friend to suicide in 2004. I remember my mom saying, “I can’t understand why she would do that.” And I told my mom, “Be grateful you’ve never been in that much pain that you’ve wanted to end your life.” Sometimes the signs are easier to spot: they normally come into work looking impeccable, and then you start seeing clothes wrinkled, makeup not on, clothes not matching, they’re not participating in team meetings like they used to. Some might start putting their personal affairs in order and giving away prized possessions they’d normally never give to anybody. And it’s not just a warning when you see someone who’s normally in a great mood seeming depressed—it can go the other way too. If they’ve been really down for a while, then all of a sudden come in one day and are in a good mood, and you think they’re fine now. But if you’ve been in the worst pain of your life and you know that pain will end at 9 p.m. tonight—that you’ve made plans.... Well, you might need to have a conversation here too. What do you say to someone who has those thoughts?
We don’t tell people exactly what to say, because every situation is different. We have our five basic firstaid actions, with the acronym ALGEE. 18
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‘A’ is for Assess—look at what’s really going on and how can you help, and assess for the risk of suicide or selfharm or, in the case of a panic attack, if they think they’re in harm’s way. ‘L’ is for listening non-judgmentally. That’s one of the most important things we can do, and sometimes that’s what the other person needs most. ‘G’ is for giving resources and information, not advice. ‘E’ is for encouraging appropriate professional help and support (doctor, counsellor, 911, etc.). And the last ‘E’ is for encouraging other supports in their recovery.
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But WHat of those who say they have too much on their own plate to deal with this?
Some employers mandate this training, but sometimes participants don’t understand, at first, how this applies to them. But we don’t expect people to leave our courses and put on Superman capes. You provide the level of support that you’re comfortable with. You might not be comfortable having those conversations with somebody. And if you’re not in a good place yourself, how can you be of support to someone else? How should staff treat those battling mental illness?
What if you had someone who returned to work from chemotherapy? Wouldn’t you check in on them? Bring a cup of coffee to their desk? Ask them to join you for lunch? People who struggle with mental health problems —who may have been in the hospital and returned to work—deserve the same support and respect as individuals who have been off for physical illnesses. you must get some moving feedback from participants.
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Carved in Stone Featuring six different colours, the new Dekton XGloss Stonika from Cosentino offers hyper-realism, better definition and depth from an ultra-compact surface. As Dekton Stonika technology does not require the use of a thick glassy layer, the image is not distorted and there is a greater realism and sharpness in the designs. Further, a single piece of material ensures a surface that’s highly resistant to thermal shock and cracking. Cosentino.com/en-ca/dekton-stonika
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A Flawless Rendition The Cedar Renditions by Royal Design Series from Royal Building Products addresses the market demand for contemporary wood aesthetics, with a modern, streamlined look. Ideal for accent siding without the maintenance of wood, the line is easy to install, versatile and affordable. Its flat profile is achieved through its seamless joints and overlapping system. Made from 99% recycled content and 100% recyclable, it’s available in three shades of brown.
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Fluid Exchange Gerber’s new innovative and flexible tub and shower valve, the Treysta, is engineered for ease of installation. This compact, brass-forged body rough-in has integrated mounting holes for a firm and secure hold, with the flat top plane of the plaster guard allowing it to install level with the floor. It also features revolutionary vertical inlets for maximum flexibility in the wall, and can install next to a stud in PEX applications, greatly reducing the need for re-framing. Treysta.gerberonline.com
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$ PUSh + Pull While the demand-versus-affordability battle plays out in the GTA, other areas of Ontario are prospering By T r ac y H a n e s
$
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$
H
ere’s the good news for the province’s housing market as we head into 2019: The recovery that started slowly in 2018 will continue, at least for the first half of the year. But expect an easing in the market later in 2019 and into 2020. We asked a trio of experts—the Royal Bank of Canada’s Senior Economist for Economics Research Robert Hogue, BMO Chief Economist and Managing Director of Economic Research Douglas Porter and CMHC’s Ontario Regional Economist Ted Tsiakopoulos—for their thoughts on what to expect in the year ahead. “I expect activity in Ontario to be pretty flat overall,” says Hogue. “There will be very small increases, due in a large part to the affordability issue. When we look at demographics and fundamentals, there is strong demand going forward, but in large centres, the prospect of further interest rate increases makes affordability even harder and will cause quite a bit of headwind. At the end of the day, we might see a little increase overall, but it will stay fairly flat.” Porter’s take is this: “We are seeing a real weakness in most of western Canadian, but the market is still firm in Ontario, and Toronto is a very special market from the rest of the province. Outside of the GTA, the rest of Ontario is seeing the most impressive strength in the country. The GTA suffered a big hit through the second half of 2017, but it stabilized and has come back a bit. I expect to see modest gains in Ontario (in 2019) in terms of sales and prices.” ohba.ca
The “very mild recovery” seen in the second half of 2018 will continue into the spring of 2019, says Tsiakopoulos, because the labour market is robust and the province is experiencing strong immigration. According to CMHC’s Fall 2018 Housing Market Outlook/Ontario Region Highlights, the condominium and rental construction will remain elevated before slowing in 2020. Existing home sales and prices will grow moderately. Buyers should enjoy more choice by 2020, while owners and investors will have to adjust their price and return expectations. Porter expects 2018 final housing starts in Ontario to be around 75,000 (down from 80,000 in 2017), with 70,000 in 2019. Canada-wide, CMHC predicts housing starts for single and multi-unit starts will fall to between 193,700 and 204,500 in 2019, while sales are anticipated to be between 478,400 and 497,400 units. Prices are anticipated to average between $501,400 and $521,600.
INFLUENCING FACTORS Housing prognosticating, though, might be as challenging as longterm weather forecasting in the coming year. “You have two currents going against each other,” Hogue explains. “There are rising interest rates, but there is a pretty strong economy and an unemployment rate of just 5 to 5.5%.” Hogue points out that the positive economic story isn’t limited to the Toronto area—85% of regions in Ontario have unemployment rates below 6%. And in areas that didn’t have the GTA real estate rollercoaster ride, the strong economy bodes well for the housing market. However, CMHC sees global trade as a risk to the Canadian economy and the housing market, despite the recent trade agreement reached between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Interest rate hikes pose another threat, observes Porter in the wake of an October 2018 increase from the Bank of Canada rate to 1.75%. “There are interest rate increases ahead and our best estimate is the Bank of ontario home builder WINTER 2019
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Forecast Summary Ontario
Fall 2018
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 (L) (H) (L) (H) (L) (H) New Home Market Starts: Single-Detached 24,953 30,079 29,713 24,100 25,700 23,900 26,300 21,100 24,900 Multiples 45,203 44,873 49,410 49,100 52,000 45,700 49,300 42,500 46,500 Starts-Total 70,156 74,952 79,123 74,500 76,300 70,800 74,400 64,200 70,800
Resale Market MLS Sales MLS Average Price
226,956 464,052
245,845 534,103
221,396 585,188
189,800 563,600
193,200 576,400
205,000 595,900
214,600 614,100
196,000 618,900
211,600 642,500
4.67
4.66
4.78
5.00
5.60
5.40
6.20
5.50
6.50
Economic Overview Mortgage Rates (5-year) (%)
Rental Market October Vacancy Rate (%) Two-Bedroom Average Rent (October) ($)
2015 2016 2017 2.3 2.0 1.5 1,149 1,185 1,245
Economic Overview Population 13,846,162 14,053,658 14,279,196 Annual Employment Level 6,923,200 6,999,600 7,128,000 Net Migration 94,785 175,136 192,636 Average Weekly Earnings ($) 938 959 967
2018(F) 1.2 1,289
14,502,950 7,241,400 183,498 1,003
2019(F) 1.4 1,338
14,716,400 7,355,900 168,000 1,019
2020(F) 1.5 1,385
14,907,520 7,431,800 152,900 1,038
Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is a registered trademark of the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). Rental Market: Corresponds to universe of privately initiated rental apartment structures of three units and over. Historical and forecast values are an aggregate roll-up of the Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) historical data and forecasts from each province. The forecasts (F) included in this document are based on information available as of October 5, 2018. (L) = Low end of Range. (H) = High end of range. It is possible that the low end (L) and the high end (H) of forecast ranges for residential housing starts for singles and multiples jointly may not add up to the total. This is caused by rounding as well as the volatility of the data. Source: CMHC (Starts and Completions Survey - Market Absorption Survey - Rental Market Survey). Statistics Canada. CREA(MLS). CMHC Forecast (2018-2020).
Canada will increase its rate three times next year to take their rate up to 2.5%,” he notes. “That filters through to mortgage rates and will act as a bit of a limiter.” Hogue, however, doesn’t expect this year’s interest rate hikes (he predicts two) to make much difference. “The increase we’ve seen in 2018 has been 125 basis points (1.25%). That’s not significant, and it takes a while to filter through to consumers and borrowers.” The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions stress test that came into effect January 1, 2018, pushed buyers to the side, but didn’t disqualify them, Hogue says. “It reduced their budget and created an interesting dynamic. There are still buyers out there, but a lot more people are going to a lower price point and are 30
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turning to the condo segment. This will lead to a change in expectations in buyers. For most, their ideal property is single detached, but the reality is that prices are out of their reach and if they still want to buy, condos are much more realistic.” Immigration also continues to be a big story. International migration into Canada continues at unprecedented levels. The country’s population grew by 168,687 in 2018’s second quarter; 82% of which was due to international migration, according to Statistics Canada. Most immigrants choose to settle in Ontario. In-migration from other provinces is another factor: In the second quarter of 2018, Ontario had a net inflow of 3,274 people from other provinces and territories. And all those people need places to live. “I do think rates will go a bit higher and I would not expect prices to recede in a meaningful way,” says Porter. “It’s almost a by-product of strong population growth. There is relentless pressure on demand and it’s going to make things less affordable for everyone. It’s very difficult for supply to respond to this demand.” ohba.ca
Ontario Starts (000s)
Ontario MLS Price (000s)
Forecast Range
$200
30
$100
20
$0 2009
10
2020(F)
2019(F)
2018(F)
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
0
2020(F)
40
2019(F)
$300
2018(F)
50
2015
$400
2014
60
2013
$500
2012
70
2011
$600
2010
80
2017
Forecast Range
$700
2016
90
THE AFFORDABILITY ISSUE There is no question that affordability will continue to be an issue, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area, the experts predict. Vancouver is a leading indicator for Toronto—but not a carbon copy, advises Porter—and how people are dealing with affordability there, such as doubling up in housing or renting out basement apartments in their homes—may become more commonplace in the GTA. “We do have close to record homeownership levels and I think that might start to drift down now, given the affordability pressure,” Porter says. With many, especially first-time buyers, priced out of the detached market, there will continue to be demand for condos, Porter echoes. Congestion is also an increasing issue and many may purchase condos to escape having to deal with traffic. “There is no questions the 416 condo market, in terms of prices and balances between sales and listings is expected to remain relatively firm,” says Porter. “What’s happening is the polar opposite of what analysts were saying five to 10 years ago. They said there would be a shortage of single detached homes and an over-supply of condos and the price gains would be in the single detached market. Now, we’re seeing the opposite.”
“I’m bullish on eastern Ontario, including Ottawa and Kingston, where a lot of the strength has been”
HOT MARKETS If there’s one area our experts are universally enthusiastic about, it’s eastern Ontario. “Ottawa has had strong price growth—not in terms of prices shooting through the roof, but it’s very robust,” says Hogue. “The Fair Housing Plan targeted the GTA and wasn’t a big deal in Ottawa. The market has good momentum there and it’s gone from having a lot of inventory to a very tight market. Prices have accelerated by about 7% to 8% (annually). It would say it’s fairly hot, but not overheating.” “I’m bullish on eastern Ontario, including Ottawa and Kingston, where a lot of the strength has been,” says Tsiakopoulos. “Ottawa is more affordable than the average market in Ontario and didn’t have the same price run-up and is a more stable market. There’s probably more value in that market and it is not as vulnerable when rates move up.” He says there is a lot of government spending occurring in Ottawa and ohba.ca
its Information Technology (IT) sector is booming. Given that it’s business investment, including in IT, that’s driving the economy rather than consumer spending, Tsiakopoulos says the KitchenerWaterloo area is also poised for more activity. Porter agrees that the nation’s capital will continue to thrive: “It’s tough to poke holes in its story.” He also cites communities along the 401 corridor from Windsor to Kitchener and from Belleville to Kingston as enjoying healthy real estate markets, thanks to the manufacturing sector improving, tourism dollars and early retirees looking to move out of Toronto. ontario home builder WINTER 2019
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“These people are basically looking 100 kilometres away and seeing prices at half or less than Toronto and cashing in their chips if it makes sense,” says Porter. “They are drifting outside the GTA, and cities like London and Peterborough are benefitting.” This drift will continue, Hogue predicts. “Look at the vibrancy of the market in Hamilton and in many other centres in southern Ontario. The hot Toronto market did push away younger buyers who were unable to get a toehold in Toronto. And there are people who did well in the Toronto market and are moving to other markets in southern Ontario.” However, he says this is not a huge trend yet. “People still love property in the GTA.”
THE QUIET NORTH
“people are
In the Greater Sudbury CMA (Census basically Metropolitan Area), due to a comparlooking 100 atively affordable resale market, soft economic fundamentals and rising kilometres interest rates, starts of new singleaway and detached homes will be subdued seeing prices through to 2020, according to CMHC. at half or Semi-detached and townhome units, while more affordable and with less than appeal to a certain buyer segment, Toronto and are not readily available in the resale cashing in market. However, due to limited their chips availability of land zoned for these types of housing, there will be fewer if it makes units built in the coming years. sense” Greater Sudbury had the highest apartment vacancy rate of all Ontario CMAs in 2016 and 2017, which does not encourage construction of new rental apartments. Builders are shifting away from new-home construction to the renovation market, according to CMHC. The reno trend is due to limited options available to downsizers and a desire to age in place. Greater Sudbury has the lowest residential condominium ownership rate among Ontario CMAs. In the Thunder Bay CMA, CMHC expects single-detached home starts to trend lower over the next two years. Demand will be constrained by moderating employment growth and a balanced existing home market, not to mention increasing construction and borrowing costs. Multi-unit starts, however, are expected to increase in 2019 due to more purposebuilt rental apartments projects. Market data indicate this demand is supported by in-migration to the Thunder Bay Area, mainly by international students and members of surrounding First Nations’ communities. Seniors 65 years and older are also supporting the new rental market. That said, total housing starts are expected to fall below their 10-year average between 2018 and 2020.
WHERE ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES? Tsiakopoulos says as the number trends lower for first-time buyers, who are sensitive to rising interest rates, there will be a good repeat buyer market of 35- to 44-year-olds. “That’s where the opportunity is, whether you’re a realtor, builder or renovator,” he says. “This is your millennial generation who bought over the last five to 10 years and have some equity and are now moving. They are moving into their higher fertility years and need more space. There is stronger growth in households with kids over the next five to 10 years.” Tsiakopoulos says that might translate into condo buildings with 32
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GTA CONDO OUTLOOK Urbanation president Shaun Hildebrand expects 2019 overall condo sales volume to be approximately 20,000—about the same as in 2018 and down from 35,000 in 2017. Supply, a major issue for the new-condo market for the past two years, will continue to be problematic, with inventories near a 15-year low. Approval delays, construction and development cost increases, and a greater level of caution following planning regime changes, as well as several highly publicized project cancellations, will weigh on the market, says Hildebrand. Other challenges he sees include higher interest rates, tighter credit availability, high prices and likely some investor fatigue. However, affordability will likely continue pushing more buyers into condominiums, Hildebrand notes. Ultimately, demand will be underpinned by traditional economic fundamentals such as employment and population growth. Hildebrand says demand will shift to smaller suites as buyers look to less costly units. Condo prices have increased by a whopping 50% over the past three years and downtown condo prices now surpass $1,000 per square foot. Attention is shifting to sites in good locations at lower costs, but Hildebrand says developers must be cautious with pricing at some peripheral sites, as they may get close to softening single-family home prices. He also notes more interest in mid-rise developments in Toronto, with high demand from end-user buyers. As long as interest rate hikes are slow and steady, investors will continue to be a force in the market, Hildebrand predicts. The rental market, with double-digit growth rates since 2016, has helped to maintain value. But given the higher price of condos, rent controls and less return on investment as a record number of projects complete construction, he expects a slightly less active investor market.
THE EROSION OF AFFORDABILITY Rising interest rates have contributed to housing affordability being at the worst level in Canada since 1990, according to RBC Economic Research’s recent Housing Trends and Affordability Report. The initial push was skyrocketing prices in cities such as Toronto, but interest rates have been the most recent driver, with the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions stress test contributing as well. In 2018, affordability deteriorated more for condos than for single-detached homes, especially in Toronto, where detached home prices fell while condo prices rose. RBC calculates affordability as a share of household income. Its aggregate measure for the GTA rose by 1.8 percentage points to 75.%—meaning a typical homebuyer needs to spend three-quarters of their income to cover ownership costs. Craig Wright, Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist at RBC, says future rate hikes will boost homeownership costs, putting more affordability pressure on Toronto and Vancouver buyers, whether they are shopping for a house or condo. ohba.ca
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The Heavy Weight of Steel Tariffs On June 1, 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump, citing “national security issues,” placed a 25% tariff on steel and 10% on aluminum imports from Canada (among other countries). Prime Minister Justin Trudeau retaliated a month later with the same tariffs on the same imports from the U.S., among other nations, to prevent lower-priced steel from flooding into the domestic market. That would have been bad enough news for the residential construction industry—in particular condominium builders, since rebar is among the goods being taxed. But the marketplace, anticipating the worst, drove up prices even more. “When we look at the trade data, we see a lot of activity was rushing to stockpile steel and aluminum to try to avoid tariffs before they came on,” says Stephen Tapp, Deputy Chief Economist at Export Development Canada. “So steel and aluminum costs have certainly gone up—in some cases more than the tariff increases themselves.” In October, Richard Lyall, president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario, told CTV’s Power Play that the added cost on condominiums “could be upwards of $10,000 a unit on the steel alone. And our construction costs have already gone up 14% in the last year and a half.” Molinaro Group President Vince Molinaro says those numbers sound about right. In the process of negotiations for its Brock 2 project in downtown Burlington in early November, Molinaro figures steel prices had risen around 30% from what his firm paid three years ago in advance of its five-tower Paradigm project. It’s part of a pricey trend for builders. “Concrete always goes up. And aluminum is also a big part of it. Most of our buildings are clad in glass and aluminum,” Molinaro says. “The steel suppliers and manufacturers have already budgeted for this new number, so it’s going to reflect their prices for the coming months. We’re not in that position yet, since we haven’t started selling for Brock 2, but it’s going to cost our purchasers at the end of the day.” While Molinaro says that his current Paradigm project is protected from the new steel tariffs thanks to a cap price that was previously negotiated, many steel suppliers are insisting that their clients cover the excess fees, suggests Michael Mansour, CEO at Mansteel Ltd. & Mansteel Rebar. “Everything we buy in structured steel comes from Europe or Korea—it’s all imported (so is all subject to) the tariffs. So we’re transferring those costs 34
to our clients since it’s beyond our control,” says Mansour, whose clients include Mattamy, Greenpark and Tribute, among others. “If we’ve had to increase prices, we’ve met with our clients, and so far they’ve been understanding. It’s slowed down the market but hasn’t affected us that much yet.” Not all steel, however, is subject to the penal tariffs. “For us it really hasn’t had an impact, since the bulk of what we’re selling to the industry are steel beams. And those, coming from the U.S., are exempt from Canadian duties,” notes Mark Hunter, president of Stratford-based Hunter Steel. “I’m guessing they’re about 5%-7% above what I expect normal prices to be. Rebar is different, though, since it has the 25% tariff. “The challenge for us isn’t the pricing; it’s maintaining supply,” notes Hunter. “I can buy my rebar from steel mills in Canada, although it’s not 25% higher. But we’re a smaller distributor and we buy domestic as much as we can. Some of the larger distributors, who rely more on imports, are putting more pressure on the Canadian mills to supply them, so we’re scrambling a bit.” The bottom line is that the consumer will eventually have to pay the bill, notes Tapp. “Whether it’s a car or a condo, producing the same thing has become more expensive. And it gets passed on to the end consumer,” Tapp says. “We’ve seen some businesses highlighting tariff surcharges so their customers are aware of where the price increase is actually coming from.” Although Canada, the U.S. and Mexico agreed in principle to a new trade deal on Sept. 30, renaming NAFTA to USMCA (United States Mexico Canada Agreement), the lifting of steel and aluminum tariffs was not part of the deal. It was hoped Canada and the U.S. might address dropping the sanctions at the G20 leaders’ summit in Buenos Aires on Nov. 30. But as of early December, nobody really knew when Trump would get over the “national security” concerns and the industry could return to normal. “That’s why Canada brought a case to the World Trade Organization, as have other countries who were been hit by the U.S. tariffs. This is something that will take time to play out, given that those cases can take years to resolve,” says Tapp. “Our hope is that they come off as soon as possible. The Canadian government has said several times that as soon as the U.S. removes their tariffs, Canada will remove its retaliatory tariffs. But the U.S. may be looking for a quota system afterward, and I think the Canadian side is trying to avoid that as much as possible.” —Ted McIntyre
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larger units, more mid-density or row housing. “We need to think about space a bit more. We are also seeing signs that aging households are staying put and kids are moving in with them,” he says. “With a multi-family situation, there is demand for more space. There is also a lot more immigration and immigrants have larger families than the average Canadian-born household.” More people are opting to stay in their homes and adapt them for their needs, rather than sell and move on, Tsiakopoulos says. Although 2018’s renovation forecast was down 7% from 2017 spending ($31.6 billion in Ontario), it’s still strong. And a May 2018 CIBC poll found that most (71%) of Canadian homeowners aged 55 and older preferred to renovate their current home rather than move.
THE RISE OF RENTAL Rental units tend to be in hot demand, both for first-time buyers priced out of the market and members of the aging population who want to downsize but not own another house. Despite that demand, Porter says the “pretty tough rent controls” contained in the 2017 Fair Housing Plan is a detriment to construction of new purpose-built rental buildings. The GTA rental market is being largely supplied by investor-owned condo units. However, Tsiakopoulos says that while there were 3,000 to 5,000 purpose-built starts a year prior to 2015, there are now 6,000 to 8,000 units being created annually. But rents are high ($3 to $4 per square foot) in new units and only about 18% of renter households are earning enough income to afford those kinds of rent. “That’s one big reason the federal government has introduced a National Housing Strategy,” says Tsiakopoulos. The strategy strives to build new affordable housing and renew existing affordable stock, provide assistance and resources to the community housing sector, as well as support research and innovation.
IN CONCLUSION A more balanced market lies ahead, growing around inflation, says Porter, with the days of doubledigit house price growth likely behind us. “If I had to summarize, we will have relatively flat sales, small declines in home building and small price increases.” CMHC predicts that less choice in the Ontario resale market, job growth and stronger-thanexpected growth in new households formed in recent years will support housing starts into 2019. By 2020, weaker job growth, interest rate hikes and more resale choice will dampen total housing starts. Even as the market slows, though, Porter says “it’s as close to a soft landing as you can expect.” OHB ohba.ca
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The new program answers the call of consumers seeking high-rise energy savings. The Molinaro Group’s Brock 2 in Burlington will be one of the first three Energy Star Multifamily projects.
Annual greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by 60 tonnes for a building with a floor space of 15,000 square metres.
Third-party certification guarantees energy efficiency that’s 15% better than Code.
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Rising StarS New EnerQuality program targets multifamily construction By M a r c H u m i n i l ow yc z
It’s official: Ontario homebuyers of all ages are looking for energy efficiency when purchasing a new home. According to the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) 2018 Homebuyer Preference Study conducted by Avid Ratings Canada, energy efficiency is five of the top 10 “must haves” for recent Canadian new-home buyers. In Ontario, where 1,600 people across the province responded to the survey, “must have” and “really want” home features included overall energy efficiency (91%), high-efficiency windows (91%), HRV/ERVs (84%) and certification by a recognized program such as Energy Star (85%). The primary reasons for wanting overall energy efficiency was lower utility costs (60%), followed by concern for the environment (15%). These statistics come as no surprise to EnerQuality, Canada’s market leader in residential green building programs, which has certified more than 100,000 ohba.ca
energy-efficient homes since its founding in 1998 (90,000+ of those Energy Star-certified since 2005). Up until now, the organization has focused on singlefamily home construction. Recently, with growing demand for mid- and highrise homes, the organization broadened its reach to engage this market segment with the introduction of Energy Star Multifamily in October 2018. “Let’s face it, housing is expensive. More and more people, especially in our urban centres, are looking for affordable options and choosing to buy a condominium,” says EnerQuality President Corey McBurney. “We want to support mid/ high-rise builders just as we’ve supported low-rise builders for the last 20 years. That’s what Energy Star is all about.” EnerQuality, in partnership with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), Enbridge and Union Gas, is working with leading Ontario
builders to bring the program to market. “There’s no question that consumers value energy efficiency,” says McBurney. “No surprise, saving money was cited by respondents as the primary reason. What’s interesting is that so-called ‘green living’ is a significant priority for Canadians, especially younger homebuyers. They want quality and value, to be sure, but they are also keen to lower their carbon footprint and protect our environment. Energy Star Multifamily fits neatly into EnerQuality’s mission to facilitate housing innovation. “Ontario’s home building industry has an enviable reputation for leading the way when it comes to sustainability,” notes McBurney, who adds, “it was visionary leadership within the Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA) and the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance (CEEA) who established EnerQuality 20 years ago.” ontario home builder WINTER 2019
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The organization creates and manages market-based certification programs like Energy Star, extensive builder education and delivers Enbridge and Union Gas’ Savings By Design and Optimum Home programs. And McBurney firmly believes Energy Star Multifamily (like Energy Star for New Homes) should remain an option for builders, not a requirement. “Energy Star is strictly a voluntary program; no municipality should ever mandate it. A far more effective policy is to encourage participation with incentives. Reducing development charges, giving density bonuses and/or fast-tracking planning approvals for Energy Star builders should all be considered. I sincerely believe that housing innovation happens when industry and government collaborate to find common ground and achieve the common good.” As with its new-home counterpart, Energy Star Multifamily is a third-party certification for buildings that are built and verified to meet a set of technical requirements, chief of which is the energy target: 15% more efficient than the 2017 Ontario Building Code. “Highperformance building relies on integrated design, energy modelling and the builder’s experience,” says McBurney. “Verification provides the quality assurance that the building is built as designed, completing the process and leading to certification.” According to McBurney, Energy Star offers a simple certification process for builders. “Builders respect it because it’s streamlined and affordable. It has all the integrity of a government program minus the complexity,” he says. “The government’s role is to set the standard and oversee EnerQuality. Our job is to work with builders, architects and engineers to certify buildings and to tell the Energy Star story to homebuyers.” The pilot was developed in conjunction with NRCan. “We are proud to work with EnerQuality to deliver the program,” says Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi. “Energy efficiency has benefits in our homes, neighbourhoods, environment, economy and wallets. Federal investments in innovative energy-efficient projects and programs drive economic growth, contribute 38
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“Ontario’s home building industry has an enviable reputation for leading the way when it comes to sustainability.” to our clean energy future and create high-quality jobs for Canadians. The program is intended to reduce consumers’ energy costs and contribute to the Government of Canada’s climate change commitments, while creating skilled jobs for Canadians and stimulating innovation in the multifamily housing sector, an area where there has been an increasing demand.” NRCan and EnerQuality are addressing a significant market opportunity and program gap. As to the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that could be reduced, estimates put it at roughly 60 tonnes annually for a building with a floor space of 15,000 square metres. “The savings depend on building characteristics,
which vary significantly depending on the building’s end use—for example, energy-using systems and equipment, floor space and so on,” the Minister explains. “For builders, certification means building to a higher standard and being an industry leader,” Minister Sohi notes. “For homeowners and tenants, it means superior energy performance and lower energy costs.” As of mid-December, three Ontario builders (all OHBA members) are committing new high-rise projects to the program: Molinaro Group, Reid’s Heritage Homes and Fram Building Group. Molinaro has been on board with sustainable building for several years, including the construction of two ohba.ca
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EnerQuality: A History of Housing Innovation Founded in 1998 by the Ontario Home Builders’ Association and the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, EnerQuality is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year as Canada’s No. 1 certifier of energy-efficient homes and the market leader in residential green-building programs. Here’s a snapshot of what EnerQuality has achieved. 1998 EnerQuality founded. Peter Love, President.
2005 Michael Lio becomes President.
1999 First EnerQuality Award highlights industry excellence and innovation.
First EnerQuality Builder & Renovator Forum (became Housing & Innovation Forum in 2014)
2003 EnerQuality, in partnership with NRCan, pilots and launches EnerGuide Rating System for new homes and Building Canada.
EnerQuality, in partnership with NRCan, pilots and launches Energy Star for New Homes.
condo projects powered by geothermal energy. An upcoming 22-storey, 162unit project in Burlington will be built for Energy Star certification. “Energy Star is a great program. Easy and inexpensive, with a focus on energy conservation, it’s a recognized brand that consumers understand,” says Molinaro Group President Vince Molinaro, who estimates that reaching the program’s target of 15% better than Code will add a modest premium of only 1% to the building cost. “It’s a good place to start, and I think it will result in high buy-in from Ontario builders. We’re looking to lead the way and inspire others.” Karina Gould, MP for Burlington and Minister of Democratic Institutions, applauds the program for being an innovative solution to support clean growth, lower people’s energy bills and fight climate change. “It is great to see developers in Burlington planning green projects that will help to reduce pollution, encourage innovation and work to make Burlington a cleaner and healthier community,” she says. Reid’s is also no stranger to sustainable building, having constructed 40
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2006 First Energy Star homes built and certified: Jeffery Homes & Mason Homes are the inaugural builders. 2008 Corey McBurney becomes President.
2013 50,000 Energy Star homes certified. 2018 90,000+ Energy Star homes certified. Energy Star Multifamily introduced.
2009 10,000 Energy Star homes certified.
thousands of Energy Star homes across Ontario, as well as a number of net-zero and net-zero-ready homes. The first of six mid-rise buildings in its upcoming “1000 Lackner” 59-unit project in Kitchener will be part of the Energy Star Multifamily program. “We were already heading in this direction, so it was really a nobrainer for us,” says Reid’s Director of Innovation and Integration Jennifer Weatherston. “We like the program because it’s a collaboration with others versus a directive. Continual feedback from EnerQuality allows our project to shape and mold itself to discover nuances before it becomes scalable.” The Reid’s project will focus on conservation and insulation using LED lighting, “compartmentalized” suites that include an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) instead of a conventional Packaged Terminal Air Conditioner unit, punch-out windows versus full glazing, and sophisticated energy modelling. “Energy Star offers really good branding to consumers, which will give them confidence in their decision to buy one of our suites,” says Weatherston. Raj Saini, Member of Parliament
for Kitchener Centre, welcomes the partnership between the Government of Canada and EnerQuality. “It’s great news for my riding, that one of the first buildings in the program is being constructed right here in the City of Kitchener,” he says. “The inclusion of multi-family high-rise buildings in Energy Star will allow more people to make a positive environmental impact locally by reducing their carbon footprint. This program will also have a positive economic impact on our community, as people reduce their energy consumption and save money in return.” According to EnerQuality’s McBurney, Energy Star offers builders not just a powerful brand to engage their consumers, but a system to build better buildings and stay out front of the building code. “Because Energy Star is reachable, builders can build to the standard today,” he says. “The number of mid- and high-rise buildings is growing every day, so it’s high time that consumers should be able to benefit from the Energy Star program, regardless of whether they buy a single or multi-family home.” OHB ohba.ca
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What’s On Tap? Water conservation is more than a passing fad, so expect more efficient products and usage to be mandated in the near future By T e d M c I n t y r e
O
ntario is home to one-fifth of the world’s freshwater, and we act like it too—as though there will always be a bottomless well just the turn of a tap away. According to a 2016 Organization for Economic Development and Co-operation report, Canadians use the fourth-most water per capita of the 28 nations profiled, withdrawing approximately 1000 m3 of water per person per year. Ontarians, in particular, indulge somewhat more, with roughly 1745 m3 per capita in 2011. These numbers admittedly include water takings for all uses except hydroelectric power production, with the majority used for thermal power production. Still, there is much room for improvement. The 2016-2017 report Every Drop Counts: Reducing the Energy and Climate Footprint of Ontario’s Water Use, published by the Environmental Commissioner of Ontario (ECO), indicated that residents in this province consume at least 50% more water than many Europeans, with “Ontario homes averaging 200 litres per person per day, compared to 140 litres per person per day in (the province’s) water-efficient homes,” while “many European nations use only 110-150 litres per person per day for residential use.” Every drop used, not to mention every drop wasted, carries with it an environmental impact, reminds ECO’s Senior Manager of Energy Conservation Policy, Mike Parkes. “Most Ontarians are not aware of the large energy and environmental footprint of our water cycle. Treating and pumping our water ohba.ca
and sewage is responsible for about one-third of the energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from municipal operations. More efficient water use can limit these impacts. Every litre of water that does not need to be treated and pumped reduces energy use and emissions. Water conservation and efficiency can also help defer or avoid municipal infrastructure upgrades, and reduce the harm that our water use can cause to aquatic ecosystems and wetlands.” While water is still taken for granted here, it’s not the case in many other places in the world, where dwindling freshwater reserves have made plenty of news of late. And we’re not talking barren Third World nations here. Cape Town, South Africa, has been teetering on the brink of disaster for a year now, and only avoided “Day Zero”—when the city’s 400 million inhabitants would have to rely on 200 water access points to obtain 6.6 gallons of water per person per day—thanks to an unexpected rising amount of water in local dams as well as “intense waterdemand management programs and behavioural change over the past two years,” according to Cape Town’s executive deputy mayor Alderman Ian Neilson. California has experienced its own droughts of late, with catastrophic wildfires among the devastating results, not to mention doubling water bills for many. Brazil, meanwhile, a water-rich country, recently suffered its worst drought in 35 years, with a NASA study estimating that the region lost an average of 15 ontario home builder WINTER 2019
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Delta’s H2OKinetic technology sculpts water into a unique wave pattern to provide an intense experience, but with less water.
trillion gallons of water per year from 2012 to 2015. Residential water use in Sao Paolo, a city of 12 million, was shut off for 12 hours a day to protect reserves. In fact, a full third of water basins across the world are running low, NASA reports. With its 15-year-long “Millennium Drought” still fresh in the memory bank, Australia has become one of the most proactive nations in the world in promoting conservation, with its Water Efficiency Labelling and Standards (WELS) scheme designed to help its citizens make smarter purchasing decisions for their homes and businesses. “Using water-efficient products could save Australians more than $2 billion by 2030,” the program notes. “That’s an average saving of $175 per household each year—65% of these savings are from reduced electricity and gas costs from avoided water heating, while 35% of are from reduced water bills. If you actively replace inefficient products with
efficient ones, you could save even more.” In Canada, “over the past three years, Vancouver and other cities in British Columbia had to enact heavy water restrictions; Regina and Moose Jaw, Sask. lost their primary water source to algae; Alberta experienced record drought; and wells across Nova Scotia dried up,” the Huffington Post reported last year. Ontario as a whole has certainly been making strides in water conservation. “Though Ontario municipal drinking water systems served one million more residents in 2013 than in 2005, total potable water consumption fell 13%,” the ECO study reports. “Per-capita consumption fell even further between 2004 and 2013—by 20% for total water use and 23% for residential use.” But we can go much further, says Parkes. “Improving water efficiency in newhome construction (through the Ontario
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Building Code) is an important tool in reducing Ontario’s water use. We know that there is the potential for at least a 20% reduction in water use, relative to the current Code. The ECO has made several recommendations on areas the government should consider for Code updates: higher efficiency standards for water fixtures, particularly toilets; reducing summer peak outdoor water use; making the plumbing of multi-unit buildings suitable for water metering of individual units; and expanding opportunities for reuse of greywater and rainwater. At the moment, it is unclear what the government’s plans are for future updates to the Building Code.” Many manufacturers and builders are trying to stay ahead of the curve. “Imposed water conservation measures are certainly a possibility in the future as an extension of government strategy of working toward net-zero-energy buildings,” concedes Roya Khaleeli, Project Manager,
For plumbing contractors looking for an edge on the competition, Kitchenerbased Alert Labs suggests a pair of smart-home technology products that will both optimize clients’ water use and reduce the costs associated with water damage.
Both the leak-detecting Flowie and its companion sensor, Floodie, have seen applications in Guelph and Welland, where hundreds of residents participated in household water conservation through rebate programs. The partnership enabled ohba.ca
“Using water-efficient products could save Australians more than $2 billion by 2030.” Sustainability, Minto Communities. “And a link between water consumption and greenhouse emissions is another driver to reduce overall water consumption. “Minto has incorporated waterconserving plumbing fixtures into all of our homes and condominiums over the past several years,” Khaleeli notes. “From showers and toilets to faucets, this translates into cost savings for homeowners, particularly important given the rising cost of utilities. At the time of initial construction in our high-rise condos, hot and cold water sub-meters are installed in each unit before plumbing systems are in place. The sub-meters measure monthly consumption and help reward conservation efforts by ensuring homeowners pay for what they use. We also capture rainwater in a cistern to use for irrigation purposes in our high-rise condominiums.” Minto has also taken measures to conserve construction site water usage. At its
customers to chop their water use by an average of 18%. “Water consumers are not using less water, per se; they’re wasting less water by being able to detect water-inefficient plumbing fixtures and appliances with smart ohba.ca
Longbranch Phase 2 site in Toronto, where a potable water connection is unavailable, Minto collects groundwater that is filtered and reused for applications such as brick mortar and mixing concrete. Builders have also been reading the tea leaves south of the border. “Water has been growing in importance in the building industry for the past several years, and we’ve seen that manifest itself in many ways,” Jonah Schein, Technical Coordinator for Homes & Buildings, WaterSense Program at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, tells Proudgreenhome.com. “For one, water and sewer rates are continuing to rise and not just water rates but connection fees, so in the building industry we have to be concerned with the fact that infrastructure is costing more and more money. And we’re seeing it in terms of code and legislation and local ordinances, which will continue to put
water flow sensors,” George Tsintzouras, Alert Labs CEO and co-founder, tells Digital Journal . “Flowie is a smart water flow sensor that uses algorithms to detect the leaks that other water sensors miss. Flowie straps onto a water meter
pressure on the building community to become more efficient.” Working hand in hand with builders, some municipalities have taken big strides. Guelph, whose residential daily water use was already a modest 180 litres per person in 2013, has a strategy in place to reduce consumption to 157 litres by 2038. And Wawa’s Energy Conservation Plan (required under O. Reg. 397/11) spells out near-term measures to reduce water use. The most important is to start billing citizens based on volume of water use, now that metering is in place, while other actions include a bylaw to restrict lawn watering in the summer and introducing a rain barrel program. The Priority Green Clarington initiative also showcases the potential for savings. The 2016 project worked with OHBA members Brookfield Residential, Halminen Homes and Jeffery Homes to outfit six new houses with water-saving technologies that went beyond Code requirements, including ultra-low-flow toilets (3.0-3.8 litres per flush vs. the OBC maximum of 4.8); low-flow showerheads (6.6 litres per minute vs. OBC’s max of 7.6); low-flow kitchen faucets (5.7 litres per minute vs. the OBC max of 8.35); and greywater reuse (in three of the six houses), where water drained from showers is recovered and treated as a partial source for toilet flushing. Homes without greywater recovery saved $57 on their annual water/wastewater bill, while homes with greywater recovery saved $128 annually. “The project recognized the linkage between water and energy, and estimated the reduction in energy use at the Region of Durham’s water/wastewater operations due to the lower volume of water pumped and treated,” the ECO study noted. “Water use was responsible for 178 ekWh/year
in eight seconds without tools or the need to cut water pipes. If you can put on a watch, you can install Flowie. The 24/7 monitoring of water usage allows for consumption benchmarking so that property owners receive leak alerts when water
usage deviates from the norm.” Floodie, meanwhile, “guards areas at risk for water damage such as under sinks, near sump pits or around water heater tanks. Flood alerts are sent the instant Floodie detects water.”
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(equivalent kilowatt-hours) of embedded energy use in homes built to Code and 152 ekWh/year in Priority Green homes.” Particularly notable were whole-house water savings in Clarington. “Homes built to the Priority Green standard used an average of 140 litres per person per day, (whereas) a billing analysis of 113 similar new homes in the same neighbourhoods built to Code found that these homes averaged 26% higher water use (176 litres per person per day),” the ECO report observed. “Even more striking, the average residential per-capita water consumption in all existing homes in the Region of Durham was 230 litres per person per day, 64% higher than in Priority Green houses.” It serves as a reminder for Ontario’s renovators “of the opportunities that remain to improve water efficiency in older houses through more efficient water fixtures, management of outdoor water use and through the installation of greywater systems.” Although “the greywater recovery system delivered the largest water savings (13 litres/person/day), it was the only water efficiency measure tested that was not cost-effective, due to its current high upfront cost,” the study showed. “The other three water-efficient technologies all paid back their upfront costs through savings on the water bill in less than five years.”
PRODUCT EFFICIENCY As the world looks to reduce residential water use, efficient fixtures and appliances are helping to drive the trend. A full-sized Energy Star-certified clothes washer, for example, uses approximately 33% less water—14 gallons per load— compared to the 20 gallons used by a standard machine. That’s a savings of more than 2,000 gallons of water per year. In the U.S., the WaterSense label indicates that a toilet, showerhead, faucet or other product has met U.S. Environmental Protection Agency criteria for product performance while using at least 20% less water than federal waterefficiency requirements. WaterSense product purchasers are eligible for rebates in many circumstances. Since 2006, it’s estimated that the program and its partners have helped U.S. consumers save almost 3 trillion gallons of water. Delta is among those trying to 46
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Saving the Environment, Without Even Trying So how much of a difference did buying a new home upgraded with a variety of energy- and water-saving technology make for Alan and Christine Strugnell? “We didn’t notice any difference,” says Alan. But he means it in a good way. After purchasing their home a few years ago in Bowmanville, the Strugnells were among new purchasers contacted for the opportunity to receive a free upgrade package from their builder, Brookfield Homes (pictured), as part of the Priority Green Clarington environmental initiative to outfit six new houses with watersaving technologies beyond Code. “We were on a corner lot, so didn’t have a windbreak, and we were moving from a 1,500 sq. ft. home to a 3,000 sq. ft. home,” Strugnell, a software developer, notes. “And the kids are getting older and having more showers in the house, so you’d expect the bills to go up a lot more. But we didn’t notice any difference in our heating bills. To be honest, they actually went down.” One of the seemingly smaller upgrades included a lowflow showerhead. “After we moved in, though, I asked if they remembered to install it, because the new showerhead felt better than the less-efficient one we had in our old house,” Strugnell relates. “The cost for something like that is pretty low, but if it’s saving two gallons a minute or whatever the amount, it seems silly not to do it. Same with the toilets. Ours are 3.8 litres. Their performance is the same as the old ones, but they use way less water. We also got the greywater system, which we quite like—knowing the shower water is not being wasted—that it’s being used for the toilets. These are not changes that affect your life at all, but they’re good for your bill and good for the environment.” The upsell on water conservation is admittedly tougher than for energy savings, says Brugnell. “Water is relatively cheap right now. But you still have that feel-good aspect— knowing you’re doing your part to save electricity and water, but without having to take shorter showers or flush the toilet less. They’re sort of transparent upgrades, but you get a lot out of them.” ohba.ca
FLUSH WITH SUCCESS
American Standard’s VorMax UHET toilet uses 30% of the water to push waste down and 70% to clean the bowl.
establish higher standards. “As a fourtime WaterSense Sustained Excellence Award winner, Delta Faucet Company is dedicated to developing innovative designs and technologies for the kitchen and bath that pair water efficiency with maximum performance,” says Marnee Colman, Director of Product Management at Masco Canada, whose product lines include Delta, Peerless, Axor and Brizo. “The award is a testament to our ongoing commitment to educate consumers and trade professionals alike on the importance of conserving water.” The trick for manufacturers, of course, is providing at least the same performance level, but with less water. Delta Faucet’s new HydroRain H2OKinetic 2-in-1 shower head, for example, boasts a flow-rate range from 1.5 gpm to 1.75 gpm—approximately 12-25% savings over the standard 2.0 gpm Code—but with a powerful stream. The technology involves the channelling of water through a series of strategically placed chambers that both create velocity and sculpt the water into a unique wave pattern, leaving the sensation of more water while using less. ohba.ca
Toilets, however, are the main culprits of water use in the home, accounting for nearly 30% of residential indoor water consumption, while also being a major source of wasted water due to leaks and/ or inefficiencies, according to manufacturer American Standard. Over the course of your lifetime, you will flush the toilet almost 140,000 times, the company says. If older toilets are replaced with EPA WaterSense-labelled models, almost 13,000 gallons per year will be saved. That translates to more than $90 per year in reduced water utility bills for a family of four, and $2,000 over the lifetime of the toilets (U.S. statistics). Future Net Zero homes built by Reid’s Heritage Homes will feature American Standard toilets that are even more efficient than the WaterSense standard, reducing water consumption by up to 38% than conventional toilets. As is the case in the U.S., where some states have stricter codes than are required at the national level, standards vary in Canada. “Some standards are the same as set by WaterSense. Each province has their own plumbing code, and some municipalities set their own standards which may be more strict than the standard stipulated in the Canadian National Plumbing Code,” says Maria Bosco, Director of Product Marketing for LIXIL Canada Inc., American Standard’s parent company. “Water is a limited resource and such an important part of what we do,” adds Bosco. “Our products are used throughout North America and in areas where water scarcity is a huge issue. Our goal is to set and raise the standard of waterefficient products that have an impact on our environment and people around the world. Over the last several years, we’ve taken proactive steps to improve the way American Standard products are engineered to save water. All of our bathroom faucets have been converted from 1.5 to 1.2 gpm (gallons per minute), exceeding WaterSense certification requirements. We have also introduced several 1.8 gpm showerheads, such as the Spectra+ ETouch. Several new kitchen faucets have launched with lower flow rates at 1.5 and 1.75 gpm (older faucets were rated at 2.5 to 2.8 gpm). “In regard to toilets, the American Standard 1.0 gpf VorMax Ultra-High
Efficiency toilet is the only one in the market that has a 1000 MaP score, meaning it is high-performance and water-efficient. The VorMax technology reinvents the way the toilet flushes by using 70% of the water to clean the bowl and 30% to push the waste down. Conventional toilets do the opposite, using more water to push the waste down and less to clean the bowl, which often requires multiple flushes to get the bowl clean.” As far as manufacturers are going, provincial initiatives are required to push conservation to the next level, says ECO’s Parkes. “Ontario should look at tools to improve water efficiency in existing homes, which could include incentive programs or minimum water efficiency standards. Several municipalities offer rebates for water-efficient products, although the provincial government does not. Ontario also has the legal authority to set minimum water efficiency standards for products, similar to the way it sets minimum energy efficiency standards for appliances. However, the government has never used this authority. The ECO has recommended that the government examine opportunities for implementing water efficiency standards that apply to products at point-of-sale and, in particular, set water efficiency standards for toilets. More efficient toilets are likely the largest opportunity to save water in existing homes, as is reducing unnecessary outdoor water use (e.g., lawn watering), and better detection of water leaks. Mandating or incenting more efficient toilets could deliver a 20% reduction in toilet water use (4.8 litres per flush vs. 6 litres per flush).” Given that the newly elected Ontario government has moved the ECO to the Attorney General and Premier’s Office, it remains to be seen how the ECO waterconserving recommendations will be received by the new government. But it’s likely just a matter of time. “At Masco Canada and Delta Faucet Company, we are following the trend closely to ensure we are meeting the demands and legislation requirements for today and tomorrow,” says Peter Ashton, VP of Trade Sales at Masco Canada. “We can only speculate that the requirement for waterconscious products will increase.” OHB ontario home builder WINTER 2019
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Building Buzz N e w s an d mov e s f rom t h e i n d u s t ry
One-on-One Time!
Trades ratio changes good news for the home building industry By Ted McIntyre
Now that the Ontario College of Trades experiment is over, home building industry experts are feeling as though a string of hurdles has been removed from the construction process. With the Progressive Conservative government’s Making Ontario Open for Business Act ruled into law in November, the province’s journeyperson-to-apprentice ratio has been set at one-to-one, bringing it in line with most of Canada. The new legislation overturned the 2009 Ontario College of Trades and Apprenticeship Act and replaced aspects of the Liberal government’s Bill 148, the latter of which took effect in November 2017. “Ontario’s government for the people is helping employers and workers to better fill the demand for skilled trades and apprenticeship jobs and bringing quality jobs back to Ontario by cutting red tape,” an Oct. 23 government press release observed. “The province is taking the first steps to modernize and transform Ontario’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system.” The previous regulatory burdens placed on employers and apprentices created barriers to apprenticeship, ohba.ca
making it difficult for Ontario to keep up in training the skilled tradespeople demanded by the economy. “About one in five new jobs in Ontario in the coming years are expected to be in tradesrelated occupations,” the release noted. As for the Ontario College of Trades, “the government intends to develop a replacement model for the regulation of the skilled trades and apprenticeship system in Ontario by early 2019.” According to a separate release, the government will also “repeal much of the burdensome, job-killing red tape imposed by the previous government through the notorious Bill 148. These reforms include maintaining Ontario’s current minimum wage at $14 per hour until 2020, to be followed by increases tied to inflation.” “The Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA) is exuberant that the provincial government (has made) changes to the 40-year-old apprenticeship system that will help close the skills gap across Ontario,” said OHBA President Rick Martins. “For the past 10 years, OHBA has recommended lower apprenticeship ratios to make
Ontario a competitive training and business jurisdiction and removing a major barrier for young people to enter the skilled trades. This is a game changer. This sets Ontario up to be competitive for generations to come. “Ontario will grow by more than 4.3 million people in the next 25 years and with that there will be an overwhelming need for skilled labour in the building and renovation sector,” added OHBA CEO Joe Vaccaro. Sam Lapidus, President of Keystone Ridge Developments Ltd. in Toronto and chair of BILD’s Renovator Council, believes the new legislation has freed up support for home builders and allows contractors to spread their wings. “This has far-reaching effects across the economy,” Lapidus says. “There’s a trickle-down. It’s definitely good for employers, as well as the young men and women who are looking at the employment market and considering going into the trades, or now coming out of their training programs. This is definitely a big plus for the schooling systems too. And it’s good for the end user—the taxpaying homeowner. This will reduce costs for new-home construction and even for major renovations when we work with trades that are part of the College.” It will also speed up the construction process on both fronts, Lapidus notes. “You’ll see employers hiring more crews and smaller companies becoming larger companies. And when I call up an electrical or plumbing firm and say, ‘Hey, I have a project,’ they’ll be available to do the job, and get there on time.” Not that there aren’t lasting ramifications to the previous Act. “There are probably some men and women who decided to pursue slightly different careers because there was a concern about what their opportunities would be coming out of college,” Lapidus says. “Some might now take out another student loan to redo their first year of schooling, and some will stay on that ontario home builder WINTER 2019
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different path. And employers were probably also putting holds on hiring, because the cost of having that old ratio made no sense—it was such a high bar to hurdle over.” While the new Act is great news, it’s still tempered with a sobering reality. “It’s allowing us to hire two new apprentices immediately who have been working as general labourers for us but couldn’t become apprentices anywhere because of the ratios,” notes Jamie Adam, president of Waterloo-based Pioneer Craftsmen and the OHBA’s Ontario Renovators’ Council chair. But it’s more a case of plugging holes than expanding the business, Adam says. “You can’t lose sight of the fact that a lot of our senior carpenters are not just getting ready to retire; they are retiring! We had two retire last spring!” It’s consequently vital that the new legislation be accompanied by an awareness campaign to entice future students, as well as a build-up of infrastructure, Adam stresses. “We lost a lot of potential apprentices to other provinces with lower ratios, such as B.C., where they could find work. We’ve also lost them to other industries. It will take some significant investment from the province to make sure we have adequate bases at colleges for these apprentices, and that there are enough spaces (and teachers).” Until the well is replenished, existing trades in many areas of the province will remain pricey commodities. “It’s the law of supply and demand,” says Adam. “If all the contractors and builders and renovators out there are fighting for one mason or carpenter, that tradesperson will work for the highest bidder, and understandably so. I already see it now—people battling over who is going to be their electrician, be part of their carpentry staff.” But at least the path is clear to rectifying such issues, says Adam. “Allowing 1-to-1 for everyone and investing in apprenticeship will allow builders and renovators to continue to build safe, secure and sustainable housing for Ontarians,” he says. “That has been under threat because we’re losing so many of our skilled trades due to retirement and the inability to bring in new people.” ohba.ca
Tarion’s two new Stakeholder Relations Representatives, Kirk Rowe and Chuck Murad, will serve Northern and Southwestern Ontario.
We’re Listening
Tarion is responding to builder feedback By S i lo n i Wa r a i c h
Throughout 2018, Tarion was fortunate to meet with many builders and representatives of OHBA to have some very open discussions. While they aren’t always easy, these conversations are necessary for us to continue to work together positively. We are listening and wanted to share with you some of the improvements we have made as a direct result of your feedback.
Creating Clarity and Consistency with the new Process Manual Tarion recently developed a new process manual. This guide outlines our warranty-related processes and provides builders with an easy-to-understand visual aid of the various processes. Your feedback was essential to developing this guide and ensuring that it would directly address some of the concerns brought to our attention about clarity and consistency of information, and knowing how to escalate a concern. The manual can be viewed by downloading a copy from BuilderLink.
Improving Accessibility and Personal Contact We are excited to announce that we’ve recently added two new Stakeholder Relations Representatives to the team, Kirk Rowe and Chuck Murad, who will be serving the Northern and Southwestern areas of the province,
respectively. Stakeholder Relations Representatives provide builders with guidance and education on licensing and warranty matters. We believe this will give builders all over the province the service and accessibility to Tarion that they need! We’ve also recently made changes to our scheduling systems and are committed to a 15-day period for having a warranty services representative assigned to your case, prior to inspection. As always, a dedicated warranty services coordinator will be your point of contact from the time the inspection is scheduled until the warranty services representative takes over. We know how important it is for builders to have someone with a technical background to be available and provide guidance. If at any time you have a question that needs more expertise than a warranty services coordinator can provide, just ask to speak with Tarion’s technical desk.
Working Together to Resolve Issues We recently heard concerns around some of the language used to communicate the purpose of a conciliation inspection and that some builders felt it undermined the trust they had established with their homeowners. We have an obligation to try our hardest to ensure homeowners understand that if their builder does not resolve their ontario home builder WINTER 2019
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concerns, Tarion will not be able to help them without having gone through a conciliation. It’s an important part of clear dispute resolution. But we also think these concerns are valid and will review our materials to ensure there is a balanced communication approach that encourages homeowners who are working toward resolution with their builders to continue to do so in that spirit of cooperation.
E n e r gy
markham’s Groundbreaking Geothermal Partnership
Asking for Advice and Sharing Compliance Information We heard from builders who had a difficult time getting advice from Tarion on whether a home needs to be enrolled. Now when builders contact Tarion, they will receive a response within 24 hours from a trained compliance staff member who will be their designated point of contact. This will help us gather all the information we need to review the home and make a timely decision. We have also changed our approach to how we gather illegal building concerns. As of September 2018, all issues related to builder conduct, including illegal building, are being responded to within 24 hours by a trained member of our compliance and investigations team. Anyone who doesn’t want to be identified can choose to remain anonymous, but they will still be asked basic questions about the builder or home to help Tarion determine if there’s enough supporting evidence to begin an investigation. These changes are positive steps forward that will help Tarion more efficiently address illegal building or other conduct-related issues.
Let’s Keep Talking We want to make sure that we keep the conversation going. The improvements we have made are only possible because of your thoughtful and honest feedback. If you have any suggestions or additional concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Stakeholder Relations Representative. If you do not know who your Stakeholder Relations Representative, please contact Tarion at (877) 982-7466 or stakeholderrelations@tarion.com . —Siloni Waraich is the vice-president of Stakeholder Relations with Tarion 52
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Call it Geo-tagging; or maybe geotag-teaming. On Nov. 15, the City of Markham, in partnership with Mattamy Homes Canada and Enwave Energy Corporation, announced a groundbreaking collaboration to research and design a pilot neighbourhood of approximately 300 homes, serviced by a community-scale distributed geothermal energy system for heating, cooling and domestic hot water. Grant funding has been provided by The Atmospheric Fund for design activities, while the community’s heating and cooling system will be maintained, operated and delivered by Enwave Energy Corporation. Construction is slated to begin in 2020. Markham has set out to become Canada’s largest net-zero emissions city by 2050. To achieve this ambitious target, its Municipal Energy Plan – Getting to Zero includes strategies for increasing and improving energy efficiency through implementing green technology, energy conservation and efficiency in all sectors of Markham. Located in north Markham, the community will utilize wells up to 250 metres deep, allowing the community to tap into geothermal energy. Heating and cooling will be delivered at the
neighbourhood level through a single common ambient pipe buried beneath the community and connected to each home, similar to that of an electrical grid. The system will be maintained and operated by Enwave’s team of engineers. The net benefits include greater energy efficiency through optimization, increased energy savings to consumers, reduced maintenance burdens and costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions— all of which should increase comfort and convenience for residents. Upon completion of the pilot, the model may be applied to future phases of the Mattamy development, while best practices and lessons learned from the unique partnership will help to advance geothermal community energy systems across the GTA and beyond, suggests Markham mayor Frank Scarpitti. “This is the first major step to achieving our goal of becoming a net-zero water, waste and emissions community by 2050, and one of many innovative initiatives you will see with development partners,” Scarpitti notes. “This project will set the standard for a new way of thinking about how we generate and distribute energy in North America.” “This forward-thinking business model, where the burden of optimizing advanced heating and cooling equipment is transferred from the homeowner to a private entity, will contribute to job creation and drive innovation adoption in the housing industry,” adds Brad Carr, CEO, Mattamy Homes Canada. “Mattamy has a long history of leadership in home building innovation, and we see this partnership as clearly aligned with our sustainability and innovation strategy.”
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identity. As the latest addition to the Stanley Black & Decker family, Craftsman (Craftsman.com) has begun and will continue rolling out a line of more than 1,200 products, including power tools, lawn and garden power equipment, hand tools, mechanic and automotive tools and storage solutions. Most products are now available at Lowe’s, Rona and Ace Hardware stores across Ontario. The launch is accompanied by an updated Craftsman logo and a more vibrant colour scheme.
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A Wind Generator for a Multi-Unit?
ONTARIO HOUSING UPDATES Direct to you!!! As the voice of Ontario’s residential construction industry, OHBA informs members and subscribers of the latest news and events relevant to home construction and professional renovation in the province. Subscribe today to receive updates on housing data, expert columns, relevant industry events, awards and advocacy work. Stay current. Sign up now. WWW.OHBA.CA/SUBSCRIBE/ 54
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While your typical wind turbine tends to stand out on the landscape, a compact new design could give apartment and condo dwellers a very inexpensive form of power generation. Winner of the 2018 International James Dyson Award, The O-Wind takes advantage of horizontal and vertical winds to efficiently and sustainably generate electricity and ohba.ca
independently make use of feed-in energy tariffs. The spherically shaped turbine has a single axis of rotation going through it and can be easily fixed on outside balconies. In the presence of wind—something that’s pretty common among large apartment and condo towers but previously unharnessed—there is a pressure difference between the two terminals causing the turbine to move. This turbine rotation is used to power a generator that can produce electricity, which can be fed into the grid, hence providing financial incentive to users and improving the region’s sustainable energy production. The O-Wind was designed by Nicolas Orellana, originally from Chile, and Yaseen Noorani, originally from Kenya, while studying for a master’s degree in international innovation at the University of Lancaster in the U.K. The next step will feature additional testing, as well as partnering with others to refine the design before it can be mass-produced.
Design
Feeling Blue… and Green Navy blue is trending. In fact, it’s the new neutral, according to Woodbridgebased Ambience Design. “Navy works well with just about any colour, whether in the fashion or in the interior design world,” the company writes. “It’s a versatile colour and the perfect substitute for black, as it makes a dazzling base colour that breathes elegance and class. At the same time, it can be used as an accent to add intensity and style. Not many hues can pull this off. Reminiscent of the ocean, it’s also a very relaxing colour.” Being a classy yet refreshing hue, it was a favourite among top designers like Phillip Lim, Jason Wu and Caroline Herrera in the runways of New York, London and Paris Fashion Week. Dulux Paints by PPG, meanwhile, highlights green as the colour to watch in 2019. The leading national brand has named two deep green tones as Colours ohba.ca
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of the Year for 2019: Night Watch, a deep green-black from the brand’s new colour collection, and Mojito Shimmer, a glistening, frosted dark green from the Dulux Effects Finishes Venetian Silk collection. “Both of these colours represent the ultimate in luxe, delivering a rich, striking look that brings sophistication and depth to living spaces,” says Martin Tustin-Fuchs, PPG brand manager. “They are symbolic of consumers’ desire for positive change—to move from darkness to twilight and to search for an element of rebirth in today’s complex, technologically driven world.” Night Watch emulates the feeling
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of lush greenery and delivers a calming yet invigorating sense, the company notes. It works best in bedrooms and living areas as well as on kitchen cabinetry. It also pairs particularly well with metallic finishes and pewter tones. Made from new technology that enables users to transform their walls in a single day, infusing them with light-reflecting colour and texture to match any personal taste, Dulux Venetian Silk line’s Mojito Shimmer offers the perfect complement to the Night Watch tone.
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Kenmore Homes Digs In for Habitat
Kenmore Homes is sharing some of the success of its new Terravita development in north Niagara Falls with Habitat for Humanity. The St. Catharines-based builder is donating $1,000 for every home sold in its luxury Terravita project, which will feature a mix of twostorey homes, bungalows and bungalow lofts, ranging in size from 1,650 to 2,980 square feet and with prices starting in the $900,000s. With 80 lots, that means a likely total of $80,000 for Habitat, approximately what it takes for them to construct a home (not including land, material donations and volunteers). “It’s going to go a long way to building a house,” Habitat for Humanity CEO Mark Carl told Niagara This Week, noting that the charity hopes to build four to five homes across the Niagara region this year. ohba.ca
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e x pa n s i o n s
Icynene, Polycor, IKO are growing is growing its spray polyurethane foam insulation, roofing and coating solutions in Canada and recently completed a multi-million-dollar upgrade of its Mississauga manufacturing facility to better serve and distribute its insulation materials to Canadian builders, remodellers/contractors, architects and building owners and operators. Quebec-based stone quarrier Polycor Inc. , the largest producer of natural stone in North America, has expanded its geographic presence by merging with Indiana Limestone Company. The announcement comes on the heels of Polycor’s recent acquisition of four limestone quarries in France in July, now positioning the company as a global leader in the natural stone industry. The merger is expected to drive meaningful growth through crossselling synergies, geographic expansion and sharing of best practices. In addition, the merger will provide an expanded product offering for customers of both companies, positioning the combined business as the solution of choice for architects, builders, dealers and other stakeholders in the natural stone value chain. Existing customers and suppliers can expect a seamless transition and to receive the same quality of service they have come to expect over time. In other expansion news, IKO Industries , a worldwide leader in the roofing, waterproofing and insulation industry for residential and commercial markets, has acquired the operations of the Roof Tile Group from New Zealand-based manufacturer and builder Fletcher Building. Roof Tile Group manufactures metal roofing tiles for global sales and distribution under a number of brand names, including Decra and Gerard. OHB Icynene-Lapolla
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Product Focus I de a s for B u i l de r s & R e n ovat or s
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Napoleon’s SureView see-through technology remains hot, as does its HomeShield Air Purification System. Martino’s Furnace Minder will notify both the consumer and provider when service is required.
Rheem’s EcoNet Smart features include motion activation and integrated wifi.
Take Comfort
Six experts weigh in on heating and cooling trends By Ted McIntyre
The margin for improvement when it comes to residential heating and cooling efficiency is getting smaller and smaller, but manufacturers continue to stretch the envelope, with other trends in the HVAC market including air quality, aesthetics and connectivity. On the latter side, apart from remotely managing settings like air quality and humidity, built-in diagnostics are enabling both consumers and installers to spot trouble before it happens, notes Clay Stevens, show manager at this month’s 2019 AHR Expo in Atlanta, the largest HVACR show in the world. “Customers in this space are demanding more functional monitoring
and AHR Expo exhibitors are delivering with extremely intelligent capabilities, such as text alerts, more variety in mobile access, real-time updates and pre-scheduled diagnostics,” Stevens tells Appliancedesign.com. The Air Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration News notes that Goodman Mfg. “has removed the heating system control board from the thermostat and mounted it directly to the circuit board of select gas furnace models. This change allows the equipment to connect to any single-stage or smart thermostat available.” Also on the thermostat side, Rheem has launched the EcoNet Smart,
designed to optimize the performance of Rheem-communicating HVAC and water heating systems. The ultrathin programmable thermostat has a full-colour glass touchscreen and is equipped with features modern homeowners expect, such as local weather, one-touch away mode, motion activation and integrated wifi. Trane’s S-Series Furnace, meanwhile, offers users complete control via the Nexia app or a web portal. Consumers are also much more interested in knowing what they and their families are breathing in their homes, says Stevens. “Smart sensors that will be on display (at this month’s show)
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Product Focus have proven to be effective at detecting pollutant particles and VOCs in indoor air, and then automatically taking action to introduce fresh air through the ventilation system or by actuating a fan,” he tells Appliancedesign.com. “Additionally, there is always a push for zero-ozone-emitting systems.” The advancement of air-source heat pump technology (drawing heat from the outside air during the heating season and rejecting it outside during the summer cooling season using refrigeration rather than burning fossil fuel) has enabled units to become much more efficient—and consequently more popular—in colder climates. It’s helped make mini splits (heating and cooling systems that allow you to control the temperatures in individual rooms or spaces) a year-round, whole-home solution for heating and cooling. While the units aren’t cheap, the positive economics include the fact that consumers “may be able to reduce heating costs by up to 50% if they convert from an electric furnace to an all-electric air-source heat pump,” notes Natural Resources Canada. On the gas side, the shift continues from non-condensing, low-efficiency boilers to condensing models that use waste heat in flue gas to preheat the cold water entering the boiler, capturing more heat from the outside rather than the inside of a room. As a consequence, condensing models are at least 25% more efficient. OHB asked six industry experts what trends are catching their eye.
What’s trending in HVAC? Mike Martino, Martino HVAC
“Because of townhouses and stacked units and three- to six-storey wood construction, we’re seeing more midand high-velocity systems (combiboiler) being put in. Two reasons: you have open concept. You can get away with 2” and 3” branches on the ductwork. So it makes it very viable for open concept where there aren’t many walls. And with the combi, you only have two vents: an intake for combustion, and an outlet for the particles 62
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What’s new in insulation? Eco Insulation President Justin Foss, whose company offers top-to-bottom solutions for builders and renovators, predominantly in Chatham with several clients in Windsor as well, wades in on insulation trends. What’s the latest news in the insulation world? “Demilec and Lapolla’s spray foam application for under base and concrete. They just got CCMC approval last year to not only use it as an insulation but as a radon barrier. Basically, we spray the ground to make it a seamless monolithic barrier to prevent radon from entering the house. This is 100% picking up with builders, especially with the new basement code increase, where you need to have continuous insulation, meaning there can’t be any studding to break up the insulation. So now we’re spraying underneath the concrete and coming up the basement walls. It’s quite an impressive application, and we’re getting great feedback on it. Code changes have been enacted and enforcements are on the way, so this spray foam is sort of a two-for-one for builders. Any drawbacks, though, for installing radiant heating? “Actually, for in-floor heating systems, when you spray on the stones, the tubes and pegs really stick well to the foam, so the HVAC guys like working with it.” Tight homes still need proper insulation. “You can potentially have even more problems with a tight home if it’s not insulated properly. A tight home definitely needs an HRV or ERV to exchange stale air. Say you missed a cavity in a house—with a tight home that weak area shows up immediately and you’ll start to see mould on the drywall within a couple weeks of the heating or cooling season. And ventilation is just as important to keeping that attic space as close as possible to the outside temperature to prevent ice damming and so on. “There are insulation areas that are sometimes missed or where not enough attention is being paid— like in an attic knee wall, where Code requires continuous insulation on the outside of a building. But since it’s inside the attic, they sometimes forget there needs to still be continuous insulation plus the batt that’s in the cavity. The attic temperature can be a lot harsher than the exterior. In the summer, it can be 60°C, and you don’t have the same wall section you have on the outside of the house. All you have is batt, drywall and then the room, whereas outside you have brick, plywood. So those areas, if they don’t have a rigid backing or continuous insulation, should probably be upgraded to spray foam just to get maximum R-value.” Why is this occurring? “I think it’s just a lack of awareness of a few builders, and a lack of enforcement on the building department, who, maybe aren’t aware either. We actually brought this up in October with our building department and they’re going around enforcing it quite well now.” What rebates are relevant to those using your services? “(Contractors) can definitely take advantage of the Enbridge and Union Gas rebates while they’re still here.
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Product Focus to be dissipated outdoors. With four vents, it can be very difficult—almost impossible—to bring in the air. And then there’s the improved aesthetics. We’re also seeing hydronic systems in custom homes—the air handler with hot-water tankless units. Jon Fischer, Aprilaire: “Higher efficiency of heating and cooling systems, including VRF (variant refrigerant flow)—which means I may have two or three smaller air handlers that might do a master bedroom suite, the two kids’ bedrooms, etc.—but with only one condensing unit outside. Companies like Carrier, LG, Daikin and others all have it now. It’s superhigh-efficient for the consumer to operate. It uses heat pump technology, which basically reverses the refrigerant flow. If one area is too hot and another is too cold, the refrigerant grabs the heat from the air and through the refrigeration system sends it to the area that is too cold, as opposed to running a compressor. It’s something I started seeing in the U.S. about two-and-a-half years ago, but it’s now trending in terms of multifamily applications. “Also, you don’t have as big a heat or cooling load because new homes have gotten much tighter and more energy efficient, so you can reduce the size and capacity of the heat or AC system. But the problem is, if I’m building a tight house, it might not breathe. So you need an ERV or HRV to properly ventilate. I’m seeing some builders cutting a 6” or 8” hole in the basement or attic and ducting it into the return of the air conditioner and bringing in fresh air that way, so you’re positively pressuring the house and pushing out that stale air through exhaust fans.”
“There’s a large increase in combi boilers as well as combo systems, the latter of which pairs a tankless water heater with a fan coil. It’s really becoming popular—especially in the Ontario market. The (CAN/CSA) P.9-11 standard has really helped drive this, as well as its
Scott Semple, Navien:
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compact nature and cost. Typically what happens is that it starts with a furnace replacement and instead of replacing just the furnace they look at changing out the water heater at the same time. When this is an option, they look at going with a fan coil and tankless water heater. They’re also getting a smaller footprint and the increased efficiency. And in a lot of areas there’s a rebate available for these types of systems or tankless water heaters. This type of system is typically lower cost than a boiler and a fan coil, or a furnace and a tankless.”
“We’re seeing trends in all of our equipment toward wifi connectivity.” Joe Cancilla, Napoleon: “More compact, streamlined designs! Based on the high intensification mandated by the provincial government several years ago, we’re now see the prevalence of four- to six-storey wood-constructed dwelling, stacked houses and condos, which aligns with our Condo Pack, as well as some of our smaller products on the market. The other trend is that consumers are becoming more savvy with what they’re putting in their homes in a retrofit or custom build—certainly more emphasis on variable-speed blower motors, twostage furnaces and, in some cases, supplemental cooling using ductless air conditioners.” Jeff Hunter, Redmond/Williams
“We’re seeing trends in all of our equipment toward wifi connectivity—not only so the consumer can see what’s going on with their heating system to
The A.C. Market Needs a Shake-Up
Need an incentive to make a better air conditioner? How does $3 million sound? In partnership with the Indian government, which alone is expected to add around 1 billion room air conditioners by 2050, business magnate Richard Branson has helped fund the Global Cooling Prize to find a sustainable solution. As people move out of poverty in cities across India and China (among other quickly growing economies), the first three significant purchases tend to be a TV, a refrigerator and an air conditioner. Given the economic growth of those huge population bases, the number of AC units may almost quadruple—from 1.2 billion worldwide today to 4.5 billion—by the middle of the century, according to the International Energy Outlook 2018 study. “The increase in energy consumption for cooling represents a massive risk to meeting our climate goals,” says Branson, who hopes the prize “can literally help save the world from the disaster it’s facing.” To participate, companies must submit a solution that has five times less climate impact than a standard AC unit, at no more than twice the cost, so that it has a payback period of less than four years. “This is a $20 billion market ready for a shake-up,” says Branson. “The challenge is that the market is broken.”
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Product Focus The thru-wall installation of Napoleon’s Condo Pack application ensures a clean exterior look.
Navien’s new NFB Series fire tube boiler features an advanced user interface with intuitive text display.
track energy use and costs, but so that the installer gets to see any trouble codes and diagnose while they’re not on site. Also, we’ve seen a big growth in hydronics, in-floor heating and heating systems using hot water in general. Combi boilers provide both heating and domestic hot water out of the same unit, reducing mechanical room equipment requirements. “For homeowners, the decision might be, ‘What kind of carbon footprint do I want to have?’ Heating/cooling and hot water production in our homes account for a sizeable portion of our carbon emissions in Canada. I think we’ll see a transition period, where dual-fuel-type systems become popular, before we move into 100% electrified/renewable energy-based systems like, for example, geothermal heat pumps. Cold-climate air-source heat pumps are a good transition technology to get people electrified, particularly in rural areas where they often have a propane furnace. They could add it on top of that furnace where their air conditioning coil might normally go, and it would just hook up to the heat pump outdoors. That heat pump would satisfy the heating and cooling requirements most of the year, then switch over to the propane side when it gets below a certain temperature.” 64
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What’s hot, product-wise? Joe Cancilla, Napoleon: “Our Condo
Pack. It can certainly do larger buildings, but it really has a sweet spot in four- to six-storey wood construction. Designed for conventional thru-wall installation applications, it’s an allindoor design for a clean exterior look that’s aesthetically pleasing from an architectural standpoint. By removing exterior equipment and refrigerant connections from the application, it’s protected from extreme climate conditions. It’s pre-wired and pre-charged, and our dual sliding chassis allows for easy installation and maintenance of both heating and cooling units. “And we have the HomeShield UV Air Purification System, which uses medical-grade Philips UV lamps with flexible installation configurations to purify a home’s indoor environment. All integral HVAC system components will perform more efficiently, as bacterial and mould build-up is eliminated. “And our SureView (see-through) design has been well received. Consumers like the idea that they can basically see the furnace’s operation, but there’s also a benefit to the contractors from a servicing standpoint.” Jeff Hunter, Redmond/Williams:
“Some of Ontario’s leading residential builders install the Bosch Greentherm
9000 series tankless water heaters with the Redzone Hydronic air handlers. This package is ideally suited for lower loads, lower-heatingrequirement buildings. The physical footprint of the system is also much smaller than a traditional system, a great advantage for stacked townhomes and condos. In larger custom construction, heat pumps and radiant infloor solutions are playing a bigger role. For example, we may have infloor radiant and a ductless system in one house. Or, because of its ability to use smaller ductwork, we could see a RedZone unit with a cold-climate heat pump coil connected to a boiler or tankless water heater. We also find custom jobs looking to install new-style radiators throughout, towel warmers, snow-melt systems and pool heating systems all tied to a central boiler system.” Mike Martino, Martino HVAC: “We
have the Furnace Minder, a device invented a few years ago. We got our Canadian patent on it in November. It counts the number of cycles on a furnace, and when it reaches the level we’ve set it at—for, say, the GTA—it will beep and say ‘Service Required.’ It also has wifi, so it will notify the homeowner’s device as well as our office, and we’ll contact the homeowner to ohba.ca
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Product Focus set up a service appointment. It can also detect carbon monoxide leakage in the mechanical room, as well as gas leaks. We hope to have it to market before this summer. It’ll be available on our furnace product, and on existing homes, it can be added by licensed heating contractors. We have one manufacturer looking at it for their line. We know it can save lives and make sure the furnace is running efficiently, saving money for the homeowner.” (Martino says the Furnace Minder will cost well under $200.) Jon Fischer, Aprilaire: “At the CEDIA show (in San Diego in September) what specifically stood out to me were air quality monitors. AirThinx has a product that will monitor about 10 different things in the air, including three different sizes of air particulates, CO2, temperature, humidity, VOCs, etc. They’re already doing a lot of hotels and lecture halls—making building owners aware of what people inside are breathing. It generates valuable data about each room in your home to substantiate corrective action before contamination, with sophisticated alerts via text or email. But it’s not cheap. It’s about $700US with $40/ month subscription fees. Most (track) builders probably won’t be interested. But a custom builder, or a developer who maintains a condo long-term, will care more about products like this. “We’re partnering with air quality companies so when CO2 gets too high, we can bring in fresh air. And we can have those monitoring systems send us a command, so that we can automatically turn on the ventilation system or air quality—whatever needs to be done.” Scott Semple, Navien: “We just
launched the Navien NFB series highefficiency condensing fire tube boilers. We’ve done some significant design changes to the heat exchanger, which we hold a few patents on. Fire tube technology is not new, but with today’s systems we see a lot of micro-zones, especially with radiant floor systems. 66
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Bosch’s Greentherm 9000 tankless water heater features outstanding efficiency and cutting-edge technology for reliability and long life.
And the higher mass of a fire tube boiler helps prevent short cycling that we see with small-mass water tube boilers. And we manufacture our own heat exchanger—I believe every other fire tube manufacturer is purchasing their heat exchanger and then assembling their product. But we manufacture 95% of what goes into our products. Our NFB also has one of the largest turn down ratios at 10:1.” Jeff Hunter, Redmond/williams:
The Bosch Inverter Ducted Split AirSource heat pump system. Heat pump technology has been improving by leaps and bounds. They’re fine-tuning these products for cool-climate applications, and we’re seeing greater than 200% efficiencies at -20C. So it can be a major primary heating source for a house. And the Redzone DVS (Dual Velocity) Air Handler. It connects to a condensing tankless hot water heater
or combi boiler and is the only (tankless home heat) system available that can use either standard or three-inch diameter ducts. That means there’s a lot more configurability available, which makes it very popular with architects since they can reduce the bulkheads. It further lends itself well to low-carbon systems, since we’re just feeding it hot water, which can be produced any way you like. Its small, lightweight components offer a wide variety of mounting and venting configurations. Wallmounting is a real space-saver, and it requires no venting or gas lines, so you can place it in a closet, crawl space or basement. The tankless water heater, meanwhile, can be mounted on either an exterior or interior wall. So instead of a vent and intake for your furnace and a vent and intake for your gas water heater, the Redzone opportunity is one gas line, one set of vents for heating and hot water.” OHB ohba.ca
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Words to Build By
“Always think about the way people are going to live in the house. It’s not just about the house.” David Hill President, Ballantry Homes
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