Better Builder, Issue 14, Summer 2015

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ISSUE 14 | SUMMER 2015WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA

RenewableEnergySOURCES

The Home of the Future NowAre We Near Near Zero?The Renewables Sweet SpotPVT – A Panel DiscussionGetting Off the GridThe Trouble With WindowsPu

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the builder’s source

A b r e a t h o f f r e s h a i r .

MAX SERVICE

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

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

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

MAX COMFORT

With the increased effi ciency of this optional Electronically Commuted Motor (ECM), homeowners will be free to cycle air continuously with a minimal increase in electricity cost. Continuous fan operation helps improve fi ltration, reduce temperature variations, and helps keep the air clear of dust and allergens – making your customers’ homes more comfortable.

M ini Duc ted H i -Ve loc i t y A i r Handl ing System Optional Pr ior i t iz ing of Comfor t Levels with Energy Savings

MAX SPACE SAVER

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

It can be installed in new or existing homes.

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

MAX ENERGY SAVINGS

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

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

FLEXAIRTM DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

MAX FLEXIBILITY

The supply outlets can be placed in the wall, ceiling or fl oor.

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

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

Can be mounted for vertical or horizontal airfl ow.

Can be combined with humidifi ers, high effi ciency air cleaners or ERVs / HRVs.

Snap-together branch duct and diffuser connections.

MAX ELECTRICAL SAVINGS

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

1-800-453-6669 905-951-0022519-578-5560613-966-5643 416-213-1555 877-254-4729905-264-1414

For distribution of Air Max Technologies products call

www.airmaxtechnologies.com209 Citation Drive, Units 5&6, Concord, ON L4K 2Y8, Canada

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FEATURE STORY16 The Home of the Future Now (�¸UVULU]PYVUTLU[HSPZ[¹�KPZJV]LYZ�[OL�ILULÄ[Z�� VM�I\PSKPUN�UL[�aLYV�LULYN`�OVTLZ�HUK�PUÅ\LUJLZ� other builders to do the same. BY ALEX NEWMAN

INSIDE THIS ISSUE02 Publisher’s Note: Reduce, Unplug and Recharge BY JOHN GODDEN

03 The Bada Test: Are We Near Near Zero? BY LOU BADA

04 Industry News: PVT – A Panel Discussion BY MICHAEL PATHAK

06 Industry Expert: The Renewables Sweet Spot BY GORD COOKE

08 Builder News:�.L[[PUN�6Ɉ�[OL�.YPK� BY PANASONIC AND BETTER BUILDER STAFF

11 Builder News:�*VUULJ[LK�/VTLZ�6ɈLY Competitive Advantage for Builders BY PANASONIC AND BETTER BUILDER STAFF

13 Industry News: Taking Water Heating to New Heights in Net Zero Housing Communities BY MICHAEL LIO

23 Builder News: Environmental Sustainability: Good for the Planet. Good for Business. BY ROXUL AND BETTER BUILDER STAFF

27 From the Ground Up: The Trouble With Windows – Passive Solar Overheating BY DOUG TARRY

BETTER

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the builder’s source

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Cover: Greenhill Contracting, The Preserve at Mountain Vista, New Paltz, N.Y.

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WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 14 | SUMMER 2015

2 WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 14 | SUMMER 2015

Publisher Better Builder Magazine, 63 Blair Street, Toronto, ON M4B 3N5 416-481-4218 fax 416-481-4695 [email protected]

Better Builder Magazine is a sponsor of

Publishing editor John B. Godden

managing editor Wendy Shami [email protected]

To advertise, contribute a story, or join our distribution list, please contact [email protected]

Feature Writers Tracy Hanes, Alex Newman

ProoFreading Janet Dimond

creative Robert Robotham Graphicswww.RobertRobotham.ca

This magazine brings together premium product manufacturers and leading builders to create better, differentiated homes and buildings that use less energy, save water and reduce our impact on the environment.

Publication number 42408014

Copyright by Better Builder Magazine. Contents may not be reprinted or reproduced without written permission. The opinions expressed herein are exclusively those of the authors and assumed to be original work. Better Builder Magazine cannot be held liable for any damage as a result of publishing such works.

trademark disclaimerAll company and/or product names may be trade names, trademarks and/or registered trademarks of the respective owners with which they are associated.

undeliverable mail Better Builder Magazine 63 Blair Street, Toronto, ON M4B 3N5. Better Builder Magazine is published four times a year.

In 1906 Adam Beck, founder of the power

system in Ontario, decreed “power at cost.”

The idea was that any surplus revenues

over operating costs could be used to improve

the electrical distribution system or reduce

power rates. Fast-forward to 1998 where

Ontario Hydro, a Crown corporation, was

divided into Ontario Power Generation and

Hydro One, and forced to operate under the

Business Corporations Act, running as private

businesses. Add 13% HST in place of 5% GST,

special service charges for conservation pro-

grams such as microFIT, and a

moratorium on coal-fired gen-

erating plants, and the result

is roughly a $37 billion debt. I

think Adam Beck must be roll-

ing over in his grave.

Adrian Morrow and Shawn

McCarthy of The Globe and

Mail report hydro rates will

rise 42% from December 2013

to 2018 and will peak at 68%

by 2032. What’s the answer to

escalating costs? Most think

its renewable energy sources,

but there is a problem. Renewable energy has

to be saved for a rainy day. It needs to be

stored. A storage solution proposed by policy

makers and net zero home proponents uses

the grid as a giant battery. It works like this.

On sunny days electricity is collected and

either sold to the utility or reverse metered

back to the grid for a credit.

Herein lies a fallacy, because as we know

there is no such thing as a free lunch. Debt-

strapped utilities will become like banks.

Historically, banks paid us interest for using

our money to loan to other parties. Now banks

have service charges. We pay transaction fees

to deposit or withdraw our money. Remember

the Mexican peso crisis in 1995? North Ameri-

can banks figured out that service charges

could offset bad debt.

Currently, homeowners generating solar

electricity on their rooftops pay a metering

charge to the utility when flowing to the grid.

Rising electricity costs are creating a sce-

nario where it makes more sense to use the

power generated on a rooftop in the house it

comes from. The answer in the longer term

is to actually unplug solar from the grid and

store the power on-site. The battery technol-

ogy used in Tesla electric cars can now be

used economically and reliably in houses. (We

include an informative article on solar photo-

voltaics (PV) with battery storage

in this issue.)

The feature article is about an

inspiring winner of the Cross-

Border Builder Challenge award.

Anthony Aebi is now building net

zero subdivisions in New York

State. The question has always

been whether homeowners are

willing to pay for energy-efficient

features. Anthony says yes! Lou

Bada reports on the challenges

and complaints that arise from

renting cost neutral efficiency.

Gord Cooke generates an important cost ben-

efit discussion on the renewables sweet spot

– when does buying conservation measures

make more sense than investing in on-site

power generation?

Building envelopes are becoming so effi-

cient that now the big energy consumption

factors in a house are hot water heating and

plug loads. Michael Lio investigates using heat

pump hot water heaters in net zero houses.

Doug Tarry offers a clear vision on the choice

of low solar heat gain windows essential for

comfort in Near Zero houses.

A favoured author Anne Lamont published

a list of lessons learned during her 62 years

on the planet. Among the gems was this –

“Anything can be fixed if you just unplug it for

awhile, including you.” Ready, set, unplug. BB

Reduce, Unplug and Recharge

publisher’snoteB y J o h n G o d d e n


Building

envelopes are

becoming

so efficient

that now

the big energy

consumption

factors in a

house are hot

water heating

and plug loads.

3WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 14 | SUMMER 2015

I had an interesting interaction with

one of our clients recently over

the installation of a condensing

hot water tank. The customer was

extremely adamant that we not install

this very good and efficient piece of

equipment in their home due to its

higher rental rate (approximately

50% more than a conventional water

heater) for their municipally mandated

ENERGY STAR home. Logic and math-

ematics were not convincing enough to

pacify this customer (it is essentially

cost neutral rent vs. gas consumption

and provides some continuous hot

water). This customer was not alone –

we’ve received a number of these calls.

Despite some of our customers’ senti-

ments, getting to Near Zero or net zero

in new housing will take even further

conservation efforts where and if we

can. As the technology stands today,

net zero housing will need to include

some form of renewable energy gen-

eration in the home. Are we ready?

In fact, as municipalities are driv-

ing us to be ahead of the Ontario

Building Code (OBC) in terms of

sustainability through their planning

processes, renewables may need to

come into play much sooner than

you would expect. It is striking that

as I read policy papers, it seems Near

Zero/net zero is a de facto matter

and we just need to give it the old

college try. Clearly something has to

be done about climate change. What

and whether it should be done is a

matter of political debate and differ-

ences. The Ontario Ministry of the

Environment and Climate Change

(MOECC) has put forth a Climate

Change Discussion Paper to develop a

climate strategy and action plan. The

development and homebuild-

ing industry must do the work

of this world to implement the

results of this high-minded

political process. Fair enough,

but it would be astonishing if all

stakeholders, and especially all

levels of government and regula-

tions, were aligned.

The goal of a carbon neu-

tral economy and planning for

the weather-related effects of

climate change will have a great

impact on our industry, homes

and developments. Expanding

the Greenbelt and forcing more

density (i.e. more multiunit

buildings) will be challenging for

net zero housing (and afford-

ability). Distributed and district

energy systems are experimental

at the moment. The challenges

are not technical alone. Builder/

developers are not versed in

building electrical utility systems

nor are condominium corporations

prepared to be utility operators. Are

local distribution companies and the

electrical grid ready for electric cars,

distributed energy production and all

the ramifications? Are rural communi-

ties ready?

As it stands today Ontario’s “objec-

tive-based” building code’s existing

structure and content restricts, rather

than encourages, the introduction

of innovative approaches/solutions

and the use of new and/or emerg-

ing technologies. Planning, zoning

bylaws, engineering standards, and

architectural control guidelines are at

odds with innovation and carbon neu-

trality. Real incentives to encourage

innovation are absent, and cap and

trade initiatives will likely not benefit

our industry in any way, possibly the

opposite.

Laying this in the lap of industry

and believing it will create green jobs

and a green economy is precarious

at best. Without the correspond-

ing buy-in of the multitude of levels

of government/quasigovernment

organizations, and a truly informed

public, we will not be productive in

our efforts. Without a proper cost/

benefit analysis, this will make us

prone to boondoggles and have many

unintended consequences. I believe I

will be having many more interesting

conversations with my customers in

the coming days. BB

Lou Bada is construction & contracts manager for Starlane Homes.

Reduce, Unplug and Recharge

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Are We Near Near Zero?


There are many ways to harness

energy from the sun. The more

known options are solar photo-

voltaic (PV) panels and solar thermal

panels. A lesser-known emerging

technology is the photovoltaic solar

thermal (PVT) panel.

PV panels are made up of semi-

conductor PV cells that convert the

sun’s energy into electricity. On the

other hand, solar thermal panels use

a dark metallic absorbing material

(absorber) and a fluid (such as air or

a water/antifreeze mixture) which

runs below the absorber to collect

and transport the sun’s energy as

heat. A PVT panel represents a hybrid

of the two systems. The sun’s energy

is converted into both electricity and

heat by using PV cells as the absorber

along with a fluid to extract the heat.

The simplest design of a PVT panel

is to glue the PV cells to the absorber

plate of a solar thermal system. A

typical solar thermal system has a

flat plate collector which consists of a

metal absorber plate coated in a dark

material to absorb more heat, with

metal pipes running underneath and

insulation on the sides and bottom of

the panel. To make a PVT panel, the

coating on the metal plate of the solar

thermal system is removed and the

PV cells glued onto the absorber plate.

Typically there is an option to add a

layer of glass (glazing) on top of the

PVT panel to make the panel glazed

(a PVT panel with no glass is called

unglazed). This type of PVT panel, a

combination of PV and solar thermal

panels, uses a water/antifreeze fluid

mixture to run through the metal

pipes to extract the heat.

Another PVT design combines a

solar heater with a PV panel using

air as the heat extracting fluid which

is channelled under the PV panel.

The solar heater is similar to a solar

thermal panel except that it heats

air instead of a liquid mixture, and

the metal pipes are replaced with a

metal duct. These systems are used to

preheat the air entering the building

and help reduce heating loads. For the

remainder of this article, however, the

focus will be on the liquid-based PVT.

The PVT system was initially

designed to reduce the overheating of

PV cells by cooling them while col-

lecting the excess heat. This arose

because the efficiency of a PV cell’s

electricity generation decreases with

the increase in cell temperature. The

following calculation is used to illus-

industrynewsB y M i c h a e l P a t h a k

Top: PV panels on roof. Above: Solar thermal panels on roof.

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PVT – A Panel Discussion


trate the importance of this point.

For the common crystalline PV cell,

the efficiency decreases 0.4% per 1°C

increase in temperature.1 This can be

a problem on hot, sunny summer days

where a PV cell can reach tempera-

tures of 50°C above ambient tem-

peratures. In Canada, a peak summer

ambient temperature could be around

30°C, which means a panel of PV

cells could reach 80°C. PV panels are

tested at standard testing conditions

(STC), which have the cell temperature

operating at 25°C. If we assumed the

PV panel had a rated efficiency of

14% at STC, then at a peak summer

operating temperature, the overall

panel efficiency would be just under

11% – a 22% reduction in performance.

For a 300 watt (W) panel, this reduc-

tion in efficiency would mean a loss in

power collection equivalent to more

than one 60 W incandescent lightbulb.

PVT panels, which extract excess heat

from the PV panels, could offer an

improvement to electricity production

by reducing the summer panel operat-

ing temperatures.

PVT panels can be glazed or

unglazed, depending on whether

electricity production or heat collec-

tion is being optimized. A glazed col-

lector has a glass layer covering the

PV panels, giving the panels slightly

more insulation than an unglazed

collector. This means the PVT panel

can get hotter, increasing the ther-

mal performance of the PVT panel,

but decreasing the electrical output.

Unglazed collectors demonstrate

the opposite performance efficien-

cies – increased electrical output

and decreased thermal performance.

Depending on the project and needs

of the building, it is possible to have

a preference for the collection of heat

or production of electricity, and PVT

panels allow this flexibility.

Similar to a solar thermal panel, a

PVT panel can be used in combination

with a geothermal system to assist

with the heating demands of a build-

ing. Instead of solely depending on

ground temperatures for the geother-

mal system, adding the solar heating

assistance allows for a decrease in

the size of the geothermal field and

therefore less drilling or excavating

is required. This can help reduce the

cost of the overall system. This con-

cept can be used on any scale from

houses to full communities such as

Drake Landing in Alberta.2

One additional advantage with

using an unglazed PVT collector is

the ability to heat reject, during the

summer, into the cool night sky. Heat

pump efficiency improves when the

source temperature is closer to the

desired output load temperature. If

the building is a cooling-dominated

building, the geothermal source can

get quite warm in the later summer

months, reducing the effectiveness

of the heat pump. By heat rejecting

via the PVT panels, the geothermal

source temperature can be lowered,

bringing it closer to the desired

source temperature and improving

the performance of the heat pump.

The disadvantage of a PVT system

is that the panels currently cost more

than PV and solar thermal panels

combined. Furthermore, in Canada

there are very few suppliers and prod-

ucts available. The more established

panel suppliers are found in Europe.

This makes it harder to purchase

certified PVT panels, as well as find

someone familiar with the product to

install them. Although the installation

is the same as connecting a PV panel

electrically and plumbing a solar ther-

mal panel, having to make both these

connections to one panel adds a level

of complexity to the installation.

Nonetheless, the market will con-

tinue to develop in Canada as more

projects are undertaken where the

conditions allow for the PVT panel to

be the preferred option for the project

objective. Recently, Sustainable EDGE

deemed it beneficial to use PVT panels

in two of our design projects, as an

optimal way to meet the project goals.

Overall, PVT panels have several

advantages and disadvantages, like

most products. It is up to the design-

ers, contractors, and clients to deter-

mine if the PVT panel better serves the

project, and the goals of the client. BB

Michael Pathak, MASc, is a project manager at Sustainable EDGE Ltd., providing services in mechanical engineering and sustain-able building consulting. Contact [email protected]. Disclaimer: Example products shown do not constitute a recom-mendation for purchase by the author.

industrynewsB y M i c h a e l P a t h a k

Solimpeks PVT panel, used with permission.

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2 Drake Landing Solar Community. www.dlsc.ca


At the recent Spring Training

Camp, Alex Ferguson of Can-

metENERGY showed the results

of literally thousands of energy simu-

lation runs designed to help sort out

the cost effectiveness of a wide range

of energy efficiency improvements,

including solar photovoltaic (PV)

systems. It provides another clue in

helping builders find the sweet spot

of when to integrate renewable energy

sources into their housing along the

path of continual improvement. The

research was comprehensive and

there are undoubtedly many lessons

to be learned from it. However, one

quick summary finding stuck with me.

At current pricing, solar or renew-

able energy sources are the next

most cost-effective initiative after the

energy performance of houses have

been reduced by approximately 50%–

60% from current code levels. Frankly,

this will be of little surprise to any

energy evaluator or builder who has

tried to achieve energy ratings above

an EnerGuide level of about 87–88 or

a HERS rating below 40–45, but it was

nice to see that validated. These val-

ues approximate that 60% reduction

target in at least an Ontario context.

Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t be

open to adding solar systems at any

time, but if you are looking for an

indication of the most cost-effective

way to get to a net zero energy home,

this 60% threshold is useful and we

can explore it more.

The house pictured here is a

Near Zero cottage that a fine R-2000

builder, Derek Seaman of Southamp-

ton, Ont., has been building for us. He

has been kind enough to share details

of pricing of various elements, and

three visible choices help demonstrate

the concept of finding the next most

cost-effective choices.

Take the south-facing triple-glazed

windows that you see in the picture.

Two specific choices were made. First,

we selected a relatively high solar

gain low E coating with a solar heat

gain coefficient (SHGC) of 0.48 for the

south-facing glass, and low radiant

gain and loss coating with an SHGC

of 0.22 for the north- and west-facing

glass. Second, we chose triple glazing.

These two choices added just under

$1,300 to the cost of the admittedly

modest window order. However, using

both HOT2000 and REM/Rate soft-

ware, I found that these two choices

reduced the estimated total annual

energy usage by between 700 and 1200

kWh per year. That equates to $1.10 to

$1.86 per kWh saved.

Next, notice the extruded foam

insulated sheathing on the wall. That’s

3” thick, and with the 2x6 wall with

spray-in-place closed cell foam in

the cavity, that results in an effective

R-value of R40. We considered the

impact of an extra inch of extruded

foam to get to R45 effective walls. This

would have cost about $750 more in

foam materials alone, but would have

resulted in an estimated annual energy

reduction of less than 100 kWh.

The Renewables Sweet Spot

industryexpertB y G o rd C o o k e

SUPPLIED PHOTOThe south-facing windows of this net zero cottage were triple glazed, which reduced the estimated total annual energy usage.


Finally, notice on the roof the

solar-integrated shingles. This is a 5

kW array of the relatively new DOW

POWERHOUSE Solar Shingles that

offer a very attractive and practical

application for solar integration. In the

Southampton latitude, a solar system

with a capacity of 5 kW is estimated

to produce approximately 6,300 kWh

of power annually or 1,260 kWh/kW

capacity installed. The installed cost of

the solar shingles was approximately

$5,500 per kW installed capacity.

The table above summarizes the

impact of better windows and addi-

tional extruded foam sheathing as

compared to adding additional solar

capacity.

Therefore triple-glazed windows

were a 3 to 4 times better investment

than adding additional solar capac-

ity, but going from an R40 effective

wall to R45 by adding another 1”

of extruded foam would be less cost

effective than adding an additional

0.08 kW solar capacity.

It is important to note that the

more typical PV panels that mount

over top of the roofing materials can

now be installed for as little as $4,000

to $4,500 per kW capacity. This, of

course, changes the decision matrix

from a cost perspective, notwithstand-

ing the architectural appeal of the

integrated solar shingles.

It should add confidence to high

performance builders who are offer-

ing ever more energy-efficient tech-

nologies that there are some compel-

ling cost metrics that can be used in

the decision matrix process. As you

consider the implications of solar

panels on process, structure, design,

warranty and marketing, you can now

be assured there is a way to evaluate

or compare the cost relative to other

energy improvements such as better

windows, additional insulation or

more efficient mechanical systems.

There is indeed a sweet spot of cost

versus renewables capacity that will

help you along the path to net zero

or Near Zero energy homes. BB

Gord Cooke is president of Building Knowledge Canada.

kWh/yr Saved Cost Additional Additional Solar Capacity Solar Cost Avoided Avoided

Triple-glazed windows

700–1200 kWh $1,300 0.56–0.95 kW $3,080 to $5,225

R40 to R45 walls 100 kWh $750 0.08 kW $440


Panasonic Eco Solutions Canada

is teaming up with partner

Tabuchi Electric of Japan to

bring a new residential energy man-

agement system to North America.

The EneTelus Intelligent Battery

System (EIBS) is a groundbreaking

5.5 kW AC hybrid residential inverter

that integrates a 10 kWh lithium-ion

battery that will provide residential

customers a viable option for their

household energy management needs.

The EIBS will provide homeowners

an affordable and effective option to

lessen their dependency on the grid

and by using the built-in peak-shifting

capabilities, better manage their

energy costs.

This inverter is designed to work

seamlessly with Panasonic’s market-

leading lithium-ion battery, and is

bred from Tabuchi’s vast experience

with inverter design and manufactur-

ing which spans more than 20 years.

The inverter’s internal bidirectional

DC/DC converter charges the battery

from either the solar panels installed

on the roof or from the grid, thereby

facilitating flexibility and superior bat-

tery management. Off-peak electricity

can be stored at night and dispatched

during the day to reduce electricity

time of use costs.

Normally, it takes PV designers/

installers a long time to design com-

plex battery backup systems. How-

ever, pairing the EIBS hybrid inverter

with storage batteries enables PV

system designers/installers to reduce

lead times for designing an effective

backup system. These systems reduce

the need to be grid dependent and

provide alternative power during grid

interruptions.

Homeowners will benefit from

buildernewsB y P a n a s o n i c a n d B e t t e r B u i l d e r S t a f f

Getting Off the Grid – Affordable, Smart, Nonsubsidized Solar Photovoltaics (PV) With Battery Energy Storage

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Solar Inverter With Lithium Ion Battery System: Block Diagram


lower electricity bills, and

three different mode settings

that maximize the use of

backup power during outages.

EIBS additionally enables utili-

ties to manage grid stability,

especially during peak hours.

Looking at the big picture, util-

ities will save a tremendous

amount of money through

reduced substation and trans-

mission construction. BB


Grid tied: Selling back to the grid.


We live in an exciting time. The

connected home is no longer

exclusively for the wealthy.

What was once only available to a

niche market is quickly becoming a

mainstream reality. Who doesn’t want

the ability to monitor both the inside

and outside of their home, access a

full wireless security system, turn on

their lights when away on vacation,

or get instant notification of a flood,

fire or carbon monoxide leak from the

comfort of their smartphone?

So it’s not surprising the connected

home category is expected to grow

aggressively as customer awareness

and penetration do the same. Insur-

ance companies are also watching this

category closely. Water and fire dam-

age are two of the largest expenses

they have to reimburse. Insurers

are intrigued by the ways connected

homes can greatly reduce – or at best

eliminate – these claims through early

warning measures.

Homebuilders now have the oppor-

tunity to differentiate themselves

from their competition by tapping

into this emerging market and incor-

porating connected home products

into builds. Rather than only focusing

on benefits linked to a home’s size or

energy efficiency, for example, they

can take it a step further and lever-

age connected home products to offer

unique solutions to their customers.

Builders should never forget that

purchasing a home is the biggest

investment most people will ever

make. Not only do they want it to be

functional, look great and last a long

time, they also have a vested inter-

est in protecting their asset. Builders

are in the unique position to change

regular homes into smart, connected

homes right from the start. They can

give their customers the ability to

take charge of their home’s security

by supplying the platform and starter

kits with the purchase of a home. By

setting up connected home systems in

décor centres, homebuilders can also

explore the potential to make addi-

tional revenue by upselling à la carte

devices to their customers and driving

customer satisfaction in the process.

If you are considering offering

connected home solutions with your

builds, it’s also wise to look at moni-

toring solutions that have the ability to

expand as the desires of homeowners

change over time. Consider systems

that are linked to an overall device eco-

system, again for easy expansion.

One solution to consider is the new

Panasonic Home Monitoring System.

It has no monthly fees or contracts,

offers an easy two-step initial setup,

and allows users to monitor their

home from anywhere in the world

via their smartphone. Panasonic uses

proven digital enhanced cordless tele-

communications (DECT) wireless tech-

nology, which maximizes the system’s

range to more than twice that of Wi-

Fi-only systems (up to 1,000 ft.). DECT

technology also significantly reduces

frequency interference with other wire-

less devices around the house, giving

users piece of mind that the system is

always communicating properly. Up to

four cameras and 50 additional devices

can be added to one Home Monitoring

System, so as customer desires change,

the system can too. BB

To learn more visit www.Panasonic.ca/housingsolutions

Connected Homes Offer Competitive Advantage for Builders


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F ifty-seven minutes – that is

the average time my teenager

spends in the shower. Yes,

the engineer in me compels me to

analyze all the energy use in my

household. Meanwhile, my young-

est takes less than five

minutes, but I’ll leave

that story for another

time. Hot water use var-

ies from one household

to another depending on

the number of occupants,

their behaviour, and an

entirely separate, but

very important contribut-

ing factor – how many

teenagers you have.

When designing a cus-

tom home, the builder and

designer can factor in the

behaviours of family mem-

bers, making a net zero

performance-based design

more feasible. However,

when talking about large

scale net zero housing in a

production setting, build-

ers and designers need to

make assumptions about

occupant behaviour and

design net zero based

on typical behaviours. So

what should we assume

for the amount of hot

water used for showering?

Natural Resources

Canada’s CanmetENERGY research on

hot water energy consumption shows

that a typical electrically heated

home consumes about 4,300 kWh of

electricity for heating domestic hot

water with an annual cost of about

$470 per household. CanmetENERGY

has analyzed hundreds of housing

data points to determine an average

hot water heating load of 143 L/day

per household based on the average

behaviours of two adults and one

child. The latest NRCan voluntary

energy efficiency housing programs

(R-2000 Net Zero Energy pilot) cur-

rently use this assumption.

As the housing industry moves

toward very energy-efficient hous-

ing design (e.g. net zero), reducing

the water heating load becomes very

important. Figure 1 summarizes

the estimated energy consumption

breakdown of a typical

2012 Ontario Building

Code (OBC)-built single

detached home. While

over 50% of the estimated

energy consumption is

attributable to space

heating, it is important

to note that aside from

the NRCan-set standard

baseload assumptions

for lights and appli-

ances, the next big load

is domestic hot water

heating (21% of total

energy consumption).

Figure 2 summarizes the

average estimated energy

consumption breakdown

across all single detached

net zero home designs

from NRCan’s ecoENERGY

Innovation Initiative:

Owens Corning’s Net Zero

Housing Community proj-

ect (ecoEII OC Net Zero

project) (www.zeroenergy.

ca). While the builders

have reduced space heat-

ing loads down to 20% of

total energy consumption,

the domestic hot water heating load

still hovers around 17%. The baseload

energy use for lights and appliances

makes up over 50% of the energy use

in a net zero house. There’s a huge

industrynewsB y M i c h a e l L i o

Taking Water Heating to New Heights in Net Zero Housing Communities


opportunity to reduce water heating

energy consumption. As for baseloads

– we’ll leave that for another article.

While a production builder can’t

predict the number of teenagers in

a family or the duration of their hot

showers, efficient water heating tech-

nologies are available to reduce con-

sumption. The affordable and readily

available hybrid heat pump water

heater (HPWH) is a great example of

such a technology.

What is a heat pump water heater (HPWH) and how does it work?An HPWH uses the heat from the

surrounding air to heat water more

efficiently. Instead of heating stored

water directly with a conventional

electric element, this water heater

absorbs available heat from the ambi-

ent air, which is then transferred to

and intensified by a heat exchanger

into the water, a far more cost-effec-

tive process. To help better under-

stand this concept, try to imagine a

refrigerator that is working in reverse

mode. Instead of removing heat from

the inside of a box, the HPWH actu-

ally removes heat from the surround-

ing area and transfers it to the water

inside an enclosed tank.

/V^�PZ�[OPZ�KPɈLYLU[�MYVT�H�YLN\SHY�electric resistance water heater?An HPWH does not convert electricity

into heat like a typical electric water

heater. Instead, the HPWH moves heat

from the air into the water. An HPWH

is more efficient than electric resis-

tance water heaters. Energy factor (EF)

measures the amount of hot water

produced as a result of consuming

one unit of energy. Most 100% efficient

electric resistance water heaters only

have an EF of 1.0 (or 0.93 when con-

sidering standby losses), meaning it

uses one unit of energy to produce one

unit of energy worth of hot water. The

Rheem Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater

(Figure 3), for example, has an EF of

2.45, which means it

consumes one unit of

energy and produces

approximately two

and a half units of

energy worth of hot

water.

What does a hybrid heat pump water heater (HPWH) mean?A hybrid HPWH allows

the homeowner to

toggle the operation

of the heat pump to

draw more or less

heat out of the air.

For instance, if you’re

finding there is a lot

of solar gain (over-

heating in rooms

with big windows),

the unit can be used

in heat pump only

mode to draw some

of that free heat

into the water tank

(by circulating the

furnace fan). Similarly

in the summer, the

heat pump only mode

could provide a mea-

sure of air condition-

ing by removing heat

from the indoor air.

Will the location of the /7>/�HɈLJ[�^OVSL�OVTL�JVTMVY[&As most units will be located in a

mechanical room or unoccupied

space, any minor temperature swing

in these spaces will generally not com-

promise whole home comfort. If the

temperature swing is unacceptable,

the heat pump mode can be toggled.

How does this technology comple-ment net zero energy home design?Net zero energy home designs will

require a renewable energy genera-

tion component like

solar photovoltaic

(PV) panels. Solar PVs

produce electricity

for the home and the

best way to optimize

on this renewable is to

use electric mechani-

cal equipment (for

space heating and

water heating). As

discussed, an HPWH is

almost twice as energy

efficient as a standard

electric resistance

water heater with

added cooling benefits

in the summer. It is

also important to note

that most net zero

energy home designs

also use an electric

air source heat pump

(ASHP) as the primary

space heating equip-

ment. When an ASHP

is coupled with an

HPWH, it fully opti-

mizes the energy effi-

ciency performance of

both pieces of equip-

ment, delivering very

significant benefits.

Case Study: ecoEII OC Net Zero proj-ect – HPWH partner: Rheem

“Hybrid water heaters pair well

with heat pumps for space heat-

ing. Together they deliver enormous

energy savings,” reports Derek Hick-

son, manager of innovation at Minto

Developments Inc.

Reid’s Heritage Homes and Minto

are two of the selected builders

participating in the ecoEII OC Net

Zero project that will see at least 25

net zero houses built across Canada.

Reid’s and Minto are building at least

five net zero houses in the regions of


Figure 3: Rheem Professional Prestige Series Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater.

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Guelph and Ottawa respectively.

Both builder design teams ana-

lyzed readily available technologies

and found the most affordable and

seamless integrated technology was

the HPWH.

In April 2013, Rheem debuted

an entirely redesigned hybrid water

heater with an EF of 2.45. “Rheem

launched America’s first hybrid elec-

tric heat pump water heater in 2009,

and now we’ve changed the face of

the hybrid market with our new Pres-

tige Series unit,” said Bryan Collar,

senior product manager at Rheem’s

Water Heating division. “This is one

of the most efficient water heaters

available today, and it’s something

that builders can leverage when try-

ing to educate homebuyers on the

energy savings that come with buy-

ing a new home.”

Rheem was selected as the exclu-

sive national partner for the HPWH

technology for the ecoEII OC Net

Zero project. All participating build-

ers, including Reid’s and Minto in

Ontario, Mattamy Homes in Calgary,

Construction Voyer in Quebec, and

Provident Developments in Halifax

will be providing the HPWH as a stan-

dard in their net zero homes.

“The Rheem Hybrid Heat Pump

Water Heater provides a great option

that adds to the overall efficiency of

the home. The combination of the

heat pump component in the heater

provides reduced energy consump-

tion, in turn reducing the solar

energy required to power the home,

making this a cost-efficient option

with longevity, comfort and peace of

mind to the buyers’ experience,” sug-

gests Jennifer Weatherston, director

of estimating & innovation at Reid’s

Heritage Homes.

The ecoEII OC Net Zero project is

in its last year and construction of

all five net zero communities will

be completed by March 2016. The

first grand opening was hosted by

Reid’s Heritage Homes in Guelph

this spring.

For more information about the

Rheem Professional Prestige Series

Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heater, visit

www.rheem.com.

For more information about the

ecoEII OC Net Zero project, visit

www.zeroenergy.ca. BB

Michael Lio is president at buildABILITY Corporation. [email protected].



Homebuilder Anthony Aebi, president of

Greenhill Contracting, didn’t even know he

was a contender for RESNET’s Cross-Border

Builder Challenge last fall.

But when energy modeller Pasquale

Strocchia, who rates the energy efficiency

of Aebi’s upstate New York homes, saw how

well they performed, he immediately put Aebi’s name for-

ward. It was a move that paid off when Aebi easily won the

prestigious challenge for his net zero energy homes.

The win is well deserved, Strocchia says, since Aebi

works very hard. But the main reasons he is such a leader

in energy efficiency is thanks to a scientific mind keen

on experimenting, and an obsessive drive to constantly

improve his energy rating. “Beating his past performance

is a bit of a game to him.”

Aebi isn’t an engineer, hasn’t studied sustainability at

the university level, and doesn’t consider himself an envi-

ronmentalist. But he’d built the first net zero home in the

American Northeast by 2007.

Before then, Aebi admits, he was building “typical crap

stick homes.” He changed his building methods after see-

ing a builder using insulated concrete forms (ICFs) and

thought it was so “neat,” he decided to try it out on his

own homes. Around the same time, he discovered solar

and decided to pair that with ICFs as an experiment, then

hired Strocchia to rate the home’s energy use.

Aebi was in for a big surprise – Strocchia’s energy mod-

elling revealed the house had a -1 rating – a net positive

home – meaning it produced more energy than it used.

After a little research, Aebi discovered that very few

homes were built like that. Once inspired, he began to put

all his energy into building, experimenting with several

different ICF brands before deciding on the best. He also

worked closely with his mason to find a more efficient

building process, which resulted in changing the roof-to-

wall connection for better performance and greater cost

effectiveness. That’s the home that ended up being rated

the first net zero home in the American Northeast.

Now with 22 homes under his belt – and eight more in

the works – Aebi has garnered much respect in the indus-

try. And that has trickled down to his trades. Strocchia

says Aebi’s heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC)

contractor called him for a retest on some ductwork. “We’d

told him the work was good and passed the test, but he

was after zero leakage. Pretty amazing to take that on with

no other provocation than to improve your performance.

But Anthony’s enthusiasm and striving is contagious.”

featurestoryB y A l e x N e w m a n

The Home of the Future Now

A "nonenvironmentalist" discovers [OL�ILULÄ[Z�VM�I\PSKPUN�UL[�aLYV�LULYN`�OVTLZ�HUK�PUÅ\LUJLZ�V[OLY�builders to do the same.


Aebi and Strocchia both use HERS as a rating index –

they aim for ENERGY STAR, which in the States uses HERS

to rate efficiency. It’s become internationally recognized

as a rating system to compare the efficiency of an existing

home to one newly built to current code. The U.S. Depart-

ment of Energy, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

LEED program, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s

(EPA) ENERGY STAR program all use HERS, which was cre-

ated in 2006 and devised from the former HERS scale.

Designed in the late 1980s by the mortgage industry,

the HERS scale gave banks a way to “quantify the value of

energy efficiency so they could refinance an existing home,

because of the money saved in the long run,” Strocchia says.

Strocchia has looked at Canada’s ENERGY STAR pro-

gram, and while he hasn’t examined it in depth, he says

it appears to be more “prescriptive” than the U.S. equiva-

lent. “The list seems large without the give and take of

HERS, which in my opinion allows a builder more flex-

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ibility to decide what to complete in

order to have the home hit the target

of reduced energy consumption.”

Ironically, only a few banks now

use the HERS index to help determine

mortgage eligibility. That annoys Aebi.

“When I went to renew my mortgage,

they looked at car payments, income,

assets, but no one asked how much I

spend on energy in a year.”

That’s short-sighted, Aebi says,

since a net zero energy home elimi-

nates the roughly $5000–$6000 you’d

expect to pay on utilities in a year,

money better spent on putting into the

home itself. According to Aebi, The

Sensible Accounting to Value Energy

Act (The SAVE Act) – which would

require banks to consider a home’s

energy use or efficiency in mortgage

calculations – has been languishing in

front of Congress for years.

Banks aside, the straight cash

talk resonates with potential buyers.

“Homeowners get the bottom line –

when they don’t have to pay $6000 a

year on energy bills, they can put that

money into a bigger, better home,” Aebi

says. At 3.5% interest, that translates

into $80,000 more on the mortgage,

something he posts on his website.

Creating net zero energy homes

takes a combination of superior build-

ing envelope – photovoltaic (PV) solar

panels, Icynene spray foam, triple

pane windows, and 2.5 in. Styrofoam

insulation inside and out – with a heat

recovery system for energy use that is

about one quarter what a normal new

house would use. Since solar panels

produce enough energy in summer to

offset any use in the winter, the grid

becomes the home’s battery – winding

forward and backward – and at the

end of the year, most homeowners

end up with a small return/refund.

The geothermal system Aebi uses

is really a ground source heat pump

that generates additional energy. Nor-

mally geothermal would be cost pro-

hibitive, but since the homes are so

well insulated and implement a heat

recovery system, the energy required

is so minimal, they can use smaller

equipment, Strocchia explains.

The only drawback to geothermal,

Strocchia adds, is the higher cost of a

ground source heat pump, which basi-

cally connects a plastic pump in the

ground and uses refrigeration technol-

ogy to harvest heat.

A cheaper alternative is an air

source heat pump. “The Japa-

nese have had some phenomenal

progress with this technology and

created units that can operate at

-15°F and provide about 75% of

their rated capacity,” Strocchia says.

Energy modeller Pasquale Strocchia (R), who rates the energy efficiency of Aebi’s upstate New York homes, put Aebi’s name forward and he easily won the prestigious challenge for his net zero energy homes.

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Lifebreath MAX Residential HRVs:� Maximum efficiency� Maximum reliability� Maximum choice



Clockwise from top left: Builder Anthony Aebi explains high efficiency pressure-balanced HRV to John Godden of Better Builder; attic detail – 2-lb. blown foam used to encapsulate cavity for use for HVAC distribution; happy, satisfied homeowners, happy award-winning builder.

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Telephone 905-760-9894Toll Free 1-800-465-5700Fax 905-660-5967

Mike MartinoI am a “GOOD MAN”

MikeMartino

www.martinohvac.com

HVAC2014

We provide home comfort solutions that exceed our customers’ expectations

through professional design, installation, service and use of environmentally friendly, energy efficient products.

CALL US FIRST!

“It’s becoming an afford-

able option to get efficient

electric-based heating and

cooling. The disadvan-

tage is that the equipment

sits on the ground or is

attached to the house, so

the life expectancy of the

equipment is lower.”

That’s why Aebi, in look-

ing at long-term sustain-

ability of buildings, feels the

ground source heat pump

is the wisest choice – and

more effective.

But building better and

reducing energy use can’t

only be about the bottom

line or saving the environ-

ment. Another important

factor to consider is resil-

iency, especially in light

of climate change and the

recent very harsh winters.

During the winter of

2013/2014, Aebi had two

homes that were built,

but not yet sold. Stroc-

chia suggested he shut the

doors, turn off the heat and

then conduct temperature

monitoring to see exactly

how they performed. At the

outset, indoor temperatures

were 70°F, and outside it

was 5°F. Although the out-

side temperature fluctuated

between -8°F and +10°F, the

temperature inside levelled

off at 60°F. As Strocchia

sees it, the home became

not only net zero energy in

very cold weather, “but also

became a valuable resource

for that family, for extended

family, and even neighbours

who would have a safe place

to go if they lost power dur-

ing extreme cold.”

Being sustainable not

just for the planet, but for

people too is something that

resonates with Aebi. “He has

kids,” Strocchia says. “He

sees the volatility of energy

in terms of foreign policy,

plus the pollution and car-

bon emission factor, and is

dedicated to making energy

efficiency a priority because

he sees all the related ben-

efits. But mostly he has a

personal interest in making

a difference.” BB

Alex Newman is a writer, editor and researcher at www.alexnewmanwriter.com.


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Heart of the solar photovoltaic (PV) system – the inverter with main electrical panel.


Telephone 905-760-9894Toll Free 1-800-465-5700Fax 905-660-5967

Mike MartinoI am a “GOOD MAN”

MikeMartino

www.martinohvac.com

HVAC2014

We provide home comfort solutions that exceed our customers’ expectations

through professional design, installation, service and use of environmentally friendly, energy efficient products.

CALL US FIRST!


With building codes mov-

ing toward greater energy

efficiency, environmental

protection and the prevention of

climate change, the call to adopt and

implement green building design and

construction best practices is growing

stronger throughout North America.

Not only is the call being heard,

it is being answered. Renewable and

responsible building techniques,

processes, and materials are gaining

momentum ahead of more stringent

code changes poised to take effect in

Canada in 2017. In fact, many are real-

izing that being on the leading edge of

the curve already offers some distinct

competitive advantages.

Manufacturers such as Milton, Ont.’s

ROXUL Inc. are a strong case in point.

Having introduced green building prod-

ucts to market decades before it was

trendy, its leadership understood that

best practices not only meant greater

progress, but also better business.

ROXUL’s environmentally-friendly

stone wool insulation has been proven

to increase efficiency and reduce

energy costs. While heating and cool-

ing make up two-thirds of a typical

home energy bill, the average home-

owner can cut that expense in half

– saving $750 per year – by insulating

properly. Reducing energy consump-

tion is only one way ROXUL is making

an impact. The company’s sustainabil-

ity vision extends beyond the perfor-

mance of its products to include every

facet of its operation.

While many companies still rely

exclusively on the use of oil, coal, and

natural gas to produce their products

and run their business, ROXUL Inc.

has instituted construction mandates,

manufacturing processes, and recy-

cling initiatives that serve to reduce

its environmental impact and lower

its own energy costs, as well as the

reliance on external resources.

Over the last six years, ROXUL has

invested over $170 million into its

manufacturing facilities to ensure envi-

ronmental systems meet and exceed

government standards. When you

buildernewsB y R O X U L a n d B e t t e r B u i l d e r S t a f f

Environmental Sustainability:Good for the Planet. Good for Business.

ROXUL’s production line – flawless operation around the clock.

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consider that every dollar spent

on green efficiency initiatives

generates between $4 and $8 in

gross domestic product (GDP)

(Source: Natural Resources

Canada), the phrase “green

initiative” certainly takes on another

meaning entirely, and the economic

impact is significant.

“Sustainability is a fundamental pil-

lar of our philosophy at ROXUL,” says

Trent Ogilvie, president of ROXUL Inc.

“We are committed to energy efficiency

and conservation being integral ele-

ments of everything we do.”

Environmental responsibility is

woven into the fabric of the organiza-

tion, almost literally. ROXUL’s stone

wool products are comprised of renew-

able, naturally abundant and recycled

materials. Its sound-absorbent, fire-

resistant and water-repellent insula-

tion is also chemically inert and free of

chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydro-

chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). ROXUL

products are also GREENGUARD certi-

fied, which means they meet the most

rigorous and comprehensive standards

for low emissions of volatile organic

compounds (VOCs). What’s more,

ROXUL insulation maintains effec-

tive R-values and promotes healthier

indoor air quality, making it a long-

term, sustainable solution for building

construction, renovation or retrofit.

ROXUL’s production facilities in

Milton, Ont., Grand Forks, B.C. and

Marshall County, Mississippi use

advanced comprehensive environmen-

tal management systems to control

emissions. The filters themselves are

constructed of ROXUL’s own material

and recycled back into the production

process once they have served their

purpose, reducing both waste and

cost. Heat from the manufacturing

process is recovered and also used to

heat factories and warehouses.

“Our stone wool insulation is one of

the few building products to recover

the energy used in its manufacturing

process,” notes Ogilvie. “ROXUL insula-

tion can save more than 128 times

more primary energy than was used for

its production, transport and disposal.

The energy balance becomes positive

only five months after installation,” he

says. “Looking at the big picture, one

year’s production of stone wool insula-

tion will save more than 200 million

tons of CO2 emissions from buildings

and processes worldwide, over the

lifespan of the product. The impact is

incredible, and yet ROXUL continues to

explore further efficiencies.”

Water used in the production

of rigid and semirigid stone wool

insulation products like COMFORT-

BATT®, COMFORTBOARD ™ IS,

MONOBOARD®, TOPROCK® and SAFE

‘n’ SOUND® is collected and reused,

reducing total consumption by as

much as 50%. Stormwater is also col-

lected for use in this process, which

reduces costs, along with the demand

on the local municipal water systems.

More impressive is that ROXUL

production facilities send zero waste

to the landfill as a result of the pro-

duction process. ROXUL products

contain up to 40% recycled materials,

including slag – a byproduct of steel

production that would otherwise go to

landfill. Its manufacturing practices,

processes, and high recycled content

are a few of many contributing factors

to ROXUL insulation achieving valuable

Credit Certification points in several

categories of Leadership in Energy and

Environmental Design (LEED).

Yet, it goes further still. The first

thing visitors to ROXUL’s North Ameri-

can corporate headquarters will notice

is priority parking spots for those with

plug-in electric vehicles. It has insti-

tuted a no idling policy at its office and

plants to limit harmful CO2 emissions.

The office building was understand-

ably constructed with a great deal of

attention to insulation best practices,

as it remains one of the easiest and

most cost-effective ways of conserving

energy. It also integrated glass walls

and skylights into the design to use

natural light rather than relying solely

on the high efficiency electric lighting.

The building’s LEED Gold certification

was important, given ROXUL’s com-

mitment and mandate toward environ-

mental leadership.

The introduction of Near Zero,

net zero and other energy efficiency

benchmarks – now being more widely

embraced – has given greater rel-

evancy to ROXUL’s environmental

stewardship. With builders striving

to differentiate themselves and sati-

ate consumer demand for greener

options, ROXUL has discovered that its

green policy has also been a wise busi-

ness decision. The reasons are clear

cut. Consider 40% of all energy con-

sumed is used in buildings and up to

30% of that total is wasted. Together,

Canada and the U.S. account for only

5.5% of the world’s population – but

produce 27% of the world’s green-

house gas emissions and use 50% of

the energy consumed by the world’s

richest nations. That’s staggering.

“Our sales teams globally have

made considerable strides, as build-

ers, designers, architects, and con-

sumers seek to spec products that are

more conscious of the world we live

in,” says Ogilvie. “Greener options and

initiatives are an investment in our

business and our future, but ulti-

mately, when we commit to renewable

energy and environmental sustainabil-

ity, everybody wins.” BB

buildernewsB y R O X U L a n d B e t t e r B u i l d e r S t a f f

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ROXUL’s North Ameri-can corporate head-quarters incorporates integrated glass walls and skylights into its design to use natural light rather than relying solely on the high efficiency electric lighting.


In my last article I talked about

net zero homes and are we ready.

While we still have a way to go

before this becomes a market real-

ity, it’s fair to say that many builders

are now building high performance

homes, such as the ENERGY STAR

program for new homes.

However, these high performance

homes are very different from homes

built even a few years ago. The chal-

lenge becomes managing customers’

expectations. If you sell your cus-

tomer a high performance home and

there are performance issues, wow,

do you have a problem!

With a tighter envelope and more

insulation, there becomes a greater

need to manage excess moisture and

heat gain. That’s right, heat gain.

Here’s the problem. We are now

building tighter and tighter homes

and our heating loads have fallen

dramatically. The new CSA F280

mechanical guidelines address this

with a comfort delivery system by

using much smaller furnaces that

better meet the needs of today’s high

performance homes.

But what do you do with solar

heat gain from that large patio door,

especially if it faces west? On a

sunny day it’s enough solar gain to

The Trouble With Windows – Passive Solar Overheating

fromthegroundupB y D o u g Ta r r y

Windows with high solar gain can cause overheating in the winter and especially during the summer.IM

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overheat the room. I don’t think a

home counts as high performance if

you cook your customers!

So what are the options?�Blinds. Sure, but it’s an added cost

and can lead to the seals breaking

down if the window overheats.

�Exterior films. There are aftermar-

ket products, but they typically

void the window warranty and no

sensible builder is going to take

responsibility for this product.

�Awnings, overhangs and pergolas.

They can be a great add-on, but

there’s added cost. As a produc-

tion builder, how do you have that

conversation with your customer?

It goes something like this. “I know

I just sold you a high performance

home, but I’ve looked at your win-

dows and I really think you should

spend several thousand dollars

more so that your home doesn’t

overheat.” Good luck with that. I’ve

tried it and it is not pretty.

�How about a bigger air conditioner

to deal with that excess load? It’s

called CSA F280 and it’s designed

to right-size your mechanicals. A

larger AC is going to lead to a cold,

clammy home and then you have a

whole new problem.

�Or how about we look at the solar

heat gain coefficient (SHGC) for

the windows and patio doors pro-

vided by our window manufacturer,

and order one that is less than 0.3?

SHGC measures how much heat

from the sun is blocked. SHGC is

expressed as a number between 0

and 1. The lower the SHGC, the more

a product is blocking solar heat gain.

This is particularly important dur-

ing the summer cooling season in

hot southern climates (like Southern

Ontario).

Personally I’m a big fan of the

Cardinal LoE 366 offered by my

window supplier North Star. It does

an awesome job of reducing heat

gain, improving performance and

comfort, and it’s really affordable,

maybe $150 for the rear of a home.

And the best part? You don’t cook

your customers. My experience says

it is less costly to include them at

no charge than the cost of a perfor-

mance callback.

Sounds like a pretty good deal,

right? Not so fast. National Resources

Canada (NRCan) does

not like windows with

low SHGC. So what is the

issue? When you look at

using a low solar glass

coating, the energy rating

(ER) for the window is

reduced. NRCan overem-

phasizes ER as a perfor-

mance measurement for

the windows because they

favour solar heat gain for homes as

a method for heating the home. In

programs such as ENERGY STAR,

builders wanting to use low solar

gain windows and patio doors may

have to use the performance method

to do so.

A really simple solution would be

the permitted use of low solar gain

windows and patio doors for high

performance homes such as in the

ENERGY STAR program. Now simple

is not the same as easy, because I

have been asking the folks at NRCan

for this very concept for years. Unfor-

tunately, they are not listening. I am

concerned this will cause us to build

a generation of high performance

homes with performance issues.

Let’s be realistic about energy for

once. Natural gas is cheap and

heating high performance homes is

pretty affordable. On the other hand,

electricity rates are rising and will

continue to rise significantly over

the next decade. The Ontario govern-

ment has a mandate to reduce peak

electricity loads for the province and

this will be reflected by even higher

rates during peak summer hours.

That happens to be the same time

when low solar gain windows provide

the greatest benefit. NRCan’s position

on the use of low solar glass windows

goes directly against the Ontario gov-

ernment’s climate initiative.

Now the game is about to change

significantly with the rollout of the

new HOT2000 modelling program.

This is the ideal time to update the

window tables so the

use of low solar glass is

permissible with specific

orientations in high per-

formance homes. However,

this does not appear to be

the case.

Ironically, NRCan’s own

literature contemplates the

need for low solar glass.

Here’s an excerpt from the

NRCan Consumer’s Guide to Buying

Energy-Efficient Windows and Doors.

“Studies have shown that, for most

of Canada, it is still appropriate to

choose your windows on the basis

of the ER number. Exceptions to this

rule are those few locations where air

conditioning costs are high relative to

the amount spent on space heating.

In these few cases, consider west-fac-

ing windows with a lower solar heat

gain potential.”

And on the NRCan website, their

own test results show that the use

of low SHGC can save customers as

much as $200 annually, and that was

not new data, so the number will

ultimately end up being much higher

as Ontario’s electricity rates con-

tinue to rise.

So, a window that provides greater

comfort, reduces fabric fading and

bleaching of hardwood floors, and

saves the customer money every year!

Using windows with a low solar gain

when it’s needed sounds like a pretty

clear vision to me. BB

Doug Tarry Jr. is director of marketing at Doug Tarry Homes in St. Thomas, Ont.

fromthegroundupB y D o u g Ta r r y

I don’t think a home counts as high

performance if you

cook your customers!

JAN Kelley Marketing, its employees and agents (collectively referred to as “JKM”) shall not be held liable for any loss or damage suffered by you, or by any third party, from the use of these marketing materials (the “Materials”) if they have been modified, distorted, combined with third party content, or manipulated in whole or in part by any party other than JKM. Further, once the proof of the Materials has been approved by you, JKM shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by you or any third party arising from any alleged or actual defect in the Materials or in any way arising from their reproduction by a party other than JKM.

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JAN Kelley Marketing, its employees and agents (collectively referred to as “JKM”) shall not be held liable for any loss or damage suffered by you, or by any third party, from the use of these marketing materials (the “Materials”) if they have been modified, distorted, combined with third party content, or manipulated in whole or in part by any party other than JKM. Further, once the proof of the Materials has been approved by you, JKM shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by you or any third party arising from any alleged or actual defect in the Materials or in any way arising from their reproduction by a party other than JKM.

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Better Builder, Issue 14, Summer 2015

Environment

Transcript of Better Builder, Issue 14, Summer 2015