Better Builder Magazine, Spring 2013

IN THIS ISSUE• Future Proofing: Choosing Right Now• PV That Makes Sense• Future Proofing With HERS• Passive House and Resilient Homes• Greywater and Solar Ready Rough-Ins

ISSUE 05 | SPRING 2013 WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CABETTER

Builder MAGAZINE

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MyHaven LEEDS the Way with Future Proofing

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COVER STORY14 MyHaven Homes LEEDS The Way With Future Proofing

BY TRACY HANES

FEATURES02 Publisher's Note – Future Proofing: The Only Way To Go BY JOHN GODDEN

03 The Bada Test: Choosing Right Now BY LOU BADA

04 Photo Voltaics That Make $en$e BY ALEX NEWMAN

06 Electric Cars – Driving the Message Home BY SARAH CRAWFORD

07 A Greyt Way To Save Water BY JOHN BELL

08 Choosing The Right Windows BY BETTER BUILDER STAFF

10 Future Proofing With HERS BY JOHN GODDEN

12 Adaptive Reuse of Existing Buildings BY CHRIS TIMUSK, PH.D

20 Building New: LEED was the Right Way To Go BY ALEX NEWMAN

23 The Sustainable Housing Foundation’s Energy Rating Summit BY BRIAN L. ABBEY

24 Future Proofing Your Real Estate Investment BY: MARK SALERNO AND BILL JOHNSTON

27 Dunnink Homes Builds Ontario’s First ICLR Resilient Home BY MICHAEL LIO

30 Green Building Project - Passive House BY ROLF BAUMANN

32 Solar Ready

BY: DOUG TARRY

34 Scotiabank: Helping Canadians Save Money and the Environment

BY KAZ FLINN AND LAUREN MOSTOWYK

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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 OF THE ENVIRONMENT.

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

Future Proofing THE ONLY WAY TO GO

Outside ideas of right and wrong, there is a field. I’ll meet you there – Rumi.

It seems we are torn between the rightness of the status quo and the frenzy around new things. Can common sense be employed as we move forward? Oftentimes, common sense is anything but common. Ideas and technologies that work are identified in hindsight. Terms like "green" and "sustainable" have been overused trying to appeal to one’s moral sensibilities. Statistics reveal that unfortunately only about 15% of the population care about the environment and the rest of the herd is consuming like mad.

I would suggest that future proofing is a smart approach to living in this world. Amidst depleting resources, prudence dictates one would be wise investing money now that will yield future returns, when energy and resources cost more. Did the Microfit program make sense? Individuals with solar electric arrays on their roofs got subsidized by rate payers collectively. How can paying out 80 cents per kwh and selling that energy for 10 cents ever make sense or be sustainable? Connecting electric vehicles to these arrays seems to make more sense, as this would use solar energy to directly power cars. Clean energy would offset fossil fuels. Alex Newman writes this month about Baka Communications, a Toronto cell phone company that charges a fleet of electric cars with collectors atop their offices.

Lou Bada suggests that future proofing requires us to choose low-tech solutions to avoid the “law of unintended consequences”. Our staff writer explores future proofing our homes by selecting windows that not only allow passive solar gains in winter but also reduce heat gains in summer. Current code houses are much easier to heat than air condition. Mark Salerno and Bill Johnson survey approaches in financing real estate that promotes future proofing in old and new homes.

Perhaps the most important energy trend for new construction is “roughing-in” the capacity to use renewables at a later date. Doug Tarry and John Bell talk about solar and greywater ready strategies to reduce the time and costs for future installations.

In the end, none of us has a crystal ball, but there are smart ways of moving forward. I hope you enjoy reading about a number of them in this issue of Better Builder. Investing modestly now pays dividends in the future. To be cliché: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

J O H N G O D D E N

BUILDER NEWS

I was speaking with a good friend the other day on the subject of sustainability and he noted when you know you’re in the right place on an issue. You’re criticized by the folks on the left who believe that you should be doing more, and at the same time by the people on the right who believe that you should be doing less. Being a moderate is the Canadian way after all.

An emergent trend in sustainable building has been to encourage future proofing. A future proofed home allows a home-owner to take advantage of emerging technology at a later date. The infrastructure also allows for current technology to be used that may not have been considered at the initial purchase of a home. I’m all for choice, however placing bets on what will be the prevailing technology in the future is tricky business. A few examples of this dilemma come to mind.

A number of years ago we were encouraged to install structured wiring in our homes for future computer networks and phone systems. Many of us did so at significant expense. Subsequently, the proliferation and advancement of wireless technology rendered all that buried material inside our homes' walls virtually useless.

Today, water conservation and management is very important. Less potable water used means less waste-water outflow. Historically, dual-flush toilets were intended to be the solution. Unfortunately, the efficiency of the toilet was dependent on the user making the right choice. Which button to push, the little button or the big button? People, more times than not, picked the big button, continually wasting water. It’s larger after all and must be better. High efficiency toilets that don’t rely on the end user making the right choice are the way to go now.

Maybe choice is not such a great thing after all. Future proofing relies on the end user making the right choice someday. I recall having a conversation with a customer. After I extolled the virtues of LED pot lights in his new Energy Star home, his response was “great, now I

don’t have to worry about my family having to turn the lights off all the time because they consume less energy”. This is a great example of the law of unintended consequences.

Conservation works and appeals to my moderate sensibility. Future proofing for me means building a great building envelope that passively does its job and doesn’t rely on someone making the right choice. A great building envelope is also durable and it won’t have to be re-built anytime soon. Despite the current small respite, energy costs will go up.

Municipalities mandating future proofing and placing bets on certain technologies need to understand this. Otherwise, we’ll be stuck with a bunch of homes ready for non-existent or obsolete technology. This is hardly sustainable. Having said this, I do believe that there is room for innovation. Innovation that is soberly and properly assessed, with the end user in mind and removed from the decision makers that don’t really have any skin in the game.

L O U B A D A

3

Future Proofing: Choosing, Right Now

LED LIGHTING


LOU BADA IS THE CONSTRUCTION & CONTRACTS MANAGER FOR STARLANE HOMES

DUAL-FLUSH TOILET

4

ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS

Photo Voltaics That Make $en$e Joe Edwards is, in most ways, an ordinary guy. A master electrician since 1998, he worked on large projects like the Toronto airport expansion and GO Transit. But a couple of years ago, Edwards stepped out of ordinary when he glimpsed the future in electric vehicles (EVs) -- and the infrastructure they would require.

So in 2010, he trained with Eaton (eatoncertified.com) to become a certified EV electrician (there are less than 100 such contractors in Ontario). That soon led to installing the first Level 3 charging stations in Canada at Mitsubishi’s Ontario dealerships. A level 3 station is 440 volts, and takes just 20 minutes to charge a car. He also prepared charging stations for the City of Richmond Hill.

This fall, though, Edwards stepped into the media lime-light when he installed Canada’s first solar-generated car charging port for Etobicoke based Baka Communications. It also happens to be the largest so far in the country with eight single-car charging stations.

Edwards designed the carport, sitting in the middle of Baka’s parking lot, to make easier access for the company’s EVs to charge up. Being early days for the technology, Edwards has seen some “interesting” layouts -- like installing a charging station in the bushy landscaping surrounding an office building, making it difficult for cars to get close enough, even with the 18-foot cables, to charge up. In winter, when snow gets ploughed off the parking lot, it ends up piled over the curb, and burying the connections.

Edwards says the stations are best mounted into a poured concrete slab. The slab provides better footing and looks cleaner and more like a sidewalk. Red or green bollards placed in front ensure that cars don’t accidentally back into the stations.

The decision to go with such a large charging station has to do with Baka’s desire to be at the forefront of anything green. The company, which has grown since 1985 from cell phone sales out of the car trunk to a staff of 70-plus, is headquartered in a one-storey office building in Etobicoke. The decision to convert 60% of the sales fleet to electric prompted nine Chevy Volts to be purchased and meant devising a way to keep the cars charged.

A L E X N E W M A N

Baka’s average monthly fuel savings is $224 per month per vehicle or $2,016 for all 9 vehicles - almost $25,000 per year in fuel savings. ][

SOLAR CARPORT CHARGING STATION

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Never one to do anything by half measures, he was also behind the decision to harness the sun to generate energy for the carport. The eight charging stations are arranged in a row under the 20 KW solar photovoltaic (PV) panels of the carport, and available to staff and visitors during regular business hours. But marketing director Charlene Killingbeck says the company expects to make the station available for use after hours in the coming months.

Each station is a Level 2 (240 volts) capable of charging a Volt EV in four hours so it can be driven 75 km. The cars also have a gas tank, so when the electric charge runs out, they switch over and can run an additional 500 km. Cars with longer range, such as the Nissan Leaf, can run 160 km but take eight hours to charge on a Level 2 station.

The charging station system is also blended, a mix of energy generated by the sun and from the grid. The panels also power the LED lights and security system at the charging port, but there’s usually excess energy generated from the 20 KW solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. Some of that is stored in a lithium-ion battery for emergency backup in case of power outages, and Baka can still run its office. The rest is returned to the grid. On occasions when several cars are powering at once, and the solar panels cannot generate enough energy, the station is able to draw on/from the grid.

Ironically, EVs were first invented around 1830, about the same time as the Industrial Revolution, and their re-introduction coincides with today’s green technology revolution. The eager embrace by consumers of the technology is for a variety of reasons, the most obvious being the reduced cost, about a half cent per km.

It’s also got some cachet as being “the right thing to do,” and there’s the cool factor of being at the crest of a new wave. But another benefit of this green alternative is the improved environment for the person using one – a smooth and silent drive, plus zero emissions for cleaner maintenance.

Like every technology revolution – the printing press, the industrial revolution, the digital revolution, the disadvantages usually come in the form of insufficient infrastructure. But Edwards, who hopes to be part of changing that, is already seeing a number of initiatives aimed at creating infrastructure.

Right now, most EV charging stations are free, Edwards says. Most car dealerships have them. And some restaurants and malls, Yorkdale for example, have installed charging stations out front. This means guaranteed front door parking while your car is charging. Sun Country Highways is creating a Canada wide network of charging stations that are about 400 km apart. If your EV is long-range, like the new Tesla with a 400-mile range, you can make it entirely on electric charge. For other cars of shorter range, the gas will kick in until you get to the next station.

Edwards says a number of companies are working on creating revenue models – how to build and how to charge – so that in the near future, there should be good support systems in place. Joe Edwards can be contacted at JML Electric (905) 469-7524.


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AUTO NEWS

It’s said that twins are often like two sides of a coin. Never did I expect that the different outlooks of my own twin sons would be manifest as two opposing views about cars. One is passionately in love with any kind of vehicle, while the other is suspicious of cars for the environmental damage they cause. And they’re only seven years old!

But our family has hit on a serendipitous solution to this apparent clash of ideals – we purchased an electric car this past year.

One thing my sons are united on, however, is their desire for us to stop exploiting the natural resources around us. And fortunately, plenty of people not only agree with them, but are willing to find ways to change our ways. There are the engineers who build roads to zero emissions, the architects who design homes with options to generate our own power, and the electrical engineers, like Joe Edwards of JML Electric, who can build solar carports that harness the power of the sun to charge our vehicles. These are just a few of the options for alternative energy. And thanks to our technology-rich culture, there are and will be more options.

The demand for cleaner ways to fuel our lives will only increase with this next generation. Today’s children are very aware that each one of us leaves an imprint, and they are also aware that current consumer choices are unsustainable. This internalized outlook will affect the choices they make when they become adults. Just as my one son could never believe that cars could be good for the environment, he is now perfectly happy with our new car, a Nissan Leaf, because it offers a clear alternative to carbon exhaust. The other son loves it because it’s a car.

We also have the means to charge up our car at home thanks to the solar carport installed by Joe Edwards of JML Electric. It’s dead simple: the photovoltaic panels on the roof of the carport turn the sun’s energy into electricity to charge the car while we sleep. JML also recently installed the first direct current charger in a park of all places, where it can harness the energy that children generate while playing and feeds it back into the grid. I consider Edwards a real pioneer in leading the way to carbon alternatives.

The thing about this energy discussion that’s so encouraging is the energy that committed people are putting into finding new, clean ways for our world to continue functioning well. Even ten years ago the idea of incorporating car charging capabilities into a new build home was unheard of. Today, accessing your own electricity is an easily accomplished and affordable possibility, especially with the number of financial incentives now available.

S A R A H C R A W F O R D

Electric CarsDRIVING THE MESSAGE HOME

SARAH AND HER CHILDREN WITH THEIR NISSAN LEAF

S A R A H C R A W F O R D I S A N I S S A N L E A F

O W N E R A N D P R O M O T E S E L E C T R I C C A R S

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A Greyt Way to Save WaterIt makes absolutely no sense to flush your toilets with perfectly good drinking water. That’s money going right down the drain, literally. In both residential and commercial construction there is something you can do to change this – install a greywater recycling system.

Toilets are the single greatest wasters of water in a home. Thirty-percent of all water consumed in a home is for toilet flushing. Water rates are increasing. The GTA has not seen an increase less than 9% for the last 5 years. Municipalities are facing water infrastructure pressure, both on the supply side and waste treatment. The combination of energy prices rising and developers building in water sensitive areas demonstrates that the need for water re-use solutions has never been greater.

Residential builders can ‘greywater ready’ your home with a simple 3 step process.

This rough-in procedure consists of:

1. isolating a minimum of 2 shower/bath drains, ideally the master shower;

2. isolating the supply lines to the toilets;

3. having access to a wastewater stack for the overflow, and the ability to tie into a fresh air vent.

A production builder's plumber can ‘greywater ready’ a home with just a few hours work and approximately $100-$150 in additional plumbing supplies. Once the plumbing is done, the opportunity for significant water savings not only exists today, but for tomorrow and for years down the road. It’s a ‘greyt’ way to give homeowners the option of savings hundreds of dollars annually.

MUNICIPAL SUPPORT FOR GREYWATER RECYCLINGJust west of the GTA, the City of Guelph has introduced one of the most proactive water conservation programs for new home construction. Guelph’s Blue Built Home program is a water-efficiency standard and rebate program for new homes. The homes are certified according to three water efficiency standards: Bronze, Silver or Gold. Along with approved water efficient fixtures, a Blue Built Silver Home includes a greywater recycling system. Homeowners will receive a $1000 rebate and water consumption in the Silver Home will be more than 50% less than a standard Ontario Build Code Home.

York Region has a similar view to Guelph as promoting water conservation is critical to their master plan. One of the fastest growing regions in Canada, York Region has initiated a ‘No New Water’ campaign. The campaign anticipates that across all sectors the total water use in 2051 will be equivalent to that used in 2011 despite the fact that during that period population is expected to increase by 800,000. In order to meet its goal the region will consider offering incentive programs. These programs will include expedited permit approvals for green building. Additionally, they will look into the adoption of re-used water for non-potable uses (e.g. greywater for toilet flushing.)

Whether it’s Guelph or York Region, all municipalities face the same thing, and this is no grey matter.

BUILDER NEWS


J O H N B E L L

JOHN BELL IS THE VP OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AT GREYTER SYSTEMS INC.

Proper window selection should consider two characteristics, the frame material and a thermally efficient glazing system to render the lowest U value (thermal conductivity). The framing material in fiberglass window systems offers window frames that promote condensation resistance, dimensional stability and durability. The use of fiberglass window systems also offers superior thermal resistance with proven energy savings.

Expansion and contraction of the window frame is critical to maintaining dimensional stability. Under temperature variation similar materials perform the best together. So if the molecular chemistry in the frame is similar to that of glazing in the unit the two materials complement each other and function synergistically together, commonly referred to as “glass on glass”. This very low expansion contraction ratio

allows for seal protection from failure as well as sustainable caulk integrity between jamb and the wall. Inline manufactures windows that offer this performance.

The fiberglass window frame is strong, plumb and true which allows for ease of installation. The continuous fiberglass roving reinforcement in the matric composite lends high strength and durability to the lineal sections. This means that tall casements frames will not bend or bow.

Fiberglass frames will not rot, or crack, sag or creep over time. They are ten times stronger than vinyl. Fiberglass frames resist UV (Ultra Violet) degradation and will not corrode. Fiberglass frames will not distort in a wide range of temperatures (i.e. -50o F up to 350o F).

In the Canadian climate, with a wide variation of exterior temperatures, fiberglass window frames are one way of future proofing your home.

8

BUILDER NEWS

Choosing the Right Windows

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BUILDER NEWS


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BUILDER NEWS

Ten years ago I built the Clearsphere house for a client in Richmond Hill, Ontario. The original architectural plans had roughly 1200 square feet of windows. This configuration would result in a large heating load, and a cooling load of 8 tons. The window areas were reduced by 30% and the use of “selective” Low “E” coatings re-sulted in an air conditioning load (ACL) of 50% less or 4 tons. Gone are the days when we can build houses with excessive glass. The OBC 2012 code limits windows to 17% window to wall area (WTWA) in its prescriptive charts. There are trade offs when the WTWA is between 17 and 22%.

A package “J” house could use windows with a U-value (conductivity) of 1.6 instead of 1.8 (the lower the number the better). Home designs with over 22% must undertake a performance approach that involves computer modeling. As with any design, computer modeling and load calculations are always a smart approach.

Designers and owners can decide to save money on conservation in the long term by investing money in the short term. Future proofing chooses windows that allow for passive solar energy and also reduce air conditioning loads. Some houses with excessive glass, over 22% WTWA, can overheat even in the winter.

LEED for homes allows for the use of HERS software, like RemRate, to optimize the energy performance of a building. LEED for homes and HERS software encourage the integrated design approach (IDP); bringing together designer, builder and HVAC contractor to balance comfort, control and costs. Hot2000 and EnerGuide only consider space heating and favor windows with high passive solar heat gains.

Working closely with the design team at Sustainable TO, a sensitivity analysis of the building envelope was carried out. This started with a benchmark of Package J at a HERS 67 (due to the large window areas). Fiberglass frames where chosen for structural stability and durability on large glazing areas. Selective coatings were modeled with North and East exposures using triple glazed Low E coatings with roughly R5 values and low solar heat gain coefficients (SHGC) of .30. South and West windows were lowest hard coats with R values of roughly 4 but higher SHGC’s between 0.4 and 0.5. Higher SHGC’s mean that more passive solar gains are realized in winter. These window selections were used in the construction of the home. The HERS score of 63 represents a 6.0% reduction in heating costs from the Package “J” 67 bench mark. The effect on cooling from using the hi-performance windows was a reduction in air conditioning of 1.5 tons or 33% to 3 tons. Reducing air conditioning means lower air flows and allowed the use of an Air Max Hi velocity air distribution from the top down. It is powered by a “chiller” tank off the GSHP. The low energy homes that do not use selective coatings have a high SHGC and as a result overheat in the winter and summer. This project has mass storage in concrete floors which absorb passive solar heat through South and West windows.

The building envelope, from footings to eaves, was constructed from Durisol blocks. This stackable insulated concrete forming system uses Roxul stone wool insulation to achieve an R-value of 21. An ad-ditional 2” layer of Roxul “IS “ sheathing adds R8 and results in R31 for exterior walls. The Durisol foundation walls are covered with a

J O H N G O D D E N

Future Proofing With HERSTARGETING LEED GOLD

BUILDER MIKE MANNING AND ARCHITECT PAUL DOWSETT

RADIANT FLOOR DISTRIBUTION MAXIMIZES COMFORT

AND REDUCES OVERHEATING

11

BUILDER NEWS

Blue Skin waterproofing layer which is overlaid with Roxul drain board that adds R4 insulation and a drainage layer.

R60 cellulose insulation was blown in the attic. The combination of insulation systems garnered 1 ½ LEED points toward the LEED Gold designation (largely because of recycled content). This envelope, R60 attic, R31 main walls, R25 basement and underslab insulation reduced the HERS rating from 63 to 49 a 22% reduction in space heating energy.

The house employs a ground source heat pump (GSHP) and a radiant floor distribution system. It is crucial that these systems are right sized and integrated. Original heat loss calculations by the heating designer before IDP modeling were 6 tons of capacity. Drilling vertical loops to capture earth energy is very expensive. Our energy modeling, with the ICF system, added Roxul insulation and high performance windows and reduced the heating and cooling load to 2 ½ tons. Half the drilling was done for vertical contact loops and the system will not cycle on and off, it is more efficient. For hot water heating, a condensing boiler works in conjunction with an indirect tank. Now at a HERS 41, with additional energy savings of 16%, we were ready to consider renewables. With a 41 score, we were 39% better than Package J using an envelope first approach.

There are many discussions about the definition of Net Zero housing. Some believe selling PV electricity to grid can be used to offset purchased natural gas (i.e. net zero cost.) Others believe that in electrically heated zones with MicroFit subsidies,

net zero is producing as many energy units as needed to power the home's energy consumption (net zero balanced). In the case of a heat pump (HP) much more current (240 volts) is required to power a HP that can be generated from solar panels. An inverter is used to convert DC current to 120 volt AC current for use in the house. Under a net zero balanced definition, the house could be considered if its hot water was not heated with natural gas.

The last true definition of Net Zero is the off grid house which would represent a zero on the HERS index or 100 on the EnerGuide scale. The final score of 19 indicates this. The home is still plugged into the grid and needs to purchase natural gas for hot water heating. Regardless of which definition of net zero you choose, the Norton house is future proofed. The owner, designer and builder of this LEED Gold home saw the

benefits of investing money now to yield dividends as time goes on. The Solar PV under a MicroFit contract pays out $8000 annually and the energy efficient design means that it uses 72% less energy than a 2012 code built home. As time passes thousands of dollars in savings will find their way into the homeowner’s pockets. And that’s a good thing.

The Magic of HERS

The scale is calibrated. A lower score means lower energy use when compared to a reference house. Each one point means 1% increase in energy performance. If OBC is a 67 and the as-built house equals 63, that means 6.0% less energy use.

JOHN GODDEN IS THE PRESIDENT OF CLEARSPHERE AND PUBLISHING EDITOR OF BETTER BUILDER MAGAZINE.


THE NORTON HOUSE: HERS RATINGS AND DESCRIPTIONS

HERS Package Description % Reduction

100 IECC 2006 International Energy Code (Typical American Home)

67 Package J OBC 2012 R50 attic, R22 walls, R12 basement HRV

0

63 Windows Triple, LowE: U=0.2 6

49 Envelopes Windows, plus R25 under-slab, R25 foundation wall, R31 Wall, R60 ceiling

27

41 Mechanicals Envelopes, plus ground source heat pump, condensing water heater, power pipe, 15 SEER A/C

39

19 Renewables Mechanicals, plus 11 KWH of PV 72

0 Net Zero TBD 100

12

Towards the end of the summer each year, I begin the search for an old house or small building in need of a “green” retrofit somewhere in downtown Toronto. The search is in preparation for a class project for the advanced Building Science course. The course is attended by approximately 100 second-year students enrolled in the Construction Science and Management degree program at George Brown College. The project spans 3 months, with the objective of developing a comprehensive retrofit plan to upgrade an old building for energy efficiency and sustainability. This project is in its fifth year of running in the program, and each time I never cease to be amazed by the quality and originality of the work the students produce.

The project begins with a site visit to the building, where in groups of 3 or 4, armed with hard hats, boots, tape measures, clip boards and cameras, the students study and document everything of relevance. Each building envelope component is studied from the foundation up, with special attention paid to insulation levels and types (or more commonly, the lack-of insulation), air-flow/vapour flow control materials/methods, construction methods, and any signs of deterioration.

The second phase of the project begins back on campus as soon as the building surveys are completed. Based on all the site information gathered, the budget given, and any special requests or requirements of the building owners, each group now begins the long and multi-facetted task of designing what they believe to be the best retrofit approach for the building. Each team provides two wall-retrofit options, and one option for each of the other building envelope components. The students must take into consideration lot lines, building

codes, aesthetics, neighborhood cohesiveness, energy performance (both passive heat loss and air leakage), occupant health and comfort, durability, costs of materials and labor, scheduling of the work, and the environmental implications of each and every suggestion and material specified, including demolition and material disposal. With all of this to consider, these second year students must draw upon their experience and previous courses in construction technology, construction graphics, building science, estimating, building codes, report writing and team building skills.

At the end of the course, the deliverable is a final report from each group, and a 15 minute presentation to the building owners and students. The reports include extensive write-ups on the history of each building and neighborhood, detailed section drawings of all the relevant components with dew-point analyses (to avoid condensation risks), extensive heat-loss calculations and energy modeling analyses using Hot2000 or REM/Rate software of total building energy consumption (before and after retrofit), and a pay-back projection for each approach. This past year we were lucky in having Mr. Graham Fisher, an energy-modeling expert from Clearsphere Consulting as a guest lecturer to help the students understand some of the intricacies of energy modeling.

Three years ago when the project house was on Harper Avenue, the renovator managed to achieve an Energuide 79 rating using an interior insulation approach.

Overall, the project has been deemed a success from both the perspectives of the students involved over the years, as well

BUILDER NEWS

Adaptive Reuse of Existing BuildingsTO STUDENTS AT GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE

C H R I S T I M U S K , P H . D .

FUTURE PROOFING HARPER AVE. PROJECT – REAR ADDITION AND GUT JOB

HOUSE GUTTED AND RE-INSULATED WITH ROXUL

13

BUILDER NEWS

Three reasons why you should hire a Construction Science and Management Degree Co-op student.1. Access to skilled employees, as co-op students are

trained to:

• Perform quantity takeoffs from working drawings and specifications; prepare material schedules and participate in the bidding process.

• Monitor progress and compile time and cost field reports, track and update change order logs.

• Assist in the implementation of quality control measures, material management, construction documentation control, project management/coordination duties.

2. Meet seasonal or project demands by adding a highly motivated co-op student to the team.

3. Reduce costs associated with:

• Recruitment - our program was developed by and for the industry to provide candidates that are trained specifically for the construction industry.

• Taxes - by hiring a co-op student you may qualify for an Ontario Tax Credit. Contact us to learn more.

For more information please contact: The Industry Liaison Office and Krisztina Arany at [email protected] or 416-415-5000 x4356.

CHRIS TIMUSK, PH.D.,PROFESSOR, CENTRE FOR CONSTRUCTION AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGIES GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE, CASA LOMA [email protected]

as from the perspectives of the building owners who generously offered their buildings for the students to analyze. Given our vast inventory of old structurally sound, un-insulated and energy-wasting buildings in cities across the continent, which make up the fabric of our older neighborhoods, how better to future proof than to train our future building industry experts with a sound foundation on adaptive reuse approaches. If anyone has such a building which they wish to retrofit in the near future, the students and I would be happy to assist, as project buildings are needed each fall.


MyHaven Homes LEEDS the Way with Future Proofing

Paul Caverly admits he’s always been a “bit of a tree hugger” and a “greenie.”

So when his company, MyHaven GreenVision Homes, was commissioned to build a new custom home in Toronto’s Riverdale neighbourhood, he saw an opportunity to work with the owners to create a home that would provide them with energy efficient, sustainable living now and well into the future.

The family of four had been living in an older one-and-a-half storey home and wanted something larger. They were very interested in energy efficiency and when Caverly and Levitt Goodman Architects floated the idea of trying to achieve LEED Gold with the house, the homeowners gave their support. The three-storey, four-bedroom house, which is 2,468 square feet including the basement, is the first LEED home MyHaven and the architect have worked on.

GREEN BUILDER PAUL CAVERLY

By Tracy Hanes

14

FEATURE STORY

15

It was completed in fall 2012 and is designed so that the homeowners can add features in the future such as air conditioning, verandas and rooftop solar panels.

The project illustrates that LEED can be achieved even in a relatively modest house and working within a fairly tight budget.

“The owners were very interested and my company and the architects shared the costs of administering LEED,” says Caverly. “We thought it was important to put a label on it. These clients were motivated – a lot of people are – and it doesn’t cost that much more. The added costs are not really significant and you are going to get it back through energy savings.”

One of the most effective ways to market Future Proofing is to use energy modelling, says Caverly.

The home's unique design employs many windows to create a feeling of open space. Special high performance windows with selective coatings balance day lighting while reducing heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. Inline Fiberglass frames provide durability and reduce failure as the glass and frame move together under temperature variation.


16

“It’s very powerful as you can put in the potential dollar savings,” he notes. “You are able to show the homeowner that if you use this wall assembly or this insulation or this heating system, this is your potential savings in real dollars.”

The three-storey, four-bedroom house, which is 2,468 square feet including the basement, is the first LEED home for MyHaven and Levitt Goodman.

For their vision to work, it required an integrated team approach and regular meetings including Caverly, the architect, homeowner, trades people and the HVAC contractor - Alpha Comfort Control. They all participated in a design charette led by LEED accredited professional John Godden of Clearsphere.

“We always do integrated design to some extent with our projects, but this was a little more involved, more structured,” says Caverly. “And in working with the LEED checklist, it certainly got us looking at things that we might not have considered. Whether we ever build another LEED home or not, we will refer to that checklist from here on.”

The house’s location itself earned LEED points, as the new home was being built on previously used lands and was close to transit, amenities and parks.

While the team had to be mindful of how they could achieve the items on the LEED checklist, they also were aware that the homeowners had a limited budget, so had to explore how to get the best value.

The building envelope is paramount to energy efficiency and Caverly opted to use Roxul rockwool insulation products throughout the home and spray foam spots that need additional air sealing. The HVAC system is a combination boiler that supplies both domestic hot water and heat for the radiant heat flooring in the concrete floors.

“There was a synergy with one work item rolling off into supporting another, and this was the case with the concrete floor. It houses the radiant heat system and is also being used as the finished floor,” says Caverly. “It has a burnished finish and serves as an architectural feature, but the homeowner could still put wood over it in future if they want. It was part of the value engineering process.”

FEATURE STORY

LARGE SIDE-YARD SET BACK ALLOWS FOR GENEROUS DAY LIGHTING

Other value engineering included pre-cutting lumber so there would be no waste and locating the hot water supply close to fixtures so the water doesn’t have to travel the length of the house.

“We’ve done that in projects since and it’s a very simple thing,” says Caverly. A drain water heat recovery pipe was also incorporated. “That’s a standard for us and in this case, we were dealing with a contractor who had never installed one before, so there was a learning curve.”

LEED also required the team to think about how to deal with storm water and how to avoid it going into city storm sewers, so extensive gravel beds were used for backfill and a trench put in the front lawn. To gain an additional LEED point in future, the homeowner can always add a rain harvester and use the collected rainwater for watering the lawn and gardens.

During construction, Caverly’s team diverted construction waste and employed erosion control by stockpiling soil excavated during the build. It was protected from rain and prevented from running into sewers by a silt fence that allowed water, but not dirt, to pass through. Some existing plants and trees were preserved on site. As termites are an issue in the neighbourhood, the gravel beds and construction site were sprayed with non-toxic termite bait three different times.

To avoid another potential problem, the home was equipped with a passive radon abatement system, a perforated pipe under the insulated basement slab, which will negate any issues with radon gas.

Despite the extensive windows in the house, it is so well insulated, it had very low air changes, (1.66 which is close to R2000) and had a HERS score of 52.

The home is sited specifically to take advantage of solar gain and optimize daylight and has no central air conditioning system, though it would be easy to install it in future, if the homeowner deems it necessary.

“It’s fairly common for us, depending on the client, not to install air conditioning in homes,” says Caverly. “You have to think about passive ventilation and passive solar and you have to take care with the overhangs. These are absolutely free things. If you spend a little time on the design process, it can make all the difference in the world.”

This home has a straight-sloped roof and is designed so air can flow from the main floor through open windows up the stairwell to the third floor. During summer evenings, the homeowner will open the windows on the main floor to allow cool air in, and due to stack effect, it will travel up through the home. Windows will be closed during the

17ISSUE 05 | SPRING 2013

FEATURE STORY

SLIDING WALL CREATES FLEX SPACE

18

day to keep warm air out. Ceiling fans help to mitigate heat issues as well. Caverly says “it was amazing” how cool the home stayed in late summer and he doubts the residents will ever install air conditioning.

Other features of the home include a Panasonic motion-sensor bathroom fan (ultra quiet and equipped with a DC motor for super energy efficiency), water-conserving fixtures, low-VOC paints, adhesives and cabinets, and Energy Star rated lighting and appliances.

Products such as the low VOC adhesives were not hard to find, “but the bigger concern for us, is are they proven?” Caverly notes. “We had to do research, but these products are getting more common and information is more readily available.”

Some concessions had to be made to fit the LEED criteria.

“We did have some trade-offs,” says Caverly. “In order to get points for LEED, we had to increase the density of the home. There was an open space on the second floor so we put in a sliding wall of doors to create a flex space that can be considered as a bedroom or office” and that’s an idea he’s used in other projects since.

Because of the clients’ budget constraints, some items will wait for the future, such as completing landscaping and one bathroom and adding covered verandas.

Caverly says one important consideration that “has been ignored forever in homes” is balancing of the HVAC system to get even airflow and eliminate hot and cold spots as well as get optimal energy efficiency. He says homeowners must

be educated on how to operate their home systems and need to know things such as when to change HRV filters, so he suggests creating a homeowner’s manual.

He also does “air scrubbing” in his homes using equipment outfitted with a HEPA filter removes dust and toxins in the air before homeowners move in, to provide his clients with excellent indoor air quality when they move in.

TRACY HANES IS A FREELANCE FEATURE WRITER FOR THE

LARGEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN CANADA AND SEVERAL

MAGAZINES. WWW.TRACYHANES.CA

OPEN STAIRWELL AND CONCRETE FLOORS

Conditioned floor area: 2629 square feetEstimated annual energy usage:Natural Gas ConsumptionGreen House Gas EmissionsEstimated average monthly energy bill *:

This home meets the Green is 50 Builders’ Challenge

MyHaven HomesAddress: 32 Grandview

Rated by: Clearsphere ConsultingRating Conducted: July 25th , 2012

This rating is available for homes built by leading edge builders who have chosen to advance beyond current energy efficiency programs and have taken the next step on the path to full sustainability.

110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

52Your Home is

IECC OBC 09-77

This house is rated using the Home Energy Rating System (HERS), property of RESNET of Oceanside, CA. The Green is 50 Builders’ Challenge is a Pilot Program sponsored by CRESNET and delivered by

Clearsphere.

John Godden Feb. 26th, 2013

* Cost of Natural Gas for Space and Hot Water

Clearsphere

GREEN IS 50

rHVCAResidential Heating Ventilation

Contractors Association

rhvca.com | [email protected] | 905-264-9967

heartThe

of your

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Don’t leave the health of your home’s

most valuable asset to chance. Trust only

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system. Our members represent the

highest standards of training, certification,

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BUILDER NEWS

BUILDER NEWS

rHVCAResidential Heating Ventilation

Contractors Association

rhvca.com | [email protected] | 905-264-9967

heartThe

of your

home

Don’t leave the health of your home’s

most valuable asset to chance. Trust only

a RHVCA member to design, install and

service your heating, cooling and ventilation

system. Our members represent the

highest standards of training, certification,

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20

BUILDER NEWS

When Susan Lee and Tom Kennedy bought their 1910 home in Riverdale two years ago, they weren’t sure if they’d raze it and build new, or attempt a major gut and reno on the 1910 home. After living in the house for six months – to get a feel for the light path and to get to know neighbours in case of committee of adjustment proceedings – they decided to start fresh.

Although the A-frame house had a lot of space, the bedrooms weren’t big and they weren’t sure it would accommodate their family the way they wanted, Lee says. Soon after moving in, they also discovered the foundation was in bad shape and “leaking all over.”

That first six months was fraught with stress, especially over deciding to renovate or build new, and then the intense planning period that included finding an architect, drawing up blueprints and arranging to rent elsewhere for the year it would take to build. At the time, they juggled hectic careers – Kennedy in finance and Lee in real estate – planning and budgeting for the new house, plus one small child and another on the way.

As a very design savvy young Toronto couple, they already knew architecture firms, especially ones sympathetic to/aligned with their own modern and sustainable interests. They ended up hiring Levitt Goodman Architects, a firm known for its innovative design approach to small urban spaces and experienced in better green building.

Working with the couple closely, architects Dean Goodman and associate Katrina Touw came up with a design that made optimum use of space, enabling them to retain the home’s original footprint, thus eliminate the need for committee of adjustment hearings.

Through the architects, Lee and Kennedy were introduced to Paul Caverly, a builder actively involved in green construction for at least 25 years. Although other builders were considered, Lee says they went with Caverly for his experience in building modern, and his clear green philosophy.

Green was definitely an interest for the couple. Kennedy was always reading up on alternative energies, and Lee was very conscious of green choices, especially recycling, within the home. As aware as they were about green energy – geothermal for example – some of Goodman’s and Caverly’s sustainability suggestions were so new they’d never even heard of them.

As it turned out, geothermal heating and cooling system ended up being “a non-starter,” Lee says, because of the cost – it couldn’t be done on a budget that included building a new house.

Instead, Caverly suggested a drain water heat recovery system, which is essentially a copper coil wrapped around the main drain (more commonly known as the stack). This draws heat out of the waste hot water from showers and dishwasher in order to help pre-heat incoming water that will be further heated by the Flomax boiler.

Because the heating and cooling system is hydronic (i.e. water), the heat recovery ventilator is an air delivery system unlike a regular furnace. It is fully ducted, with ducts exhausting air from the bathrooms and bringing in fresh air throughout the house to each room. The Flomax boiler hangs on the wall in the basement taking up very little space, and heats water both for domestic use (baths, showers, washing dishes) and for the heated floors.

The in-floor radiant heat system, with water coils embedded underneath the concrete floors, is actually responsible for heat-ing the house. It also came as a bit of a surprise for Lee. In her years as a real estate agent, she’s seen plenty of houses with radiant heat in the bathroom floors, but never whole homes.

A L E X N E W M A N

Building New: LEED was the Right Way To Go

PAUL CAVERLY, SUSAN LEE, TOM KENNEDY AND THEIR CHILDREN

ISSUE 05 | SPRING 2013 21

ALEX NEWMAN IS A WRITER, EDITOR AND RESEARCHER AT WWW.INTEGRITYCOMMUNICATIONS.CA

CEILING FANS AND OPERABLE SKYLIGHTS REDUCE THE NEED FOR AIR CONDITIONING

One reason to go with radiant floors, explains John Godden who worked with Caverly on the initial energy audit and HRV choices, is that with so many windows, it’s one of the best ways to ensure a house maintains a steady comfortable atmosphere.

That’s because radiant doesn’t heat the air, but surfaces, Godden explains. “Radiant heat minimizes the temperature differential between body cold surfaces like windows. Fifty percent of being comfortable is minimizing the radiant heat loss from your body. When you’re out in the sun, you’ll notice it heats your body, not the air.”

With the radiant heat distribution -- heating space through water -- it wasn’t possible to have central air. That also came as a surprise to Lee, but she understands why it’s effective at cooling the house – passively, using the chimney effect, or otherwise known as “hot air rises.”

With architectural details such as open stair risers that allow freer air movement, the system includes a skylight at the top of the house above the stairs that draws hot air out. To assist with the natural ventilation of hot air rising and out the sky-light, a Panasonic fan with special DC motor technology has been installed in the bathroom on the third floor of the house. It helps exhaust the air through mechanical means.

Additionally, each room has ceiling fans, and in spring they expect to install an awning on the south facing window, and plant two trees, all contributing to the home’s passive cooling.

To further support the HRV, construction includes an exterior cladding of Certain Teed cement board siding, under which is a skin that prevents water penetration. They’ve also bumped up the insulation, some of which is spray-in foam, but mostly it’s rock wool, a high efficiency insulation of 75% recycled content that’s made locally and contains no VOCs.

All paints used had low VOC content, no carpets cover the durable natural-cement floors, and the house was sited far enough from the neighbouring house to allow for more windows that provide tons of natural light. When it came to the windows, both Caverly and Godden insisted on flashing outside and under each window, using the Blueskin flashing system, to prevent any water penetration.

Proper flashing is a big feature of a LEED home, Godden points out, “and they’ll end up getting some durability points for it.”

With so many green elements being introduced in the house, Caverly asked Godden’s opinion about whether it could be deemed a LEED candidate. After looking over the site, and the plans, Godden said yes, and then suggested the couple target a LEED gold designation.

Now that Lee and Kennedy have moved “home” with their two children (the baby was born just before the house was completed), Lee says she is “stunned” by so much about it. As a real estate agent with resale and square footage on her mind, Lee was most impressed by how big the house felt, “way bigger than we expected it to be. That’s the way it was designed, to allow maximum light and minimize the lighting requirements.”

She credits the increased volume -- ten foot ceilings on the main floor and vaulted even higher in the kitchen – with why the identical footprint feels so much bigger.

“It’s a modest house, really,” Lee says. “1800 sq ft isn’t huge but it’s so well designed. We wanted a certain square footage, and specific number of bedrooms and baths. I think we got most of that. But the square footage was a lesson for me, especially as a real estate agent, to not think of it as a number, but to take volume into consideration, as well as really good design.”

What’s possibly impressed her more is the in-floor radiant heating. “It’s lovely, a wonderful type of heat that warms up instantly and allows you to walk around in bare feet. When your feet are warm, you feel warm.” After the initial novelty of walking around barefoot, Kennedy suggested they start wearing socks for even greener results.

Godden laughs: “That’s because women have a higher core body temperature than men, and are more frequently cold.”

It’s too soon to tell how much the new system will save them in reduced energy bills, but Lee says with their most recent gas bill, “it certainly seems as though it’s more affordable, considering the house is almost twice as big, more volume, and it’s highly efficient and airtight.” Their approach scored a 52 on the HERS index fetching them LEED points towards their Gold certification.

BUILDER NEWS

Do the bathroom fans you installexhaust more than just air?Choose ENERGY STAR® compliant WhisperGreen™ ventilation fans from Panasonic® for your next project and help homeowners rein in energy costs while controlling mould and mildew.

The built-in motion sensor with adjustable delay timer automatically turns the fan on when someone enters the room. The delay timer activates when motion is no longer detected so wasted electricity caused by fans left turned on is eliminated, while damage-causing moisture is brought under control.

Quiet, powerful, energy ef� cient and easy to install, Panasonic ventilation fans are ENERGY STAR, LEED and ASHRAE 62.2 compliant making them a wise choice in sustainable building.

WhisperGreen fans from Panasonic — the easy way to leaner, greener ventilation.

To learn more about Panasonic ventilation fans visit www.panasonic.ca, email [email protected] or call 1-800-669-5165

WhisperGreen ad 2012_v2.indd 1 12-08-17 2:56 PM

ISSUE 04 | WINTER 2012

BUILDER NEWS

23

The Sustainable Housing Foundation’s Energy Rating Summit

If it were not for the thoughtfulness of a colleague of mine, I would have completely missed a most memorable, eye opening all day event: the Home Energy Rating Summit and Sustainable Product Tradeshow. It was held at Fantasy Farm, Pottery Road Toronto, on Thursday, January 31, 2013. The event was sponsored by the Canadian Residential Energy Services Network (CRESNET) and the Sustainable Housing Foundation. The main intent and purpose of the

event was to consolidate knowledge and expertise. The hosts and sponsors offered cutting edge technologically and products that were packaged so that they could be sold to the general public.

The Master of Ceremonies, John Godden, President of CRESNET, introduced the first speaker Craig Backman, the Chair of the Sustainable Housing Foundation (SHF). Craig gave a very enlightening presentation on “building a sustainable future” an initiative involving Scotiabank. Scotiabank EcoLiving has partnered with the SHF to help all Canadians save energy and money. Savings achieved through the SHF working with designers, new-home builders, renovators, academia, government and directly with the home owners. This effort will continuously increase the number of sustainable homes across Canada. Craig also talked about the first pilot project named “Project FutureProof – Beaches Community Retrofit” that will be launched soon. When each home is completed the owners are encouraged to have an open house to showcase the benefits of the retrofit to their friends and neighbours; rather like a Tupperware party! The hope is that Project FutureProof will spread across the GTA, across Ontario and finally across the whole of Canada. A grass-roots approach that I think is a marvelous idea.

Following Craig’s excellent presentation, John gave a very interesting and informative overview of recent Ontario Building Code changes with respect to the Energy Performance Path. He discussed “better than code strategies” and the benefits of “renovating with HERS”(Home Energy Rating Scale). If you want to know more about this I would encourage you to visit John’s website at www.clearsphere.ca where you will find informative material.

Being a Tradeshow as well as a Summit, the hall was bordered with table top displays of sustainable products and supporting literature that was freely available to the delegates to take. The speakers for the rest of the day were made up of representatives of the sponsoring/exhibiting companies who gave very instructive insight into their products and how they would integrate into a “marketable package”. The following is a list of participating manufacturers:

• High performance windows and skylights - Inline Fiberglass & Velux.

• The ultimate wall (Habitat case study) - Roxul. Inc.

• Durability strategies (Habitat case study) - Henry Company.

• Combination heating systems (applications for new code & EnergyStar) - Airmax.

• Ventilation strategies for new and existing homes - Panasonic a VanEE.

• Grey water rough-ins with drain water heat recovery systems - Greyter & Renewability.

At the end of all of the presentations there was a lively Q and A session followed by closing comments.

I believe that all the delegates left the summit knowing about the options, technical information and products that will contribute to the future proofing of homes across Canada.

B R I A N L . A B B E Y

BRIAN L ABBEY, TECHNOLOGIST OAAAS. M.A.A.T.O. BSSO. A.SC.T. CSC. BCQ. PRINCIPAL, ADTEK BUILDING CONSULTANTS HTTP://WWW.ADTEKBUILDING.COM.

Do the bathroom fans you installexhaust more than just air?Choose ENERGY STAR® compliant WhisperGreen™ ventilation fans from Panasonic® for your next project and help homeowners rein in energy costs while controlling mould and mildew.

The built-in motion sensor with adjustable delay timer automatically turns the fan on when someone enters the room. The delay timer activates when motion is no longer detected so wasted electricity caused by fans left turned on is eliminated, while damage-causing moisture is brought under control.

Quiet, powerful, energy ef� cient and easy to install, Panasonic ventilation fans are ENERGY STAR, LEED and ASHRAE 62.2 compliant making them a wise choice in sustainable building.

WhisperGreen fans from Panasonic — the easy way to leaner, greener ventilation.

To learn more about Panasonic ventilation fans visit www.panasonic.ca, email [email protected] or call 1-800-669-5165

WhisperGreen ad 2012_v2.indd 1 12-08-17 2:56 PM

BUILDER NEWS

24

The energy consumed to run our homes presents a significant and growing financial burden to homeowners. In fact, more than 17 percent of the energy consumed in Canada is used to run our homes. Awareness of this fact is increasingly affecting the purchase and renovation decisions of Canadians. CMHC’s annual Renovation and Home Purchase Report surveys homeowners in ten major Canadian cities, and among its aims it seeks to determine what is motivating renovation spending. When asked if the reason to renovate was “to make their home more energy efficient,” 29% of respondents in 2011 responded “yes” versus only 7% in 2010. See Figure 3 from the report.

Arguably, this surge in interest in renovating for energy savings is a result of a growing awareness of the need to address downstream costs in the face of ever increasing utility expenses coupled with a greater concern for the environment. The availability of federal, provincial and municipal grants and rebates during the survey period no doubt was a contributor as well.

There’s also a growing appreciation that energy efficiency is important as a selling feature if and when a homeowner decides to sell. Indeed, an energy inefficient home will have trouble competing in a resale marketplace which now includes a growing roster of energy efficient homes and condominium apartments. Whether they are newly constructed as Energy Star Homes, LEED-Certified Condos or they are older homes having undergone deep green renovations induced through the former EcoEnergy Rebates, such homes will garner more favourable financing, an increased pool of potential purchasers and higher market values when compared to homes of similar scale and vintage which are not as energy efficient.

Referring once again to CMHC’s annual Renovation and Home Purchase Report, the main reason reported by house-holds for renovating in 2011 was that they wanted “to update, add value, or to prepare to sell their home” (74 per cent of renovating households). This was also the main reason reported for renovating in 2010. See Figure 3 from the report. Now that consumers are beginning to link energy efficiency with adding value, we will see growth in renovations designed to improve energy efficiency.

Whether you plan to occupy, rent or sell your home, energy efficiency is a wise investment as it allows you to reduce operating costs while increasing its market value. Simply

put, it allows you to Future Proof your Real Estate Investment.

THE TORONTO REAL ESTATE BOARD’S GREEN PROPERTY INFORMATION SHEET (GPIS)Real Estate Sales professionals involved in the sale of both new and resale homes and condominium apartment units are becoming savvier in educating their clients regarding the many benefits of energy efficiency. They have many new tools to convey the business case and consumers are responding in kind.

The Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) is well aware of the growing interest in design features which improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs, reduce a home’s environmental footprint and improve a home’s marketability.

To this end, in July 2011, they released the Green Property Information Sheet (GPIS) which Realtors may attach to a typical MLS listing. The five page GPIS includes the following Information fields: Energy Rating, Energy Source, Appliances, Lighting, Ventilation, Space Cooling and Heating, Water Conservation, Insulation, Windows, Finishes, Building Materials & Techniques, Recycling, Landscaping, Surrounding Environment, Orientation and Site Placement.

Future Proofing Your Real Estate Investment

M A R K S A L E R N O & B I L L J O H N S T O N

ISSUE 05 | SPRING 2013 25

BUILDER NEWS

The GPIS may be coupled with an EcoEnergy Audit Report or a HERS Rating Report to provide further details on a home’s energy efficiency. Another recent addition to some MLS listings is the “Walk Score.” The scale is from 0-100, with “0” being entirely car-dependant and “100” being a walker's dream. With these tools, Realtors are now better equipped than ever to showcase an energy efficient home or point out areas of potential improvement in a fixer-upper.

CMHC GREEN HOME – CMHC’S MORTGAGE LOAN INSURANCE REBATE FOR ENERGY EFFICIENT HOUSINGUnfortunately, the Federal and Ontario government rebates are no longer available as an inducement to encourage renovations focused on energy efficiency. However, CMHC’s Green Home Product continues to offer a 10% mortgage loan insurance premium refund when one uses CMHC insured financing to make energy-saving renovations to their home or to purchase an energy-efficient home or condominium apartment. CMHC added environmentally friendly features to

the Mortgage Loan Insurance it offered in 2004 and continues to offer them today.

For most people, the hardest part of buying a home — especially a first home — is saving the necessary down payment.

The availability of CMHC Mortgage Loan Insurance allows a consumer to buy a house with a minimum down payment of 5%. Offered through most financial institutions, this simple solution has enabled millions of Canadians to realize the dream of homeownership. Where one purchases an energy efficient home, the 10% rebate on the CMHC Mortgage Loan Insurance premium can amount to close to $1,300.

The CMHC Mortgage Loan Insurance Rebate can be achieved through a range of purchase scenarios as follows:

1. Buying and Renovating a Fixer-Upper through a Purchase Plus Improvement Mortgage

A Purchase Plus Improvement Mortgage allows one to finance up to 95% of the as-improved value of a fixer upper (based upon lender’s estimate). This means, you can pay for your home and have financing under the same mortgage to cover the cost of renovations you undertake upon occupancy. Where those renovations improve the energy efficiency of the home by 5 points on the EnerGuide Scale (and the rating is not less than 40), the purchaser will be eligible for a 10% rebate on the mortgage loan insurance premium.

The Purchase Plus Improvement financing option is a cost-effective and prudent approach as compared to the typical scenario where a home is purchased, renovations are under-taken and financed through other more expensive financial products (e.g. a credit card, personal loan, or an unsecured line of credit). Further, current mortgage rules only allow for a refinance of up to 80% of the value of the home, effectively eliminating refinancing as an option in many cases.

2. Buying a New Home Certified under a CMHC-Eligible Energy-Efficient Building Program

3. Typical Purchase of $600,000 with 5% down and a 25 year amortization yields a Mortgage Loan Insurance Fee of $12,825.00 and a 10% rebate of $1,283.

4. A purchaser must procure the services of an NRCan qualified energy advisor to obtain the current energy rating for the home. The energy advisor will assess the home again after the energy-saving renovations are finished to assess whether the energy rating has improved by at least 5 points and has achieved an overall rating of at least 40.

26

BUILDER NEWS

For houses and units located in low rise residential buildings the house or unit must have been built under a CMHC-eligible energy-efficient building program as listed in the sidebar down below, or have been assessed by a Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) qualified energy advisor and have an EnerGuide rating that complies with the applicable requirement stated in the table below:

A homeowner would be required to obtain and provide CMHC with either the CMHC-eligible energy-efficient building program certification or the first page of the EnerGuide performance report showing the EnerGuide rating of the house.

To be eligible for a 10% refund, the supporting documentation must be dated no more than five years prior to the date of the application. Where the applicable supporting documentation is older than 5 years, the borrower is required to obtain a current energy efficiency evaluation.

The net effect of this is that once constructed, an energy efficient home continues to bring mortgage loan insurance savings to future owners of that home even if the code of the day has become more stringent. In fact, it’s conceivable that if a home sold 2 to 4 times in the 5-year period since construction it could garner an aggregate of $2,600 to $5,200 in rebates across that group of owners.

This means that progressive builders constructing homes beyond the building code of the day are in fact future proofing those homes by building a legacy of savings both for their initial clients and for downstream resale purchasers that the builder will never have a direct connection to. This is surely a great example of leadership and one which gives a leg up and yet another tool to the Real Estate professionals involved in the resale of those energy efficient homes.

Mortgage Loan Insurance rebates may also accrue for the purchase of condominium apartment units located in energy efficient high rise residential buildings. Eligibility is dictated by the energy performance of the building. For mortgages closing on or after January 1st, 2013, the building in which

the unit is located must be the higher of:

• 5% more energy-efficient than if constructed to meet provincial/territorial requirements where they exist – in Ontario, this means 30% more energy-efficient than if constructed to meet the Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB); or

• 20% more energy-efficient than if constructed to meet the Model National Energy Code for Buildings (MNECB).

As with low-rise development, the mortgage loan insurance rebate continues to be available for future purchasers of an energy efficient unit. However, whereas in low-rise, the unit has to be reassessed after 5 years, in high rise unit's the CMHC's Mortgage Loan Insurance rebate will accrue in perpetuity (or as long as CMHC offers its Green Home product) since CMHC recognizes that as codes become more stringent condo unit owners can't readily affect change to the common elements which are what largely dictate energy performance.

Once again, this means that builders who take a leadership position are building a legacy of benefits for many units owners well into the future – indeed, helping those purchasers to Future Proof their Real Estate Investment.

MARK SALERNO, CANADA MORTGAGE AND HOUSING CORPORATION; BILL JOHNSTON,

BOSLEY REAL ESTATE LTD. BROKERAGE

CMHC-ELIGIBLE ENERGY-EFFICIENT BUILDING PROGRAMS• R-2000 (National)

• LEED Canada For Homes EGH 80*+ (National)

• Power Smart New Homes (British Columbia)

• Built Green™ British Columbia Platinum Label Homes (Note: Gold, Silver and Bronze label homes are only eligible if they receive an EnerGuide evaluation indicating they meet CMHC’s minimum score of 80*)

• GreenHome™ and Super GreenHome™ (Yukon)

• Built Green™ Platinum Label Homes (Alberta) (Alberta) (Note: Gold, Silver and Bronze label homes are only eligible if they receive an EnerGuide evaluation indicating they meet CMHC’s minimum score of 80*)

• ENERGY STAR® for New Homes (Saskatchewan)

• Power Smart™ (Manitoba)

• GreenHouse™ (Ontario)

• ENERGY STAR® (Ontario)

• NovoclimatMC (Quebec)

FOR PURCHASES WITH A CLOSING DATE...

ENERGUIDE RATING REQUIRED

On or after January 1st, 2013 82

From April 1st, 2010 to December 31st, 2012 80

From July 27st, 2005 to March 31st, 2010 77

BUILDER NEWS

27

On August 19, 2005, Southern Ontario experienced the province’s most expensive natural disaster causing $500 million in insured damage. The summer storm resulted in 13,011 sewer back up claims from homeowners from Kitchener to Oshawa. On November 27, 2011 a wind storm in Calgary caused over $200 million in damage. These and other weather related events are costing Canadians billions of dollars every year.

Canada’s Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR), established in 1997, is a world class centre devoted to disaster prevention research and communication. It is an independent not-for-profit research institute founded by the insurance industry and affiliated with Western University. ICLR has devoted many years to developing new construction practices to help build more weather resilient housing.

The 2012 Ontario Building Code now includes provisions that require more nails in plywood roof sheathing in response to a submission from ICLR and a team of researchers from Western University reflecting the changing weather.

Adding more roof nails is just one example of how ICLR is working with homebuilders across Canada to identify building practices that can result in more resilient homes — homes that can better resist the damage caused by wind, snow, ice, earthquakes, and other hazards. The work provides a science-based foundation for the construction of disaster resilient homes as part of an adaptive strategy to deal with the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events.

ICLR’s new resilient home program encourages practices that help protect the home from sewer backup and basement flooding, from wind and hail storms, and from water damage and ice damming. The practices go beyond the current building code to significantly enhance performance at minimal cost. Working with the Ontario Home Builders Association’s Technical Committee, 12 practices were identified that merited additional field testing.

John Dunnink of Dunnink Homes was the first Ontario Builder to take up the challenge. Working with a team from buildABILITY Corporation and the ICLR team, John has built Ontario’s first Resilient Home in Guelph, Ontario to showcase a number of the ICLR practices. Mainline Backwater Valve Company provided the backwater valve and Henry Building Products also assisted by providing the roof underlay and ice damming protection with the use of their Henry/Bakor Blueskin® RF 200 Self-Adhesive Ice and Water Barrier.

The RF200 is an SBS modified bitumen high-temperature roofing underlayment reinforced with a textured skid-resistant polyethylene film. The membrane is specifically designed to be self-adhered on sloped roof to protect the building’s interior from damage caused by water infiltration as a result of ice dams or wind-driven rain. In severe wind events, shingles tend to flap around and eventually can get blown off. In extreme weather, it's not safe to get back on the roof to do the repair. But the rain does not stop. With the RF200 fully bonded to the plywood deck, the building is water tight — even without the shingles. It can be left exposed for days or weeks until the repair can be made safely — it's no

M I C H A E L L I O

Dunnink Homes Builds Ontario’s First ICLR Resilient Home

HENRY/BAKAR BLUESKIN® RF 200 ROOF UNDERLAYMENT

INSTALLED ON THE ROOF

BLUESKINVP™160 (BLUE) USED OVER THE BASEMENT WALL AND

BLUESKIN TWF (YELLOW) INSTALLED OVER THE BRICK SILL


Next generation technology for wood frame construction Drawing on decades of commercial air barrier experience, Henry Company has created BlueskinVP™ – a fully-adhered Building Envelope System® that functions not only as a water resistant barrier and rain barrier, but stops uncontrolled air leakage to improve building comfort, safety and energy efficiency.

• Provides superior moisture and water protection

• Eliminates drafts to improve comfort

• Reduces energy costs

• Improves insulation performance

• Simple to install

Fully adhered means:Air Tight

Water TightWeather Tight

Picks up where traditional house wraps leave off!

For more on how BlueskinVP™ contributes to an effective Building Envelope System®, watch our new movie at www.ca.henry.com/blueskinvpmovie

Project by Build Urban (buildurban.com)

29

BUILDER NEWS

IS-

SUE 05 | SPRING 2013

longer an emergency situation. Rather than only covering the eaves and valleys, Dunnink Homes applied the RF200 on the entire roof to prevent ice damming at eaves and water penetration across the entire roof. As one of North America’s leading product manufacturers, Henry Building Products also provided their expertise to the project by integrating additional measures to better protect the home from moisture, water, and severe rain:

• BlueskinVP™160 on the walkout basement exterior wall. This fully adhered, vapor permeable membrane system eliminates air leakage while functioning as a water-resistant barrier and rain barrier. Bonded with a patented, permeable adhesive layer and split-back poly-release film, it adheres to the wall substrate without mechanical attachment.

• Blueskin WB Window and Door Flashing was applied around window openings to ensure the opening is impermeable to air, moisture vapor and water. The WB flashing is a self-adhering membrane that can be applied in temperatures as low as -12ºC. It has excellent adhesion to prepared substrates of concrete, concrete block, primed steel, aluminum mill finish, anodized aluminum, galvanized metal, gypsum board and plywood.

BLUESKIN WB WINDOW AND DOOR FLASHING AROUND

WINDOW OPENINGS

HURRICANE TIES FOR ROOF TRUSSES

• Blueskin TWF over the brick sill. TWF is a self-adhered membrane consisting of an SBS rubberized asphalt compound, which is integrally laminated to a yellow cross-laminated polyethylene film. The membrane is specifically designed for use as a through-wall flashing. Some people think that the veneer — brick siding or stucco — are the weather control layers, keeping the rain and wind out. In fact they are not! They are full of holes and small cracks. The wind and the rain find their way through, often resulting in rot, rust & mould, not to mention all that wasted energy, drafts and cold spots. Blueskin is the last line of defense against the weather, keeping the inside "in" and the outside "out", making us more comfortable and making buildings last longer.

Adapting housing to the changing climate will continue to require collaboration. Researchers, homebuilders, manufacturers and government all have a role to play in giving Canadians houses that can withstand the new extremes in weather.

MICHAEL LIO IS PRESIDENT OF BUILDABILITY CORPORATION, [email protected]

30

BUILDER NEWS

Le Belvédère, a wedding, meeting and corporate events facility, is nearing its ambitious goal of being North America’s largest commercial Certified Passive House structure. Helping to place the Wakefield, Quebec business on the green building map is Certified Passive House Consultant and Homesol Building Solutions President, Ross Elliott.

Passive House design represents the world’s most advanced energy efficiency standard. Certified Passive House buildings slash heating energy consumption by over 80% compared to conventional construction, yet cost only 2 -10% more to build. Passive House is equivalent to North America’s 2030 emissions target for all buildings – making today’s Passive Houses net-zero-ready and decades ahead of their time.

The 8,000 square foot Le Belvédère facility is built on a challenging rock outcrop overlooking the majesty of the Gatineau Hills in Eastern Quebec. The Building has an interior volume of 150,000 cubic feet and an energy footprint equivalent to a 1,500 square foot house. The size is nearly six times larger

than the average American home built in 2011. Yet, Elliott predicts Le Belvédère will have an annual electric heating bill as low as $600.

Le Belvédère incorporates state-of-the-art construction techniques and ultra energy-efficient mechanical systems, including:

• R117 cellulose (recycled newspaper) attic insulation, triple the 2012 building code

• 18 inch thick, R71 walls (insulated with rock wool)

• European Passive House triple glazed wood windows

• Cold weather Mitsubishi air source heat pump for heating and cooling, with innovative waste heat capture and storage

• Less than 0.5 ACH50 air-tightness, about seven times tighter than typical new construction

• Custom built 2,200 cfm enthalpy recovery ventilator (ERV) with 90%+ heat recovery

• LED lighting throughout, which alone saves approximately $4,000 per year in energy costs

Elliott has a 30-year career as an energy auditor and homebuilder. His company verifies approximately 1,200 buildings a year to R-2000, Energy Star, LEED and Passive House standards. As a Certified Passive House Consultant, he has professional qualifications from the Passive House Institute of the United States and the Passivhaus Institute in Germany.

A Canadian Homebuilders Association (CHBA) member, Elliott believes building industry policy makers must aim higher to achieve cold-climate efficiency. “Le

Green Building ProjectPASSIVE HOUSE

R O L F B A U M A N N

LE BELVÉDÈRE, OWNER BRIAN FEWSTER

ROSS ELLIOTT, PRESIDENT AND CEO HOMESOL BUILDING

SOLUTIONS INC., CPHC, LEED-AP

PASSIVE HOUSE WALL SECTION - R 71 STONE WOOL WALLS

Belvédère is located about a half-hour outside Ottawa, which features winter temperatures colder than Moscow, Russia. And yet we’re aiming to exceed the Passive House standard,” he says.

“Buildings in Canada plus their associated electricity use currently exceed all transportation emissions combined. I challenge all North American home-builder associations to explain why we’re still building houses to lowest common denominator standards,” adds Elliott.

Elliott and several colleagues are offering a Certified Passive House Trades Training course in Toronto from January 21-25, 2013 as well as a nine-day Certified Passive House Consultant Training course, taught by a team of international Certified Passive House Consultants. This course runs from May 13 to 17 and May 27 to 30 at Toronto’s Ryerson University, and qualifies for 32 hours of GBCI (LEED continuing education) and AIA continuing education credits. More details at www.homesol.ca

ROLF BAUMANN IS CEO OF THE RGB GROUP – REAL GREEN BUILDINGS FOR

LIFE. RGB GROUP IS CANADA'S LEED DEVELOPER AND BUILDER OFFERING

GREEN BUILDING, PROJECT AND CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT.

OTTAWA-AREA CERTIFIED PASSIVE HOUSE (PHIUS). OWNER / BUILDER:

CHRISTOPHER STRAKA, VERT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT INCORPORATED.

CERTIFIED PASSIVE HOUSE CONSULTANT ON PROJECT: ROSS ELLIOTT,

HOMESOL The Power-Pipe®

uses outgoing warmdrain water to pre-heat

incoming cold freshwater in Residential, Commercial

and Industrial, thereby reducing energy costs.

TURN THAT WASTED ENERGYINTO $AVING$ WITH THE

www.power-pipe.com

Saving Energy IntelligentlyE N E R G Y I N C .

Developed and Manufactured by:

LOWER ENERGY BILLS.GREAT RETURNS.

Drain Water Heat Recovery Systems

H O W I T W O R K S

®

Commercial Applications

Rec. facilities, restaurants, laundry, hospitals, prisonsMany design & installation optionsWater heating can be one of the highest loadsSave 30% to 60% in water heating costsInvestment Returns of20 to 100%/year

Industrial Processes

Many industrial processes dump warm effluentMaintenance-free and seamless integrationWater heating is often the largest energy loadSave 30% to 70% in water heating costsInvestment Returns of25 to 300%/year

MANY PROVENMARKETS

Single-HomesBoth new construction and retrofit3 very simple installation optionsWater heating commonly accounts for 20% to 30% of total energy costsSave 20% to 35% in water heating costsInvestment Returns of10 to 50%/year

Multi-UnitResidential BuildingsApartment buildings, condos, dorms, hotelsSeveral different design optionsWater heating commonly accounts for 25% to 35% of total energy costsSave 25% to 40% in water heating costsInvestment Returns of15 to 50%/year

GreenBuild 8x10 Pstr3_Print.pdf 5/7/12 10:34:54 PM

BUILDER NEWS

32

BUILDER NEWS

Solar ReadyIt’s fitting that this edition is dedicated to future proofing. This is a concept that I have been discussing and designing into my homes for many years. Why? Because I believe that rising energy costs over the next generation will continue to make energy efficiency a greater priority for our consumers. As an industry, we continue to build ever more energy efficient homes. However, there is one major challenge that we face: our customers!

Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful for all of my customers and I hope to build for many more. It’s just that today’s consumer is much more demanding than even a few years ago. They want longer showers with multiple showerheads just like they see on the TV shows; they want their home to be uniformly cool all summer, even with that big bank of windows facing the sun. The expectation of performance is that their utility bill will go down, or at least not change, even though they continue to use their personal car wash (that’s what I call the full body wash shower) and run that AC right through the day.

At some point in our customers’ future their thoughts will change from conservation to generation. That’s where future proofing comes in. So I thought I’d share my insights on Solar Ready, the ultimate future proofing for the homes we build.

In 2007, Doug Tarry Homes was contracted by Natural Resources Canada to conduct the Solar Ready pilot project. This included writing the first Solar Ready technical specifications. Since 2007, we have continued to build all of our homes with Solar Ready design as a standard feature. In that time we have also installed several solar thermal water heating systems. In October 2012, NRCan published the revised Solar Ready Specifications.

So here’s the good news. Solar Ready is fairly easy and inexpensive to include in a home provided you put some thought into it during the design process. OK, so two storey homes can be a bit harder because of the popularity of open concept main floors even on two storey homes. It has been our experience that it costs an additional $350-$450 per home for the Solar Ready rough in.

SO WHAT IS A SOLAR READY HOME?There are two key components. First, space on the roof at a viable solar angle, and second, a conduit from mechanical room to accessible attic space. Roof orientation for solar installations is considered viable from Southeast around to West for solar thermal systems. South is most efficient for Photo Voltaic systems. Here are some important points to remember:

• The solar conduit needs to run from the mechanical room to the attic. I prefer to install two – 2” conduits, rather than one 4”. If you ever have to bend the conduit slightly, there is no give in the 4”. Also the 4” requires a 2x6 wall which may not be otherwise necessary for the home.

• It is important to avoid plumbing or mechanical runs in the dedicated location of the conduit, or it may be almost impossible to find later on. Whatever conduit type you choose, it is important that they be capped at both the top and bottom, otherwise you can have a condensation loop into your attic as well as a fire chase. I don’t trust tape as the glue will diminish over time.

• Location of the future solar hot water tank should be shown on the basement plan so that the appropriate amount of space is available. It is also good practice to show the roof elevation that the panels are intended to be installed on, so that there is appropriate space available.

D O U G TA R RY


BUILDER NEWS

33

]According to the NRCan Solar Ready guidelines, a solar domestic hot water heating system will cover about 50% of a typical home’s domestic hot water

needs of the average Canadian household, while a similar sized solar PV system would provide approximately 30% of annual household electricity used for lighting and appliance. As utility costs rise, these savings will become increasingly attractive to our customers.

One other benefit of future proofing I have noticed is customer credibility. I have heard many customers comment that if our company puts that much thought into something that they might need in the future, then the rest of the home must be just as well thought out. Perhaps the future proofing that is really taking place is that of our own business.

The Solar Ready Guidelines can be found on NRCan’s website www.canmetenergy.nrcan.gc.ca.

Reliable, customized, maRtinoHeating • air conditioning • indoor air Quality • HVac design

1-800-465-5700™

www.martinohvac.comDOUG TARRY JR., IS THE DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AT

DOUG TARRY HOMES IN ST. THOMAS , ONTARIO.

ROOF SPACE, ORIENTATION AND MOUNTING ANGLE OF SDHW

• It is not a requirement, but it is a recommended best practice that the trusses intended to carry the solar panels be designed and built with an additional 5 lb. dead load to account for the additional weight.

• Installation of panels should not be directly into the top chord of the truss. Rather it is better practice to attach scab lumber to the side of the top chord and attach into the scab.

• The existing Domestic Hot Water Heater needs to have plumbing valves and “T”s installed and an electrical outlet needs to be located beside the unit. This is to permit quick connection at the time of installation.

34

BUILDER NEWS

K A Z F L I N N A N D L A U R E N M O S T O W Y K

Helping Canadians Save Money and the Environment Scotiabank’s EcoLiving program helps Canadians discover how they can make greener choices for their homes, reduce their energy bills and save money.

“Finding ways to reduce our environmental impact is top of mind for Canadians and for us at Scotiabank,” says Kaz Flinn, Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility, Scotiabank. “We introduced the EcoLiving program to simplify the process of sustainably renovating, upgrading or retrofitting a home by providing information and resources to help Canadians get on their way.”

Launched in June 2010, the EcoLiving program has expanded to include partnerships and products alongside a comprehensive website, a yearly magazine and the EcoLiving Awards. The 2013 Awards will honour students, entrepreneurs and businesses on the leading edge of residential energy efficiency.

“The EcoLiving program provides us the opportunity to help Canadians and Scotiabank customers save money every day through changes both large and small,” says Lauren Mostowyk, Senior Manager, Environmental Programs. “We want to show Canadians that living sustainably is not only good for the environment but also for the wallet – and that a home’s aesthetics don’t have to suffer. I think our magazine and website really showcase that mandate.”

In 2012 EcoLiving partnered with the Sustainable Housing Foundation to bring energy expertise to Canadians through the online Home Energy Savings Calculator. The Calculator provides users with a customized list of upgrades using

CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

BP Excel breaks new ground

in structural insulation

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like no other product.

And it’s green — made from

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together with wheat starch.

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36

BUILDER NEWS

unique information about the user’s home. It tells users the approximate cost of each upgrade, the yearly savings and the payback period after which the project pays back the homeowner.

“Our research told us Canadians want to make green changes at home but didn’t know where to look for credible information,” continues Kaz Flinn. “Through the Calculator, our website and our magazine, EcoLiving is a one-stop shop for tips, tools and resources on how to go green at home.”

Adds Mostowyk, “We have a wonderful partner in Green Living Enterprises and they’re the experts behind the EcoLiving content. The renovation articles and photos, the round-up of products – it’s all been tested and vetted by people who know the green sector inside and out.”

Both career Corporate Social Responsibility practitioners, Flinn and Mostowyk have worked together to embed EcoLiving into the fabric of Scotiabank’s Canadian Banking operations since 2010.

Flinn, a Scotiabank employee for 15 years and the creator of the Bank’s Corporate Social Responsibility department, believes business can drive change. “Scotiabank has the ability to greatly impact the communities it serves. I’m thrilled the Bank believes – as I do – that we have a responsibility to our customers and to the planet on which we do business. EcoLiving is a great example of how Scotiabank is providing customers with value-added services and advice.”

Says Mostowyk, “I’ve always been interested in working for companies with a commitment to the environment. Choosing a career in Corporate Social Responsibility, a sector that is only going to grow, is a great way to get into the business of doing good. Directing Scotiabank’s efforts around sustainability, energy conservation and environmental protection makes me feel that I’m doing my part and helping the organization do theirs.”

To learn more about EcoLiving visit ecoliving.scotiabank.com and pick up a copy of EcoLiving Magazine at any Scotiabank branch across Canada.

www.roxul.com

Why choice renovators stand behind Roxul Insulation.Better fi t. Fewer call-backs. More satisfi ed customers.When your customers demand quality, start with the better quality insulation. Fire-resistant and water repellant, Roxul insulation is easy to work with, cuts with a serrated knife and fi ts snug without sagging. Choose Roxul ComfortBatt™ for thermal insulation of exterior walls and attics, and Roxul Safe‘n’Sound™ for soundproofi ng interior walls and ceilings to make your next renovation professional grade.

ROXUL® INSULATION

RO

X-2

355_

0612KAZ FLINN, VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY, SCOTIABANK. LAUREN MOSTOWYK, SENIOR MANAGER, ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS

“Scotiabank has the ability to greatly impact the communities it serves. I’m thrilled the Bank believes – as I do – that we have a responsibility to our customers and to the planet on which we do business. EcoLiving is a great example of how Scotiabank is providing customers with value-added services and advice.”

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34

39ISSUE 05 | SPRING 2013

PAGE TITLE

Features

www.roxul.com

Why choice renovators stand behind Roxul Insulation.Better fi t. Fewer call-backs. More satisfi ed customers.When your customers demand quality, start with the better quality insulation. Fire-resistant and water repellant, Roxul insulation is easy to work with, cuts with a serrated knife and fi ts snug without sagging. Choose Roxul ComfortBatt™ for thermal insulation of exterior walls and attics, and Roxul Safe‘n’Sound™ for soundproofi ng interior walls and ceilings to make your next renovation professional grade.

ROXUL® INSULATION

RO

X-2

355_

0612

A warmtransition

With a retail value of over $600, a Drain Water Heat Recovery unit is easy to install and helps homeowners reclaim water heat that is lost down the drain. Other bene�ts include:

Maintenance free system

Reduce water heating costs by up to 40%

Reuse heat energy which is good for the environment

For more information on the 2013 program and this limited time offer, please contact your Channel Consultant today!

Call: 1-877-736-1503 Email: [email protected]

You now have the opportunity to provide your homeowners with savings on their water heating... it’s simple and maintenance free.

* Rebate will be paid by cheque. Please allow 6 - 8 weeks for rebate processing. No rebate will be paid if builder completion form is not received by Enbridge Gas by May 31, 2013 regardless of order or installation date. Enbridge Gas is not responsible for shipping delays or loss of builder completion forms.

For a limited time, Enbridge Gas Distribution is offering builders a rebate of $100 per unit, if you order and install the unit and provide Enbridge with your �nalized builder completion form no later than May 31, 2013.*

EAQ1044_GreenBuilding_Ad_8X10.75_final.indd 1 2013-02-25 4:16 PM

34

PAGE TITLE

Features

A warmtransition

With a retail value of over $600, a Drain Water Heat Recovery unit is easy to install and helps homeowners reclaim water heat that is lost down the drain. Other bene�ts include:

Maintenance free system

Reduce water heating costs by up to 40%

Reuse heat energy which is good for the environment

For more information on the 2013 program and this limited time offer, please contact your Channel Consultant today!

Call: 1-877-736-1503 Email: [email protected]

You now have the opportunity to provide your homeowners with savings on their water heating... it’s simple and maintenance free.

* Rebate will be paid by cheque. Please allow 6 - 8 weeks for rebate processing. No rebate will be paid if builder completion form is not received by Enbridge Gas by May 31, 2013 regardless of order or installation date. Enbridge Gas is not responsible for shipping delays or loss of builder completion forms.

For a limited time, Enbridge Gas Distribution is offering builders a rebate of $100 per unit, if you order and install the unit and provide Enbridge with your �nalized builder completion form no later than May 31, 2013.*

EAQ1044_GreenBuilding_Ad_8X10.75_final.indd 1 2013-02-25 4:16 PM

Better Builder Magazine, Spring 2013

Technology

Transcript of Better Builder Magazine, Spring 2013