Through thoughtful, innovative design and construction processes, it is expected that EQuilibrium housing will help to conserve our natural resources. Building size should be optimized for intended use, materials should be specified from local and renewable resources, and construction waste should be reduced and well managed. Additionally, improving the durability of building components can reduce the consumption of resources. Water conservation is also another important element of an EQuilibrium home design.

Sustainable Materials

Maximize the use of healthy, renewable or sustainable materials, while minimizing their transportation factor.

Design the house and use construction practices which maximize use of renewable or sustainable source materials that are readily available, local, affordable and easy to build with.

Strategies:

• Re-used materials.
• Salvaged materials.
• Materials containing recycled content.
• Wood from third party certified sustainable forests.
• Rapidly renewable materials.
• Non-exotic wood species.
• Appropriate materials selected for intended use.

 Design for Durability

Reduce resource use associated with maintenance, repair and renewal work over the life of the building.

To design building assemblies with longer life expectancies to minimize the use of resources, reduce the need for early disposal and replacement. To balance the costs and benefits of durable designs and improved construction practices with lower repair costs over the lifecycle of the building.

The eventual need for building repair, rehabilitation and renewal should be taken into account at the design and materials specification phase by identifying the predicted life of major building components and by the development of a maintenance schedule, with the goal to optimize the life of building components with minimal environmental impact. Designs should combine the appropriate selection of materials and systems according to intended use, longevity and ease of maintenance.

Strategies:

• Selection of durable materials and systems according to intended use.
• Comprehensive design using best practices for moisture and air barrier design to protect materials from damage and decay.
• Design for ease of maintenance, periodic refurbishment and replacement of building systems.

Material Efficiency

To make efficient use of materials and to reduce consumption of resources through design.

Design and build appropriately sized housing optimized with respect to material use, form, function, and structure.

There is a directly proportionate link between home size and the consumption of materials and energy. Additionally, conventional construction techniques can be optimized to reduce material use through thoughtful design.

Strategies:

• Optimized house size form, function and structure.
• ptimized dimensions to minimize construction waste.
• Optimum Value Engineering (OVE) techniques.
• Advanced framing techniques.

Water Conservation

Reduce the demand for potable water.

Reduce household potable water consumption while maintaining market acceptability for strategies used.

Strategies:

• Reduction of water consumption indoors and outdoors.
• Water re-use and rain water recovery.
• Reduced site water needs: low-flush toilets, faucet aerators and low-flow showerheads.

Adaptability/Flexibility

Ensure that the project has built-in adaptability / flexibility that can respond to different occupant requirements over the life cycle of the house. To reduce the need for construction of new housing, and reduce the use of construction materials related to renovation.

Build in flexibility and adaptability that can respond to the changing needs of occupants over the life cycle of the house, thus providing savings in overall resource consumption.

Strategies:

• CMHC FlexHousing approach.
• Expandable and contractable space.
• Rentable space.

Eqilibrium Housing involves site planning and community design that reduces demand for greenfield development, protects wildlife habitat, agriculture and fisheries, promotes resource-efficient native landscaping, and considers broader community issues such as efficient transportation, reduced infrastructure, and preservation and restoration of natural features.

To reduce the environmental impact of housing generally means doing more with less, optimizing the use of land resources, minimizing the impact of construction activities on the surrounding area and watershed and reducing the release of pollutants into the land, water and air.

Land Use Planning and Landscaping

Minimize impacts from the construction and operation of housing on land, water and air as well as housing related transportation impacts.

Avoid construction on environmentally sensitive sites, greenfields and farmland. Ensure the protection of natural watersheds /ecosystems and green spaces. Encourage efficient development density and/or the selection of infill sites in proximity to existing infrastructure and community resources to minimize the need for the development of new infrastructure.

Strategies:

• Site choice (greenfield, brownfield, infill).
• Environmental sensitivity of site.
• Minimization/reduction of development impact.
• Optimization of new infrastructure, services, and transportation.
• Use of existing infrastructure, services and transportation.
• Protection of natural habitat.
• Development density.
• Community resources.
• Installation of permanent erosion controls.
• Planting trees to provide shade from sun.

Sediment and Erosion Control of Construction Site

Provide a comprehensive, integrated approach to erosion and sediment control during site preparation and construction.

Control site water runoff to minimize the potential for soil to be eroded and transport sediment and pollutants in the surface runoff to surface and ground water.

Strategies:

• Control storm water flows.
• Minimization of erosion and run-off from site during construction.
• Protect un-built land areas and trees from compaction of soil.

Storm Water Management

Minimize storm-water flows from the developed site into municipal systems and to minimize long term erosion and run-off from site.

Minimize storm water flow from the house lot serviced by municipal systems. Limit pollutants on the site that can be carried away by storm water runoff.

Storm water from large paved sites and roof areas has serious impacts on local ecosystems (oil infiltration in ground water, erosion of natural water-courses and flooding of treatment facilities) and can inundate municipal systems.

Strategies:

• Swale;
• Sub-grade infiltration pond;
• Green roof;
• Retention of storm water on site either for re-use or ground water recharge.

Waste Water Management

Reduce the burden placed on waste water systems (site based or municipal).

Reduce waste water generation, treat waste water, and reuse where possible.

Plumbing systems can be designed to separate grey water (water which contains no sewage) from black water (water which contains sewage). The water that drains from bathroom basins, tubs, showers, and laundry rooms is usually the source for grey water. Water from the kitchen is also considered grey water, but the fats, oils and greases from dishwashing makes kitchen water hard to filter, and a likely breeding ground for disease. Some new water-efficient plumbing systems include waste water treatment and recycling systems. Reducing waste water extends the life of all water treatment systems, and reduces the need to extend or repair municipal water systems.

Strategies:

• Reduction of waste water generation.
• Waste (grey and black) water treatment.
• Dual plumbing.
• Systems design.
• Water re-cycling.

Solid Waste Management

Mitigate the amount of solid waste generated by construction, occupant activities, and demolition/deconstruction.

Identify and implement practices and processes that can be deployed to prevent waste generation, recover what waste is produced, and reuse/recycle waste on site or off site.

Waste management on the construction site should be based on four R's: a review of conventional procedures; reduction in the wastes being generated; re-use of materials, and recycling of what has conventionally been seen as waste. Use of hazardous materials should be reduced or eliminated and the need for landfills reduced as much as possible. The design of housing can also accommodate composting facilities.

Strategies:

• Reduce, re-use, re-cycle.
• Divert construction and occupant generated solid waste.
• Compost.

Air Pollution Emissions

To reduce the emission of air pollutants associated with the construction and operation of housing. (Note that Green House Gas (GHG) emissions are implicitly addressed through strategies to reduce energy in Section 2.)

Minimize air pollution caused by Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC), hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC), halons, and particulate emissions from burning biomass and fossil fuels.

Chlorofluorocarbons(CFC), hydrochlorofluorocarbons(HCFCs) and halons are chemical compounds that cause damage to the earth's stratospheric ozone layer. Many air pollutants such as Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), Oxides of Sulfur (SOx), unburned Hydrocarbons (Methane, etc.,) and particulates emitted during the burning of fossil fuels have adverse local and regional environmental impacts including urban smog and acid rain. These create health risks to humans, other species, terrestrial vegetation, and marine life.

Strategies:

• Minimized fuel and electrical usage.
• High efficiency combustion appliances.
• Non-CFC based refrigerants and material production processes.

Affordability is an essential aspect of sustainable housing. Sustainable developments generally reduce the life cycle costs of their buildings and infrastructure. They are conceived as durable systems with low maintenance and operating costs that use significantly less purchased energy. Flexible and adaptable design solutions enable the home to easily and inexpensively adjust to an occupant's changing needs and capabilities, both financial and physical, over their lifetime, thus responding to the diverse dynamics of the Canadian demographic profile today, and readily adapting to the evolving needs of tomorrow.

Financing

Build a successful financial case for the EQuilibrium housing project to obtain a financial institution's support and be attractive to consumers. To demonstrate the feasibility and availability of improved mortgage financing rates.

Properly assess available financing terms and conditions, as well as sources of funding for innovative technologies related to the project. Balance the traditional financing with the financing of green development by leveraging available incentives and by building the financial case package. Demonstrate the extent to which the monthly cost to the EQuilibrium housing project consumer (principle + interest + utilities) is equal to or less than for a conventional house.

To obtain financing for a house, and for EQuilibrium housing projects to be attractive to consumers, a clear depiction of all costs is required indicating land cost and capital construction costs and any incremental capital costs incurred to achieve the EQuilibrium housing goals. Total cost must be balanced with reductions of operating cost and available incentives. Note that while the Life Cycle Cost (LCC) of a project may be more important than initial capital costs, at this point in time there is insufficient information available to accurately predict the life cycle cost of a project with any reliability over any extended period of time.

Strategies:

• Full development costs (including any incremental costs/savings to achieve EQuilibrium housing goals).
• Multiple funding sources.
• Mortgage securitization.
• Terms and conditions of financing, including minimized risks and maximized benefits.
• Detailed operational analysis of cost and available incentives, including special utility rates for buying back power.

Marketability

Ensure that the EQuilibrium Housing project is sufficiently attractive to lenders and consumers to capture market demand.

Create an EQuilibrium Housing design with architectural merits and fitting its neighborhood / community that will sell easily while its sustainable features are clearly identified.

Attractive designs that fit well within their neighbourhood will likely be easier to finance, market and sell. Initial results from the USA and elsewhere indicate that quality built zero-energy homes sell faster and for higher prices than conventionally designed and built neighbouring homes.

Strategies:

• Attractive design.
• Identification of benefits such as: security, health, and protection of the environment; reduced operating costs.
• Marketing plan with acknowledgement of features / benefits vs. perceived risk / uncertainty.

One of the primary objectives of the EQuilibrium Housing initiative is to demonstrate the capacity of housing to drastically reduce the energy load required by a home, and then to produce as much, or more, renewable energy than it consumes on an annual basis. This will be achieved by matching high-performance, energy-efficient, passive solar house design with commercially available on-site renewable energy systems such as solar water heating, photovoltaics, wind and ground-source heat. Connected to the electricity grid, these homes draw power only as needed — and can feed excess power back into the system. EQuilibrium housing also addresses two other growing concerns: peak electricity demand and lifecycle embodied energy.

Total Net Annual Energy Consumption

Construct highly energy efficient homes that produce as much or more energy than they use on an annual basis, as measured at the property site.

Achieve an EnerGuide for Houses (EGH) Rating of 100 (i.e., Net Zero Energy). Achieving this rating will require the construction of a high performance envelope, a passive solar design, application of integrated renewable energy technologies, and specification of low energy appliances, lighting and equipment.

The EGH rating used in the EQuilibrium houisng initiative is a modification of the standard EGH rating used in the EnerGuide for Houses program. This is because the EGH rating allows for reductions in base load electricity and hot water use, and may include air conditioning energy. An EGH* Rating of 100 can be achieved by designing a house that does not consume energy or produces as much energy as it consumes on an annual basis.

Strategies:

• Optimal solar orientation.
• Smaller housing units.
• Thermal insulation.
• High performance building envelope.
• Low energy HVAC.
• Passive solar heating.
• Heat storage.
• Optimized equipment power requirements.
• Integrated renewable energy technologies.
• Grid interconnection.
• Display of energy use for occupants.

Renewable Energy Strategy

Deploy and demonstrate renewable energy technologies and systems that can meet or exceed household needs in a simple and reliable manner.

Design, specify and install renewable energy systems that are cost effective, environmentally appropriate, robust, reliable and that are builder and occupant friendly.

Strategies:

• Renewable energy technology.
• Grid interconnection.
• Optimized renewable energy contribution within total energy use.
• Simplicity and reliability of approach.
• Viability with respect to ease of design, installation, operation and maintenance.
• User control and information outputs.

Peak Electricity Demand

Minimize peak electricity demand at the utility level.

Reduce electricity use during peak demand periods that usually correspond to times when the most energy is required for space conditioning and other occupant uses.

Peak electrical demand is a problem in some areas during the summer due to air-conditioning loads and limited electrical generation capacity. Winter peaks can occur in areas where electric space heating is common. Peak demands distort the ability to match generating capacity to average demands. The reduction of peak electricity demand can reduce the strain on electricity infrastructure systems, helps to limit the need for electricity imports and limits the need to construct new generation capacity.

Strategies:

• Reduction of local utility peak summer or peak winter electrical demand by low-energy lighting, appliances and equipment.
• Solar optimization.
• Window glazing selection and shading.
• Thermal mass.
• Reduction of heat and air movement through the building envelope.
• Electricity generation from renewable sources.
• Active electricity load shedding.
• Energy storage.
• Timing of demand and renewable energy supply.
• Controls.

Embodied Energy Strategy

Reduce the amount of embodied energy attributed to the construction, maintenance and eventual demolition and disposal of the building.

Select building materials with lower amounts of embodied energy. Design the house to limit energy requirements associated with materials and processes required for maintenance and renewal. Design a house that can be easily dismantled, reused and recycled at the end of its service life.

Embodied energy is the total amount of energy required to extract raw materials, process them into products and transport them to the building site. While the energy embodied in the materials and products used to construct and maintain a building over its lifecycle is small in comparison to the energy consumed to operate the building, embodied energy is an important factor to be assessed when considering the sustainability of building designs.

Strategies:

• Embodied energy reduction.
• Compact and efficient housing design.
• Use of low energy intensity materials.
• Materials with recycled content.
• Durable materials.
• Locally produced materials.

Faced with rising energy costs, a greater concern for the environment and an increased focus on the health of their families, more and more Canadians are looking for housing options that are healthy, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and less expensive to operate and maintain.

EQuilibrium Housing is a national design and demonstration initiative, which brings the private and public sectors together to develop zero impact sustainable homes in communities across the country.

EQuilibrium housing offers builders and developers across the country a powerful new approach to meet this growing demand and establish a reputation for building affordable, premium quality homes that provide for healthy communities and a clean environment.

Building Science Fundamentals 2007 is an advanced two-day seminar about optimizing building performance.  That is, designing buildings that perform as they should: efficiently and without assemblies that spall, decay, corrode, peel, blister, mold, condense water, leak air and water and otherwise annoy occupants, clients and authorities with jurisdiction.

This course is aimed at practitioners of building science, as well as property owners, building officials, building product manufacturers, HVAC designers, regulators, developers, and others involved in the building industry. A special theme of the seminar is green building.  Green buildings need to be durable and resource efficient.  An understanding of building science provides designers with a practical set of tools for meeting these goals as well as avoiding a host of common and serious uncommon problems.

The pace of this course will be unlike typical seminars.  Attendees will feel distressed, overwhelmed, energized and enlightened.  They will need coffee in the morning and extra sleep in the evening.  And then there will be day two.  Brace yourselves...

Los Angeles: June 26-27, Toronto: July 10-11, Philadelphia: July 17-18, Houston: Sept 25-26, Chicago: Oct 16-17, Seattle: Oct 23-24, Orlando: Nov 6-7, Vancouver: Nov 13-14

 

Please see the seminar website for more information: www.buildingscienceseminars.com.

Canadian provinces have now notified gas certificate holders on the date they plan to adopt the 2007 Supplement to the national Natural Gas and Propane Installation Code (CSA B149-1S1-07).  This supplement will require that all plastic vent piping to be certified to ULC S636 “Standard for Type BH Gas Venting Systems”.   The code change affects all new natural gas and propane appliance installations and replacement installations.  The code change is not retroactive so existing appliances and their plastic venting systems will not require action until replacement is required.

IPEX Inc. (currently the only manufacturer of ULC S636 compliant venting systems) provided clarification on the joining of vent materials made from different thermoplastics. IPEX confirmed that it offers a listed solvent cement for transitioning between PVC, CPVC and ABS materials. This cement is offered in order to adapt listed vent materials to the various appliance connectors on the market. IPEX also confirmed it will undertake to revise its installation instructions in order to minimize discrepancies between its venting systems manual and the appliance manufacturers’ installation guides.    

Windows and exterior doors are subject to the wear and tear that comes from constant use and exposure to the weather. Over time, weatherstripping, hardware and the door and frame materials can deteriorate or fail. Homeowners can either repair or replace window or door units. Repairs can be inexpensive, but may not give good long-term results. Replacement is generally costly, but will provide cost savings in energy use, make your house more comfortable and add to the resale value.

There are a number of factors to consider before making the decision about whether your windows or doors need to be replaced or whether they can simply be repaired.

Some important areas that you will want to consider include:

• Style and design — your existing windows and doors may not fit the style of your house or give you the features that you want. There may not be enough glass area to provide adequate natural lighting to the living space.
• Components and hardware — the components of windows and doors wear out over time. Failed seals on thermal pane window units, poorly operating windows or doors, damaged screens or hardware and air leaks are common problems. Older door and window hardware may not offer much protection against forced entry.
• Structural problems — there may be structural problems that are affecting the operation of doors and windows. Installation of larger units or units in new locations will probably also require structural changes.
• Moisture — windows and doors often deteriorate due to moisture problems, which will not necessarily go away if you install new units. In fact, moisture may even get worse, due to reduced air leakage.
• Heating and ventilation — the glass area of windows and doors accounts for a high degree of heat loss at night or heat gain when the sun is shining. Energy efficient glazing can reduce heat loss. Heating system modifications or some type of shading may be needed to improve comfort near large window areas.

Windows are an important component of a home. In addition to enhancing the esthetic beauty of the house, windows can provide fresh air and ventilation to the home, allow daylighting to brighten interior spaces and keep out harsh outdoor elements (wind, rain, snow).

Buying new windows can be a daunting task, especially for the uninitiated. Knowing the type of window best suited for your home and geographic location can help you choose a window that reduces direct drafts from air leakage and the potential for damage from water leaks. It’s important to understand how windows perform with respect to these factors. Equally important, knowing what to look for in a window can help you avoid buying something you don’t need.

Windows must be carefully selected to meet your needs. They must be suitable for resisting certain environmental exposures (such as rain and wind) and be within your budget. It takes care for the average homeowner and many professionals to make the best selection.

All windows sold in Canada must be evaluated for three key performance criteria, commonly referred to as the A-B-C window ratings.

A — airtightness (levels A1 to A3)

B — water resistance (levels B1 to B7)

C — wind resistance (levels C1 to C5)

Generally speaking, the higher the numbers, the better the window performance. Choose a rating level that satisfies the environmental conditions of your home. Determine if any of the voluntary performance criteria are required for your window(s) and if they meet the required standards.

For further assistance, speak with a qualified window specialist. Many window manufacturers may choose to have their products evaluated by an independent authority. In Canada, it is either The Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).

Chinch bug Causes yellow patches on grass — can cause grass to turn brown and die.

Control Methods 

• Big-eyed bug, tiny wasp and praying mantis are natural predators of chinch bugs.
• Put 30 ml of dishwashing soap in seven litres of water and drench a small area of the lawn. Place a flannel sheet on the treated area and wait 10 – 15 minutes. Chinch bugs will crawl to the surface to escape the soapy water and climb on to the sheet, where they are trapped. Vacuum them or drown them in a bucket of water.
• If needed, aerate compacted areas and remove excess thatch.

 

White grub - Feeds on roots of grass, causing lawns to wilt and turn brown

Control Method

• Nematodes diluted in water and applied to your lawn in late summer may also be effective.
• Larkspur and geraniums may be toxic to the grubs.
• Choose resistant varieties, such as some fescues.
• If needed, aerate compacted areas and remove excess thatch.