SAB Homes News - Issue 03
Renewable Energy Retirement Savings Plan – FIT
Revenues from the Ontario Feed-in Tariff Program – FIT – have the potential of becoming a homeowner’s retirement savings plan. As Ontario’s nuclear plants are nearing the end of their life and as electrical demand increases at a rate of 2% a year, Ontario has created its Green Energy Act. The intent is to generate renewable sources of power from biomass, solar photovoltaic [PV], wind and waterpower.
The success of the program depends on homeowners, farmers, school boards and other investors to carry the cost of providing this much need replacement power. The program is divided into two streams, known as microFIT: for projects less than 10 kw, such as using your home’s roof to make electricity, and the FIT program: for large projects of greater than 10 kw, such as using flat commercial building roofs and poor quality agricultural land for large PV installations.
At the present the solar PV program, with its 20 year contract, is drawing the most interest, partially because of payments of up to 80.2 cents per kw. As profitable as this sounds, the payback period is 6 to 10 years based on various factors. The overall payback period is extended when including maintenance costs and income tax on revenues. However, the installation will apparently not raise property taxes, because the equipment can be removed. Materials and labour have to be 40% Ontario content until 2011, and 60% afterwards.
Overall cost of installation is estimated roughly at $10,000/kw capacity, which translates to an area of 100 sq. ft. [9.3 sq.m], and an average return of $1000/year. Greater profits of 17% are achieved when snow and ice are removed each morning and performance increases another 13% with a full sun tracking system resulting in an estimated $300/year extra in returns.
Though in the short term the program will not replace existing plants, it should satisfy annual growth in energy needs and, therefore, prevent further expansion of nuclear and coal plants. There is some debate around the cost of this solution, however, when compared to building and maintaining a nuclear plant, this may be a bargain.
Info: microfit.powerauthority.on.ca
Federal Government suspends Eco-Energy Retrofit Homes Program
The federal government suspension of the Eco-Energy Retrofit Homes Program caught contractors and home owners by surprise. By means of email, providers for the program were given four hours to submit applications that were in the works and as a result many consumers were short changed. Cancellation is making energy-efficient upgrades less accessible, and will probably put several hundred energy auditors out of work. The Ontario government, was matching the Federal government’s investment in the program, but has not yet made comment whether they too will discontinue their funding.
2010 SAB awards recognize “ game changer ” buildings
Eight leading-edge green buildings from Ontario, Manitoba and BC received 2010 SAB Awards – the Canadian Green Building Awards – offered through Sustainable Architecture & Building magazine [SABMag and SAB Homes]. The seven commercial/institutional buildings, and one new infill home, were chosen by a jury of three distinguished architects based on criteria of sustainable design, architectural excellence and technical innovation.
The jury described several of the projects as “game-changers” and “transformational” in the influence they will have in changing buildings in Canada to use less energy, conserve water, have healthier interiors for occupants, and be architecturally beautiful to live and work in. The winning home, Cascade House in Toronto, uses simple ideas such as orienting the sun to take advantage of passive solar heating, a dark slate wall to absorb and hold heat, and a superior envelope to save energy winter and summer.
Special thanks to our SAB Awards Sponsors: Autodesk Canada, the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association, Canam, and Lafarge. The SAB Awards is an annual program intended to advance knowledge and practice of sustainable non-residential and residential building design in Canada.
Visit www.sabmagazine.com for details, and watch for more on the Cascade House in the Fall issue of SAB Homes.
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Cascade House - SAB Award winner |
Nova Scotia home achieves highest LEED rating in Maritimes
The house of John and Lori Bullard has recently been awarded LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] Platinum, the first in Atlantic Canada, by achieving 96 of a maximum 130 points. The house has two wings separated by a transparent, light-filled entry area. When not in use the extended family wing can be closed off to conserve energy. Conceived by Solterre Design the Bullard House is held to the highest green design standards.
Info: www.solterre.com/philosophy.php
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Bullard House |
Canadian Passive House website now online
The new Canadian Passive House Institute website: www.passivehouse.ca, is now online. With the support of the Passivhaus Institut in Darmstadt, Germany, Malcolm Isaacs, P.Eng. of the Canadian Institute offers project certification and training to Canadian building professionals and their clients. The web site covers the Passive House concept and technical papers; FAQs; construction photos, assemblies and components; Canadian projects and others from overseas; upcoming training courses; and design software.
The Passive House concept, which allows designers and builders to reduce energy demand in new or existing buildings by around 90%, is fast becoming recognized worldwide as the basis for any kind of truly sustainable house construction.
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LEED Canada for Homes program continues to grow with new Providers in Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia
The LEED Canada for Homes program was launched in 2009 and has continued to grow quickly. The program now has registered projects in almost every province and one territory. To help projects get the local assistance they need, the Canada Green Building Council [CaGBC] is expanding the Provider network.
LEED Canada for Homes Providers are the network of independent businesses that verify that a home meets LEED for Homes criteria. Providers employ inspectors or raters who actually visit the building site to perform the verification.
Four new Providers have been selected in Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Wolfville, NS. These new Providers will work directly with project teams including homebuilders, developers, architects, and organizations aiming to build LEED Certified homes. Visit the LEED Canada for Homes page at cagbc.org for more information about the program and to see the names of the selected firms.
World’s smallest sustainable house aims to solve housing shortage
Nano, the world’s smallest house developed in Switzerland, has big hopes to solve the world’s rapidly increasing global housing problems. The Nano house measures 25 sq.m and can comfortably accommodate a family of four. With its creative design, the house has the ability to transform itself from a livable workplace during the day to providing two private comfortable bedrooms during the night. The Nano uses passive solar energy, which is completely free, non-polluting, and renewable. The Nano house can be assembled in a few hours, thereby making it perfect to use after a catastrophe. Bridge Development has a mission to solve the housing problem around the world.
Info: nathalie@spika.ch
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Home Sweet Home Competition – Ontario
The Home Sweet Home Competition is a new Ontario-wide annual competition developed by OntarioGreenSpec.ca, with the help of over 30 green building practitioners, producers, academics, and sponsors. It has two streams:
The Competition
Open to anyone building a house in Ontario, including architects, builders, trades people, renovators, suppliers, homeowners, etc. Entrants may submit their home in one of four home categories: Production, Custom, Affordable and Renovated. Registration opened April 22nd 2010. It will recognize one winner annually in each of the four categories.
The Student Challenge
Will be launched as a pilot in August 2010. It will award prizes to postsecondary students for their written research projects according to defined categories.
Info: www.hshcompetition.ca
SAB Homes News - Issue 02
CaGBC launches LEED™ Canada Homes
NEW GREEN HOME RATING SYSTEM PROVIDES HEALTH AND COST BENEFITS
The Canada Green Building Council [CaGBC] launched the new LEED™ Canada for Homes rating system on March 3 with tours of two new LEED-candidate homes in Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg. »read more
SAB Awards to recognize Canadian homes
The SAB Awards, the Canadian Green Building Awards, hosted by sister magazines, SABMag [Sustainable Architecture & Building] and SAB Homes will award Canadian sustainably-designed buildings and houses in 2010. The SAB Awards began in 2008, and the 2010 edition will expand by including sustainably-designed houses as a separate category. Submission deadline is April 9, 2010.
Registration [without obligation] is open now at:
www.sabmagazine.com, and go to the Awards section.
Info: 1-800-520-6281, ext. 304
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Government of Canada launches new sustainable communities initiative
The Government of Canada has launched the $4.2- million, EQuilibriumTM Communities Initiative that will seek to improve community planning and develop healthy sustainable communities that are energy-efficient, economically viable and vibrant places to live. It will provide financial, technical and promotional assistance to sustainable community projects chosen through a national competition. The chosen communities will integrate sustainable housing, infrastructure and land-use planning to help Canadians balance their housing needs with those of the natural environment to have audits started.
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Green Realtors changing the real estate landscape
Savvy purchasers are beginning to seek realtors with specific expertise in sustainable home building. It used to be consumers would choose a realtor based on neighbourhood expertise or word of mouth. Now, realtors are increasingly helping clients understand the value of high-performance healthy housing and making sense of high-performance standards such as LEED, EnergyStar and EnerGuide. In this spirit, builder Cadorin Homes launched a luxury LEED-registered development in North Toronto in conjunction with a Green Realtor Challenge to find realtors who could communicate the value of sustainable homes to the marketplace. The winning realtors were: Marc Paillé of Bosley Real Estate; the Bosley Real Estate “Green Team” of Elspeth Sinclair, Pat Laughren and Carolyn Marit; and Ryan Coyle of Remax Unique.
See theteamgoesgreen.com on how realtors are marketing sustainable housing in Toronto.
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Canadian concept homes place in Solar Decathalon
Solar-powered concept homes by two Canadian teams have placed in the 2009 Solar Decathlon, a biannual international competition in which 20 college and university teams from around the world compete to design, build, and operate the most attractive, energy-efficient 800sq ft solar-powered houses. The houses were exhibited for two weeks on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Team North, consisting of faculty and students from University of Waterloo, Ryerson University and Simon Fraser University, placed 4th with the NorthHouse, which makes use of the latest in high-performance architecture and mobile communications. Team Alberta, a collaboration of the University of Calgary, SAIT Polytechnic, Alberta College of Art + Design and Mount Royal College, placed 6th with its SolAbode house inspired by the landscape of Alberta.
Info: www.solardecathlon.org
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The North House |
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Green Restorations
This new book published by BC-based New Society Publishers is a first-of-its kind guide to restoring historic buildings using green materials and practices. It covers the many issues of home restoration in an accessible room-by-room format, covering rehabilitation and remodelling questions. With numerous colour photos, it’s written to be accessible by homeowners but technical enough for contractors.
288 pages, paperback, $37.95, ISBN 978-0-86571-640-7
Info: ginny@newsociety.com
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New book! |
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Green Product Directory
Visit www.sabmagazine.com for listings of products suitable for sustainable building, and which are available in Canada. Just go the Directory section of the site where products are arranged by Product Category and by LEED Category. If you’re a manufacturer or supplier and want your product listed, information is available for that in the directory as well, or contact dgriffith@sabmagazine.com
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Competition launched for Ontario Home Sweet Home
The Home Sweet Home Competition is Ontario's newest green home competition, officially launched December 2 at the National Green Building Conference (Construct Canada). Hosted by OntarioGreenSpec.ca, the competition is about recognizing and awarding the teams, including builders, architects, landscapers, trades people, suppliers, and everyone else, that build Ontario’s Sweetest homes in the following categories: Production; Affordable; Custom and Renovated.
WHAT'S A SWEET HOME?
Healthy and Comfortable
A tight building envelope and other design features that ensure a comfortable, steady temperature, with fresh air and no drafts.
Efficient and Economical
Durable products and quality workmanship that increase energy, water, and materials efficiency, resulting in lower monthly bills.
Ethical
Technologies and designs that conserve habitat, water, and energy, and reduce waste and pollution.
Info: www.mi-group.ca
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SAB Homes is a happy media partner of The Home Sweet Home Competition. Watch for more news. |
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Sustainable Buildings Training Centre to open near Ottawa
Homesol Building Solutions, a building consulting company near Ottawa, has partnered with Owens Corning to open the LivelyUp Sustainable Buildings Training Centre to serve home building companies, architects and independent contractors - all those interested in green building in Canada.
Homesol President Ross Elliott has over 25 years of experience providing affordable, energy efficient building solutions to Ontario’s top building companies, such as Ottawa's Urbandale - and over 30 others. His goal is to help builders and contractors construct sustainable homes that are of real benefit to our earth and to homeowners.
Info: www.homesolbuildingsolutions.com
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Training centrer under construction TOP OF PAGE |
Ottawa builders hand out special awards
The Greater Ottawa Home Builders Association gave out four awards to local builders and architects in September as part of its 2009 Housing Design Awards. The Awards recognize building projects that demonstrate leadership in the implementation of green building and/or outstanding environmental and energy performance.
THE WINNING PROJECTS WERE:
Green Home of the Year: Linda Chapman Architect with Engel Construction Inc.
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This 2800 s.f. house was designed using Hot 2000 energy modeling software and R2000 insulation standards. The blower door test revealed an Energy Star rating of 89.
Sustainable features for this house include the insulated concrete form walls, hot water radiant heated floor, and HVAC system powered by a closed loop geothermal heat pump. The fully automated HVAC system has 6 thermostats for 6 separate zones. All appliances are energy star. All framing lumber is engineered minimizing cut-off waste. All on-site construction waste was recycled – plastic, cardboard, paper products, etc. Finished floors are engineered cherry.
All toilets are dual flush. All shower heads and faucets are low flow. No landscape irrigation system is used as a drought tolerant landscape was installed. The turf is an artificial grass made from 100% recycled plastic. Perennials are planted in washed river stone enclaves.
Low VOC paints were used throughout. No carpets are used. Flooring is either engineered hardwood or ceramic or natural stone tile. A high efficiency HRV is used and the bathrooms and kitchen have additional separate exhaust fans. The fireplace is an energy star sealed unit. The location of all operable windows has been made to maximize natural cross ventilation.
A 60-year-old bungalow was removed and recycled from the site to a new owner. The existing concrete basement was removed and crushed for use as recycled backfill. The existing excavation of the house was used for the new basement – minimizing additional excavation and protecting existing trees on the site.
Green LEED Home of the Year: Minto Communities Inc.
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The Minto EcoHome is a “net-zero” home, meaning it produces as much energy as it consumes, while also demonstrating advanced building technologies affecting energy conservation, health, resource conservation, renewable energy and water conservation.
Energy Conservation - Double-wall construction, with double the insulation, and a highly insulated roof, offer superior energy efficiency. Also, the triple-pane windows filled with low-E argon, are air tight and well insulated.
All light bulbs are CFL or LED, and the stove and dryer are powered by natural gas. We have also provided an “All-Off” switch with green outlets, so that any appliance plugged into the dedicated green outlets can be all turned off at once.
Health – Chemical off-gassing is reduced by using low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints, glues and finishes. Inspiration has also been designed to promote cross-ventilation and convection, which creates a more comfortable environment, eliminating the need for air conditioning. Also, an indoor air filtration system reduces indoor air pollution for cleaner, safer breathing.
Resource Conservation – Inspiration utilizes CMHC’s FlexHousing™ principles, with long floor spans that allow for open concept planning. This means that you can change the floorplan over time, to accommodate changes in lifestyle. Bamboo, a rapidly newable material, has been used throughout the home for flooring and millwork. In the cabinetry in the kitchen, we have also provided a recycling centre.
Renewable Energy – Slate floors have been installed because they passively absorb the sun’s energy and radiate warmth throughout the night. Inspiration also includes a solar air heating system that preheats incoming fresh air with the sun’s rays. A solar heating system heats water for cooking, bathing and warming the home, and Photovoltaic Solar Panels produce electricity to be sold back to the power grid!
Water Conservation – Rainwater is collected and stored in a 550 gallon tank to use for watering the lawn, and in toilets. Low-flow plumbing fixtures have also been installed throughout the home.
Attractive, livable and environmentally friendly, Inspiration - the Minto EcoHome is an example of how innovation and intelligent design can combine to produce inspired solutions to our greatest environmental challenges.
Green Renovation of the Year [a tie):
Amsted Construction Ltd.
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Love of cooking and gardening were big factors behind this renovation which makes a chef’s kitchen the focal point for everyday living and casual entertaining in a setting which melds house and garden.
A new garden room expands the informal sitting and dining area while providing great views of the outdoors. Terrace doors and a deck lead to a new flagstone terrace which is nestled under the shade of existing mature trees.
The exterior of the house has been re-clad using a mixture of Jaune Marble and Covey Hill Ledgerock with acrylic stucco above. The designer and contractor worked closely together to achieve an improved Energy Guide Rating from 57 to 80 through adding an HRV and improving air tightness and insulation. This brought the energy performance to the equivalent of an Energy Star rating while achieving a whole new class of look.
The original open carport was replaced with a closed garage and bike shed, more in keeping with the styling of the house. Overhead trellises connect the house and garage integrating an unobtrusive canopy over the side door while providing a great support for future rambling greenery.
Inside, oak flooring, window trims and detailing duplicate the existing to ensure a seamless integration of new and old. However, the kitchen uses an eclectic approach which allows the integration of furniture like elements finished in sapelle pommelle and jade toned oak with simpler shaker cabinet doors having book-matched sycamore veneer panels.
Christopher Simmonds Arhcitect Inc. with RND Construction Ltd.
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Our client took possession of their new home in 2001 and immediately began plans to restore the home to its once prominent appearance. As an artist and avid environmentalist, both characteristics were critical factors that tempered the renovation. The mandate for using renewable, recyclable, environmentally healthy and eco-friendly products was determined at the projects outset. Every aspect of traditional construction methods and materials were challenged in order to achieve the greatest energy efficiency and environmentally conscience of homes.
The ultimate goals of the renovation were to lower home operating costs, minimize maintenance to and on the home, increasing the comfort level within the home while being environmentally cognizant. The overall operating cost were lowered by choosing energy efficient appliances, replacing outdated windows and the furnace with a high efficiency unit, incorporating solar powder and using water conserving plumbing fixtures, appliances and landscaping features. Specialized building materials and construction techniques were utilized to minimize maintenance. Air quality, temperature control and ventilation were also improved. The overall environmental impact was considered in decisions to use a renewable energy provider (Bullfrog Energy), selecting materials and products for the home that are durable, contain fewer chemicals, and sourced from local or sustainable sources and incorporating recycled/ reclaimed materials where possible to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill. All environmental initiatives were accomplished while maintaining the artistic vision; making their home into an eco-friendly showcase.
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SAB Homes | Selected Products from CMX-CIPHEX Show - Issue 03
Canada’s National Trade Show & Learning Forum for the air conditioning, heating [forced air and hydronic], hearth, plumbing, piping, refrigeration and ventilation industries.
Info: www.cmxciphexshow.com
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Rainwater harvesting
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Water heater works with surrounding air
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Mitsubishi Zuba wall mount heat pumps Designed for Canada's environment, Zuba-Central replaces traditional means of heating and cooling with one quiet, compact, highly efficient, ducted system that can save space and significant annual energy costs. Thanks to features like H^2 i technology, Zuba-Central is capable of heating efficiently down to -30°C and beyond. Zuba-Central is an energy-efficient heat pump that can be up to 319% more efficient than traditional electric furnaces and baseboard heaters. It consists of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, with two small refrigerant pipes connecting between. Working like an air conditioner on warm days, the pump will extract heat from inside and transfer it outdoors. Conversely, on cold days the pump will flow heat energy into the home from the outside. Info: www.zuba-central.ca |
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Smart thermostat offers remote control
Info: www.ecobee.com |
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In-floor and forced air make new heating combo
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Hybrid water heater offers high efficiency
Info: klaurette@hotwater.com |
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Ceiling fans energy-efficient and quiet
Info: ventilation@ca or panasonic.com |
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Solar controls in a box
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Knockonwood: radiators made of wood
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World’s least water-use toilet
Info: www.watermatrix.com |
SAB Homes Products - Issue 03
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Glass countertops 100% recyclable
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Facing product looks like natural stone
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Reusable ceramic tile
Info: www.snapstone.com |
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Recycled leather flooring
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SAB Homes Products - Issue 02
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Composting toilet goes foamy
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