1. PUBLICATIONNUMBER42408014
INSIDE
Greyter Water Systems
Water as Energy
Optimizing Winter Humidity
Drainage Layers and Durability
RESNET’s New HERSH2O Scale
Saving Water Makes Sense
ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
TheWaterIssueWASTE NOT, WANT NOT

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3. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
16
1
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
2
Does the Well Run Deep?
by John Godden
THE BADA TEST
3
Water as Energy
We need to respect this
valuable resource now more
than ever
by Lou Bada
INDUSTRY EXPERT
5
Optimizing Winter Humidity
and Water Use
by Gord Cooke
INDUSTRY NEWS
8
Building Codes Are the
Building Blocks for Healthy
Communities
by Paul De Berardis
BUILDER NEWS
13
It’s ‘Plane’ to See
Drainage layers add to durability
by Better Builder Staff
SITE SPECIFIC
24
Greyter Gets Even Better
Bringing water management
solutions to new homes
by Alex Newman
BUILDER NEWS
28
Hell or High Water
RESNET’s new HERSH2O scale
has come to Canada
by Rob Blackstien
FROM THE GROUND UP
30
Go With the Flow, Saving
Water Makes Sense
by Doug Tarry
FEATURE STORY
16
Shades of Grey
With water conservation becoming a growing concern, Greyter’s residential
recycling solution is poised for prime time.
by Rob Blackstien
21
ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
On our cover Shutterstock 107191976 © V. Burdiak
Images internally supplied unless otherwise credited.
5
13

4. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
Does the Well
Run Deep?
2
PUBLISHER
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PUBLICATION NUMBER
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W
e all know that a warming global atmosphere causes more evaporation
and makes more water available for precipitation. This can lead
to heavier rains and risks of flooding in some areas and drought
in others. Recently, Australia saw the worst of those extremes: a fire-ravaged
landscape was immediately hit by heavy rainstorms and flooding.
Water is the basis of all life. The big question is: will we have enough when we
need it or too much when we don’t? And, in order to maintain that balance, how
much is water management costing us?
Treating freshwater and sanitary outflows is becoming more expensive as
infrastructure and operating costs continue to increase. For example, water-
related fees make up about 20% of development charges in Toronto, where
moving water from treatment plants to end-use consumers accounts for 35%
of the city’s electricity bill. And of course, these costs are passed down to the
consumer: the Fraser Institute released a report on water costs across 33 Ontario
cities where the average fees were $800 annually. The average rate increase was
3.8% from 2005 to 2015. In Toronto, the average water bill climbed to $989 for
most people in 2018.
This issue’s feature is a North American first. Geranium Homes, with the
help of Greyter Water Systems, is building the first subdivision with greywater
recycling, standard in 22 homes (page 21). Water savings will be verified and
labelled with the HERSH2O water scale under a pilot program (read more about
the HERSH2O scale on page 28).
Almost all municipal overreach has demanded some form of water efficiency,
but Paul De Berardis stresses that local programs and policies must be “in
sync” with federal ones (page 8). Meanwhile, Lou Bada underscores that codes
and standards – not government programs – are the way to approach any
conservation initiative (page 3).
In evaluating water efficiency measures, Gord Cooke, an expert on
ventilation, outlines a process for using a home’s airtightness and mechanical
system choices to optimize comfort by maintaining relative humidity in the
winter (page 5). Meanwhile, Doug Tarry outlines his experience with water-
saving strategies (page 30). Following Doug’s advice can reduce household
consumption by up to 30% and help to accommodate increased demand for
water when we need it.
The old saying “All’s well that ends well,” popularized by William Shakespeare
around 1601, suggests that we can relax as tension has been resolved. But we
can also think of a “well” in terms of our water supply. Water scarcity may be a
growing concern – both for cost and supply – if we don’t save it now for later use.
We need to take steps now to ensure that all’s well that ends well. BB
publisher’snote / JOHN GODDEN

5. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
I
’ve always viewed the subject of
water as one of the greatest and
most interesting paradoxes (maybe
because I’m a Pisces).
For instance, while water is
essential and sustains life, floods are
dangerous and can end life. Water
extinguishes fire, which is made up of
forms of energy (light and heat) – but
water can create hydroelectric energy.
Water can also store energy and
release it in the form of heat. Water
and energy are inexorably linked.
In a sustainable future, water
must be revered and respected.
Energy is required to treat clean
water, move it and re-treat it. As such,
the energy consumed must also be
used efficiently. Water must also be
restrained where it can cause damage
inside and outside our homes.
I am often baffled by the building
regulations and programs put in place
to close up every little gap in a building
envelope to conserve energy while
whistling past the obvious holes in
the leaky water buckets we call our
homes. We boast about the building
details that allowed us to achieve 0.2
air changes per hour, yet we unneces­
sarily flush thousands of litres of
clean drinking water down our toilets
every year in every home in Canada.
We want water in our homes to
be plentiful, continuous and hot on
demand, but we don’t give it a second
thought when we waste it. It must
just fall from the sky. Oh yes, it does
– just too much or too little or at the
wrong times.
If you’ve read any of my previous
articles, it should come as no surprise
that I’ve mentioned government
regulations and programs before.
Although regulations are necessary
to a degree and programs can be
made to work, both all too often
fail or have unintended consequences.
The model National Building
Code of Canada (NBC) has regulatory
proposals it is considering to further
ratchet up the regulations for
airtightness in new homes. In my
opinion, we are reaching the point of
diminishing returns on this matter.
Insofar as programs are concerned,
there was, and to some degree still is,
a program in York Region called the
Servicing Incentive Program (SIP).
By following a checklist of more or
less usefulness, developers can aim
for reductions in energy, water usage
and stormwater runoff, which can
result in increased water and sewage
allocation being awarded to a low-rise
development. (And in case you didn’t
know, water and sewage allocation
are scarce and of the utmost value for
developers.)
One major shortcoming of the SIP is
that it relies on another ever-changing
program: ENERGY STAR for New Homes
(ESNH), within an outdated and poorly
thought-out checklist. Without delving
into the diminishing returns of ESNH
(which is driving the above-mentioned
air-barrier regulation changes for the
NBC), the checklist became outdated
by the time its ink was dry. For
example, amongst other measures,
dual-flush toilets were supplanted by
low-flush toilets, and low-flow faucets
became standard in the industry.
The SIP had a rational thought
behind it, though: reduce water
usage and get more water and sewage
allocation. The problem lay in the
manner in which the program was
developed – or, more precisely, the
nature of some programs.
To be successful, programs need
to be rational, predictable, stable
and implementable, and they need
to have a value proposition. This can
be better accomplished if we were to
rely upon recognized standards (e.g.,
ANSI or ASHRAE) rather than relying
on compounding programs and static
checklists to assess the program and
measure the results. The costs and
benefits can be better understood and
trade-offs better calibrated. Results are
what matter most.
It is my understanding that there
are more rational standards being
developed for measuring water
consumption in homes that will
hopefully enable us to address water
and energy consumption in a more
holistic way. Only then can we begin
to take measures that are actually
meaningful and take care of the very
precious resource we’ve taken for
granted for far too long. BB
Lou Bada is vice-
president of low-rise
construction at Starlane
Home Corporation
and on the board of
directors for the Residential Construction
Council of Ontario (RESCON).
3
thebadatest / LOU BADA
Water as Energy
We Need to Respect This Valuable Resource
Now More than Ever
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6. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 202044
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7. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
There are a number of concerns
with this approach, not the least of
which is the inadequacy of many
humidity sensors to provide consis­
tent, repeatable indications of RH
levels. However, for the purposes of
this article, let’s focus on minimizing
the use and waste of precious water
to provide comfortable levels of
indoor humidity throughout the cold
winter weather.
Let’s quickly recall that there is
lots of literature available to you and
your customers about appropriate
humidity levels. Levels that are too
low result in dry skin, sore throats,
increased thirst and static electricity.
In addition, some building materials,
such as hardwood floors, are
susceptible to low humidity levels and
require careful humidity control so as
to avoid damage. Levels that are too
high may lead to excessive window
condensation, swelling of hardwood
and even mould. Most experts would
say a healthy, comfortable humidity
range is 40% to 60% – but that range is
too simplistic for Canadian homes. A
more accurate and helpful approach
would be 35% to 45% in winter and
50% to 60% in summer. Indeed, better
yet, state it as 40% (+/- 5%) in winter
and 55% (+/- 5%) in summer to reflect
the accuracy range of most humidity
meters (hygrometers).
Then, it is important to remember
that moisture in houses is generated by
the occupants and their activities and
by moisture released from the building
materials. Moisture is removed from a
house by mechanical ventilation and
natural air infiltration (air leakage).
Stated another way, raising moisture
levels in an otherwise dry house could
be accomplished by tightening up the
house to reduce air leakage, reducing
the drying impact of ventilation rates or
increasing moisture production inside
the house (e.g., adding a humidifier).
From a building science and overall
air quality perspective, tighter envelopes
with controlled ventilation would be
preferable to requiring large humidifi­
cation capacity and uncontrolled air
leakage. That said, the lifestyles of some
occupants is such that they do not
generate enough moisture to sustain
comfort levels – small families in very
large homes, occupants who are home
infrequently or occupants whose
lifestyles include limited cooking or
other moisture production at home.
In cases where supplemental
humidification is required, mechanical
contractors have the responsibility
to ensure systems are properly sized
and installed to eliminate potential
5
industryexpert / GORD COOKE
Optimizing Winter Humidity
and Water Use
Remember that moisture
in houses is generated
by the occupants and
their activities and by
moisture released from
the building materials.
195054533/SHUTTERSTOCK
I
was recently asked to resolve a humidity issue in a brand new, three-storey
Toronto townhome. The home owner was trying to achieve an indoor relative
humidity (RH) level of 45% in the winter.
In order to do so, they had overridden the water control valve on their flow-
through humidifier to crank up the water flow. The drain pan would overflow,
the plumber would be asked to fix the “leak,” they would turn down the valve, the
customer would complain that the RH level on their “smart” thermostat was less
than 45% and the cycle would continue.

8. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 20206
issues related to the task of adding
moisture to air. The amount of
humidification required is always
a function of the air change rate –
the combination of both natural
leakage and mechanical ventilation
at design conditions minus the
amount of moisture generated by
the occupants and the building.
Unfortunately, the only known
quantity of these four variables is the
mechanical ventilation. Calculating
the moisture required to replace
that which is lost via mechanical
ventilation is quite straightforward
using a psychrometric chart. At right
(Table 1) are examples of calculation
results for two different outside
conditions, to replace the moisture
loss per 75 CFM of mechanical
ventilation from indoor air conditions
at 20°C and 40% RH.
It should be obvious to regular
readers that if the 75 CFM of
mechanical ventilation noted above
was provided by an energy recovery
ventilator (ERV) rather than a heat
recovery ventilator (HRV), the
humidification capacity required
would be cut by the latent moisture
recovery rate of the ERV core. For
example, the commonly available
vänEE 65E ERV has a moisture transfer
effectiveness of 0.51 at –25°C. Thus in
the example above, the 4.7 gallons per
day could be cut to roughly 2.3 gallons
per day – a simple, effective way to
reduce water use.
Predicting natural ventilation
rates or infiltration at design
conditions is more difficult. Air
leakage in buildings is a function of
the size and location of holes in the
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TABLE 1
OUTSIDE CONDITIONS HUMIDIFICATION CAPACITY REQUIRED
0°C, 100% RH (raining or snowing) 0.68 lbs per hour or 1.95 gallons per day
–20°C, 50% RH 1.65 lbs per hour or 4.7 gallons per day

9. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
that 35% to 45% is an appropriate
comfort range.
2 Next, ensure the ventilation
system is balanced at the required
ventilation rate and switch to an
ERV to cut water needs due to
ventilation in half or more.
3 Always build tighter homes.
4 If you do choose to install a
humidifier, use the actual
airtightness and ventilation rates
to properly size it. This is especially
important in large homes, where
the cost of large steam humidifiers
and associated electrical capacity is
significant.
5 Finally, choose systems that have
good water flow controls that adjust
humidity settings based on outside
temperature, thereby reducing
window condensation potential.
This technology is now built into
many new high-end thermostats
that use an outdoor temperature
sensor for many of their control
functions.
Implementing these strategies will
simultaneously provide tighter control
of RH levels, reduce the required
capacity of humidification equipment
and minimize the waste of water. BB
Gord Cooke is
president of Building
Knowledge Canada.
building envelope as well as wind
and “stack” pressures affected by
the size and height of the building.
There is lots of data on the average
airtightness or blower door results of
Canadian houses of different styles
and ages, and most professional
builders reading this article will be
or should be blower door testing
their homes. However, determining
the actual air exchange rates of an
individual house on a specific winter
day would require impractical
testing. Instead, the humidifier
industry tends to use old, simplistic
assumptions by creating categories
of house tightness (for example, new
and tight, average house, old and
loose). They take little or no notice
of the moisture occupants might
create, and they do not recognize
mechanical ventilation rates or the
use of ERVs. Thus, they are inevitably
oversized. However, the incremental
cost of supplying larger humidifi­
cation equipment has been quite
low, so perhaps they can’t be blamed
for being safe rather than sorry.
If you are doing energy modelling
and blower door testing on your
houses (and you should be), then you
could ask your energy modeller to tell
you the estimated natural infiltration
rates for your houses. The most
common energy simulation software
programs, such as HOT2000 and REM/
Rate, each have their own assumptions
and formulas that turn blower door
airtightness test numbers into average
winter air leakage rates and, while
they give different numbers, they are
more accurate than the formulas used
by most humidifier suppliers. Above is
an example (Table 2) for a 2,400 square
foot, two-storey home in the Greater
Toronto Area that is ventilated with an
HRV at 75 CFM and has a blower door
test value of 2.5 ACH at 50 Pa.
Switching to an ERV would achieve an
airtightness of 1.0 ACH at 50 Pa.
Indeed, when you calculate these
numbers and consider that the
average family of four puts between
eight and 12 litres a day into a home
simply by respiration, perspiration
and basic activities like showering
and baths, you can imagine that in a
tight house ventilated with an ERV,
there may be no need for supplemental
humidification.
As a final note, to minimize waste of
water related to humidification, there
are at least five steps.
1 Start by carrying a reliable,
calibrated hygrometer to ensure
measured RH levels are accurate,
and help your clients understand
7
TABLE 2
TYPICAL INDUSTRY HUMIDIFIER USING HOT2000 AIR LEAKAGE METRICS
2.5 ACH@50, HRV 13 gallons per day or 50 litres per day 9 gallons per day or 35 litres per day
1.0 ACH@50, ERV 13 gallons per day or 50 litres per day 4.2 gallons per day or 16 litres per day
While common energy
simulation software
programs give different
numbers, they are
more accurate than the
formulas used by most
humidifier suppliers.

10. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 20208
industrynews / PAUL DE BERARDIS
We all want a greener planet and
try to do what we think is right within
our own abilities to safeguard the
environment for future generations.
The Ontario Building Code (OBC)
should ultimately provide the
key technical requirements that
govern building regulations in the
province. However, I’m sure nearly all
residential builders have encountered
a municipal jurisdiction which seeks
to prescribe building practices that:
• go above and beyond what’s in the
OBC;
• push builders to meet mandates
or programs that are technically
onerous;
• add to construction costs; or
• simply don’t offer much benefit to
the home owner.
Since climate change is a global
problem which does not stop
at municipal, regional or even
provincial boundaries within our
Canadian context, why are local
governments trying to independently
lead the charge with their own unique
mandates?
Factor in the ongoing national
undertaking to focus on increasing
the harmonization of technical
requirements across Canada to
bring the provinces more in line
with Canadian standards, and the
current patchwork of municipal green
requirements seems counterintuitive.
Fragmented municipal requirements
affecting residential construction add
another layer to an already challenging
development and building process,
making it very complex for a home
builder who operates in multiple
jurisdictions to navigate. It is illogical
for construction standards to differ
from town to neighbouring town,
especially since climate change does
not stop at municipal boundaries.
As an example, the City of Toronto
would be at the extreme level of
this spectrum for developing and
implementing its own green standard
which goes above and beyond the
Code’s requirements. Originating
as a voluntary standard first
introduced in 2006, the Toronto Green
Standard is now mandatory and on
Version 3, which includes four tiers of
performance.
Here’s the hitch: municipal-level
governments who develop their own
construction requirements operate
under a decentralized framework of
regulation, have the least amount
of funding and resources to develop
and administer these “standards,”
and can’t truly prove they have
established a successful precedent for
building practices. Simply put, they
can’t afford the necessary research
and development to prove their
practices are effective. Even Toronto,
representing the largest municipality
in Ontario and which pioneered
the development of its own green
standard, has reported there is no
Building Codes
(Not Municipal Standards)
Are the Building Blocks
for Healthy Communities
M
any municipalities across Ontario are trying to make a
difference for climate change. After all, it’s a very noble
cause – let’s save the planet!
Unfortunately, while individual municipalities may be trying
to do their best to help the Earth, they are often attempting to do
so without using proven or proper evidence-based policies.
970064034/ISTOCKPHOTO

11. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020 9
transparency into how the programs
they developed are actually working.
At the federal level, Natural
Resources Canada (NRCan) and
the National Research Council have
funding for research, development
and testing as well as demonstration
projects to inform future code
and policy development. It makes
more sense to adopt the practices
developed at this level. For example,
the NRCan ecoEII Net-Zero
Demonstration and R-2000 Net-
Zero Energy Pilot saw the design,
construction and monitoring of
multiple test home archetypes across
Canada. It is important to note that
even these leadership programs
are not standards and should not
be directly grafted into provincial
or federal codes. In comparison,
municipalities are simply not equally
equipped to establish building
standards or practices, which is
exactly why national and provincial
building codes exist.
My concern is that all the efforts
that these municipalities undergo
could not be the most effective
use of resources. There’s no robust
mechanism to test and vet how
municipal programs or mandates
stack up against performance metrics.
The Toronto Green Standard, as an
example, was not established through
practice and proof – over time, it
morphed from a voluntary standard
originating out of the planning and
development approvals process
into the now mandatory standard
applicable to all building types, likely
at the behest of local councillors who
often know little about the technical
nature of construction. There are more
pragmatic ways to go about pursuing
green initiatives rather than each
municipality going down a rabbit hole
of developing green standards.
Although these municipal
programs and standards start with
good intentions, they may not always
have the desired outcome. Unintended
consequences ultimately cost home
owners money and often add to
construction complexity for builders.
Because the municipalities don’t have
the in-house expertise or resources,
developing and implementing these
green policies is burdensome.
Technology, new product offerings
and construction methodologies
change quickly – municipal programs
cannot keep pace with the speed of
the building industry, so their policies
often become stagnant and outdated
soon after they come into effect.
Let’s admit that this is not a black-
or-white situation: a municipality
may not realize their green standard
could result in lacklustre cost-benefit
performance or be restrictive to
builders who ultimately need to
market and sell their product to
prospective home buyers. Municipal
green standards or even municipal
requirements for branded programs
can also be challenging for builders
who seek to differentiate their
product offerings from other builders.
Municipalities need to realize that
green programs can be rigid and force
restrictions on a builder which, in
turn, can affect their ability to cater to
the needs and financial situations of
potential home buyers. Mandating a
single program not only limits choice
but innovation.
Outside of Toronto, various
municipal green initiatives exist
throughout the Greater Toronto Area.
York Region has several municipal
sustainability initiatives that are
mandated through the development
approvals process, particularly
in Vaughan, Richmond Hill, East
Gwillimbury and King Township,
which each have their own Green
Development Standards Program.
That seems like a significant
duplication of efforts being repeated
across neighbouring municipalities
to develop and maintain their own
green standards. It also seems
counterintuitive that planning
departments are overseeing
the implementation of green
standards which affect construction
practices, yet the permit process
and construction is overseen by
the building departments. With
the National Building Code (NBC)
currently consulting on proposed
tiered code metrics, which will
A municipality may
not realize their green
standard could result in
lacklustre cost-benefit
performance or be
restrictive to builders
who ultimately need to
market and sell their
product to prospective
home buyers.

12. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 202010
eventually filter down to the OBC
under the ongoing harmonization
efforts, this further justifies the fact
that municipalities don’t need to
invent their own programs because
the national and provincial codes
will likely incorporate tiered code
provisions in the next editions.
The NBC consultation on
tiered code provisions states “in
order to prepare industry for
increasingly stringent energy
efficiency codes in the future, and
acclimate industry to the use of
performance modeling solutions
as a comprehensive compliance
methodology, introducing tiered
code metrics to the code will offer
increased flexibility to authorities
having jurisdiction (AHJ)… Adopting
a tiered energy code will ensure
that some national consistency in
stretch targets may be instituted, as
well as offering a common metric for
measuring performance increases
within buildings beyond minimal
compliance … Inclusion of tiered
energy codes will reduce the burden
on individual AHJ in establishing
reach targets and provide common
metrics for national programs and
targets … The publication of these
voluntary tiers in the code should
help industry and the public prepare
for potential upcoming code changes,
essentially ‘priming’ the market for
upcoming code cycles.”
A tiered code is going to make
these municipal programs even less
relevant. If the tiered code offers
progressive compliance packages
that are vetted by experts across
Canada, wouldn’t you rather see
municipalities adopt these practices
instead of putting forward their own
untested policies? With a standardized
Code-approved process to accurately
model and measure greenhouse gas
emissions reductions, builders and/
or municipalities could be eligible for
carbon credits.
Codes are based on standards
– a true standards development
process combines technical rigour
with a transparent, consensus-
based approach that is supported by
technical research. Extensive research,
development and consultation go
into developing building codes and
standards referenced within, as
opposed to municipal programs,
which are not mandated to go through
any validation outside of council
approval. Because this is the water
issue, a good municipal example is
East Gwillimbury, which has a water
reduction prescriptive checklist that
references a standard like HERSH2O that
can offer choice through performance
for builders.
Codes and standards are updated
in a fairly routine, consistent and
expected pattern; the provincial and
federal governments consult with the
necessary experts as well as industry
and stakeholders. This allows industry
to plan and prepare for these changes
in their business operations along with
construction and budget forecasting –
whereas municipally driven programs
are not updated or maintained in a
predictable and consistent fashion.
Here’s what I think: all levels of
government and the construction
industry need to better engage so that
we can avoid duplication of efforts
and ensure that the right standards
are in place. A clear delineation needs
to be recognized between standards
in comparison to branded programs,
especially when municipalities are
mandating measures beyond code
requirements. If we can do that, we
can streamline approvals and increase
much-needed housing supply, and
home buyers will benefit through costs
savings and, more importantly, time.
The sooner we can get them into their
new homes, the sooner we can chip
away at the Canadian dream of home
ownership. BB
Paul De Berardis is
RESCON’s director of
building science and
innovation. Email him at
deberardis@rescon.com.
Extensive research, development and consultation
go into developing building codes and standards
referenced within, as opposed to municipal
programs, which are not mandated to go through
any validation outside of council approval.

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15. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020 13
buildernews / BETTER BUILDER STAFF
E
xtreme weather and wind have
led to more driving rain, but
many builders and inspectors
are not aware that the Ontario
Building Code (OBC) requires a
second plane of protection.
Exterior finishes such as siding and
brick are essentially decorative layers.
If bulk water infiltrates from the
outside, we need to provide a drainage
system underneath those exterior
finishes to allow the water to shed
back out to the exterior via gravity.
The following are the OBC
references for the mandatory
requirement for window flashing:
9.27.3.1. Elements of the Second Plane
of Protection
1) The second plane of protection shall
consist of a drainage plane with
appropriate inner boundary and
flashing to dissipate rainwater to the
exterior.
…
3) The protection provided by the
second plane of protection shall be
maintained,
a) at wall penetrations created by
the installation of components and
services such as windows, doors, …
Traditionally, a drainage layer
has been provided by building paper
with head flashing over windows.
Newer sheathing systems include
exterior air barriers that are taped to
produce both a drainage plane and a
weatherproof layer.
Section 1 (on the following page)
shows the detail for a complete
system using a structural insulated
It’s ‘Plane’ to See Drainage Layers Add to Durability
sheathing that is an exterior air and
weather barrier. The base flashing
on the windowsill must be installed
before the windows and left open to
the outside so that drainage can occur.
Frequently with foam sheathings,
installers use sheathing tape to air seal
the window jam to the sheathing (as
shown in the image below). The issue
is that taping the bottom portion traps
water from draining to the outside.
This is not a recommended practice –
ask any builder who has had to go back
to fix a window leak with a brick veneer
about how expensive it is after the fact.
For more information on these systems,
visit www.amvicsystem.com,
www.bpcan.com and ca.henry.com.
Best practice includes the complete window being flashed – top, base and sides.
However, the bottom portion should be left open for drainage of the base sill area.

16. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 202014
Window detail without building paper
1
EXCEL includes an adhered air barrier membrane
(see CCMC 13565-R). 2
Compatible: acts as air/
weather barrier and seals to Air-Lock and EXCEL.
EXCEL1
CCMC APPROVED
TAPED-ON
FLASHING AS PER
MANUFACTURER
INSTRUCTIONS
POLY
VAPOUR
BARRIER2
FOAM
INSULATION
CAULKING:
SILL PAN TO
WINDOW FRAME
DO NOT SEAL
DRAINAGE
PATH AND
LEAVE OPEN
FOAM
INSULATION
POLY
VAPOUR
BARRIER2
SECTION 1 — SECOND PLANE OF PROTECTION USING EXTERIOR AIR BARRIER SYSTEM AS DRAINAGE PLANE
Above: Window seal dressed with base flashing.
Second Plane of Protection using exterior air barrier system as drainage plane.

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18. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 202016
With water conservation a growing
concern, Greyter’s residential recycling
solution is poised for prime time.
Shades
of Grey

19. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020 17
featurestory / ROB BLACKSTIEN
Greyter Water Systems CEO Mark Sales (second left) with Greyter team.
I
n recent years, home energy techniques have
progressed in leaps and bounds to the point
where most experts believe there’s only so much
more efficiency we can currently squeeze out of a house.
Attention has now shifted to a subset of home energy
that, until recently, has not undergone the same kind of
advancement – namely, water conservation.
While everyone has been focused on energy efficiency,
water efficiency has been bubbling under the surface.
And even though it has not been perceived with the same
sense of urgency as carbon reduction, water usage is a
huge – and growing – concern. The fact that water prices
are increasing an average of 10% to 12% annually in North
America further highlights the issue.
PHOTOSCOURTESYGREYTERWATERSYSTEMSINC.

20. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
That’s what makes the technology
from Ontario-based Greyter Water
Systems Inc. so appealing – particu­
larly in the United States, where water
conservation tends to be a larger
concern, but also increasingly so here,
north of the border.
After many years of development,
Greyter reached a huge milestone last
March, when the Greyter HOME water
reuse solution received certification
to the NSF/ANSI 350 standard, which
is a rigorous test that establishes
material, design, construction and
performance requirements for on-site
residential and commercial water
reuse treatment systems.
During the six-month test, the
Greyter HOME was dosed with a
greywater cocktail that included
secondary effluent from a wastewater
treatment plant. All the while, the
system delivered 30 gallons of near-
potable water each day and did
not require any user maintenance.
Greyter is currently the only cost
effective, small footprint residential
greywater solution that meets the
NSF 350 standard for recycling shower
and bath water for toilet flushing.
John Bell, Greyter’s vice president
of business development for
residential homes, explains that many
U.S. jurisdictions require NSF 350,
as it is the emerging water quality
standard for residential greywater
reuse. Hence, the importance of
Greyter’s certification: “There is
simply no other solution on the
market like the Greyter HOME,” says
Bell. “It is the only practical, cost-
effective solution currently certified
to NSF 350,” he continues.
18
With water taking centre stage
as a valuable resource, many
municipalities facing such challenges
– and the associated high costs of
infrastructure – are working with
builders and developers to find
innovative solutions to help create
water-efficient communities (see issue
12 for more on this dynamic). In fact,
in many instances, managing water
efficiently is the key to being able to
build homes at all – so the Greyter
HOME solution is a very welcome
product in many regions.
It’s also a rather unique product.
Greyter’s CEO, Mark Sales, says that
there is currently no comparable
solution in North America. The system
uses a non-biological self-cleaning
membrane and a self-cleaning
pre-filter in order to provide a safe,
reliable, high-performing and low-
maintenance solution. Many water
treatment systems use filters to treat
water, which can clog and can require
frequent maintenance. Others utilize
a biological approach (requiring
biomass), which can pose a risk in
providing reliable operation.
“We developed the Greyter HOME
with the home owner’s safety and
comfort in mind and so that it was
bio-free,” says Sales. Not only does
the quality of water meet the NSF
350 standard for toilet flushing, but
the risk of bacteria passing through
is eliminated by the self-cleaning
membrane.
In addition to Greyter’s proprietary
membrane, the company has two
Co-founder John Bell with the Greyter
HOME system.
Greyter reached a huge milestone last
March, when the Greyter HOME water reuse
solution received certification to the NSF/
ANSI 350 standard, which is a rigorous
test that establishes material, design,
construction and performance requirements.

21. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020 19
1
2
3
4
5
THE GREYTER HOME™ AT A GLANCE
1 VENT
2 SHOWER/BATH WATER IN
~2 SHOWERS = ~30 FLUSHES
3 DRAIN OUT
4 GREYWATER TO TOILETS
5 FRESH WATER MAKE-UP
For more information and to watch a video about the Greyter HOME greywater recycling system, go to Greyter.com and click on “How it Works”
CONTROLLER
TOUCHSCREEN
INTERFACE
CHLORINE
SELF CLEANING
PRE-FILTER

22. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 202020
patents pending: one to the overall
process and a second relating to the
company’s innovative self-cleaning
pre-filter, which remediates large
solids and hair before entering the
system. Small wonder Greyter’s
technology is drawing interest from
some large players in the industry.
In fact, Greyter and Lennar, one
of the leading home builders in
the U.S., just recently announced
that they have joined forces with
the city of Tucson, Arizona’s water
department to bring the revolution­
ary residential greywater recycling
solution to home owners in Lennar’s
Santa Rita Ranch and La Estancia
communities. This project marks
an important milestone in Greyter
Water System’s efforts to bring the
revolutionary residential greywater
recycling solution to home owners
nationwide, while also providing
builders and municipalities with the
technology to help create water-
efficient communities.
The pilot project launched in
August 2019 and the final Greywater
recycling systems were installed
in November 2019. A total of nine
new Lennar single-family homes
received a Greyter HOME solution.
This marks the Greyter HOME’s first
deployment for a large-scale U.S.
home builder. And “next year, we’ll
have an incredible amount of data,”
Bell says.
In a nutshell, instead of sending
shower and bath water directly to
the sewer, the Greyter HOME treats
it so that it can be used one more
time to offset toilet flushing needs.
Typically, just two showers a day
(approximately 150 litres of water)
can meet the demand for toilet
flushing for a family of four. This
can result in a reduction of water
use of approximately 20% to 25%.
Less water supplied to the house also
means less sanitary outflow to water
treatment plants. This can mean
reduced costs for municipalities.
Although the Greyter HOME
has gone through considerable
testing since 2016, that data from the
Tucson pilot and larger 2020 projects
will allow Greyter to fine-tune its
solution even further. Bell says that
certain revelations from the pilot
have already been adopted within
the Greyter HOME to provide for
an even more resilient water- and
energy-efficient recycling system.
Greyter’s Anatomy
As Greyter sits on the precipice
of breaking through, let’s retrace
the company’s steps to get to
this stage.
2012 The company launches,
starting from scratch, says
CEO Mark Sales. Its focus at
the time was on-site water
reuse solutions for commercial
and multi-unit construction,
featuring a system much
larger than the residential
unit currently being rolled
out. The goal is to develop
a product for single-family
home construction.
2013 The company begins R&D
relating to what eventually
becomes the Greyter HOME
product.
2016 The first several field and beta
test solutions are installed
with the understanding, Sales
says, that it would take about
two years to optimize (that is,
to work out the processing
and operation kinks from an
automation and energy- and
water-efficiency standpoint).
2017 Greyter begins its soft launch
of about 30 systems within
the Greater Toronto Area.
Concurrently, the company
sets out to certify to the NSF
350 standard.
2019 March. The latest version
is completed as NSF 350
certification is achieved.
2019 Summer. The Lennar pilot in
Tucson begins.
2020 Sales indicates that Greyter
will move forward with various
builders on larger projects.
2022 Greyter’s projected major
breakout, as per Sales.
Greyter and Lennar, one of the leading home
builders in the U.S., just recently announced
that they have joined forces with the city
of Tucson, Arizona’s water department to
bring a revolutionary residential greywater
recycling solution to home owners.

23. 21BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
W
hile the U.S. currently remains Greyter’s
main market, the company is beginning
to see more deployment of its technology
in Canada. Municipalities further away from water
sources, like East Gwillimbury and Tottenham, have
already begun to adopt water conservation practices.
Bell says Guelph is offering a $1,000 rebate to home
owners who install a greywater recycling system.
An even better example of this is happening in
Pickering. As part of John Godden’s HERSH2O pilot
(“Hell or High Water,” page 28), a forward-thinking
builder of Geranium Homes has combined with
Pickering – a municipality that’s shown it’s serious
about sustainability (see issue 30) – to create a North
American first. This is the first time in Canada that
an entire subdivision, 22 homes, will include actual
water recycling solutions.
Clearly, Geranium recognized long ago that this
was the direction of the future home. “When we first
introduced greywater rough-ins at our Copperstone
neighbourhood in Ballantrae [in 2013], a residential
system wasn’t approved for installation in Canada,”
says president Boaz Feiner. “However, we knew water
conservation was becoming more important to every­
one and we committed to providing this rough-in in
all our future detached home communities.”
Installing the Greyter HOME system as a standard
feature at Geranium’s Edgewood community “is a
progression of our dedication to water conservation,”
he says.
AMVIC AMDECK
MODULAR ONE-WAY
CONCRETE SLAB
ICFVL FLOOR LEDGER
CONNECTOR SYSTEM
ELECTRICAL
OUTLET
This is the first time in Canada
that an entire subdivision,
22 homes, will include actual
water recycling solutions.

24. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 202022
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25. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
As mentioned, Pickering is making
sustainability a priority, and Feiner
says his company sees eye to eye
with that initiative. “Geranium is
aligned with Pickering in our desire
to offer our home owners – Pickering
residents – a way to participate in
water conservation.”
Among the other energy-efficient
features at Edgewood are:
• Drain water heat recovery unit
integrated with the Greyter HOME;
• 96% two-stage furnace with ECM
blower;
• Efficient radiant floor heating in
ground floor slab-on-grade;
• ENERGY STAR–qualified high-
performance windows;
• High-efficiency tankless water heater
at UEF -.97;
• Rough-in for future power for electric
vehicles;
• R-31 expandable spray foam insul­
ation in garage ceiling and exterior
overhangs below living areas;
• R-22 plus 1.5 Excel board in exterior
walls and R-60 cellulose insulation in
attic above living areas;
• Programmable thermostat;
• Energy recovery ventilator (ERV);
• Water-efficient showerhead and toilet
tanks;
• ENERGY STAR-qualified exhaust fans
in bathrooms; and
• Third-party ratings, including Better
Than Code and HERSH2O.
Bell says Greyter’s current focus is to
continue to make inroads in the U.S.
while completing the Geranium project.
While Greyter’s technology is
currently focused on the builder
market, a day may come when
consumers will begin to embrace it.
Sales says that, with today’s builder
mindset coupled with a new generation
of home owners who have more of
an inclination to energy and water
efficiency, he anticipates the Greyter
HOME will become standard within
the home 10 years down the road.
And that aligns perfectly with his
ultimate dream. “My goal since 2012
has been to bring a new appli­ance into
new homes that drastically reduces
water consumption so that everyone
wins – the munici­pality, the builder
and home owners,” he says. BB
Rob Blackstien is a
Toronto-based freelance
writer. Pen-Ultimate.ca
23
Jim Couperthwaite of Geranium Homes with newly installed Greyter HOME system.
Upper right: Typical Model slab on grade design due to high water table. Right: Two-
stage furnace with tankless hot water heater for radiant floor and domestic hot water.

26. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 202024
sitespecific / ALEX NEWMAN
After completing his undergraduate
studies in mechanical engineering
in 2016, Morgoch earned his master’s
degree by conducting a major research
project on computer modelling to
simulate how canoe paddles move
through water. That computer
modelling would later prove helpful
for his work as manager of technical
sales at Greyter Water Systems.
At Greyter, Morgoch joined
Michael Caldeira, another young
mechanical engineer with a passion
for sustainability and energy
conservation. Caldeira says he’s
“always been sensibly green,” but he
didn’t really think about water very
much before joining the Ontario-
based greywater recycling company:
“I thought I’d work on the energy
side, but once you get involved on the
water side, the more you realize just
how precious this resource is. Look at
California’s water pressures. And here
in Canada, we take our easy access to
clean water for granted. There’s a sense
of pride in working for a company
working on water conservation.” He’s
now the manager of technical services.
Neither one has looked back, as
they’ve watched the company grow
from working out of a basement to
a much larger production facility.
Greyter had its beginnings in
commercial greywater technology,
but the company set out to develop a
product for residential homes because
its founders noticed an enormous
market developing as a result of
builders and municipalities striving to
create water-efficient communities.
Greyter faced a considerable
learning curve. “We had to meet strict
residential standards, or risk losing
market share,” Caldeira says. With a
push to develop more sophisticated
residential-use technology than was
available in commercial at the time,
“we had to get our heads around the
efforts to miniaturize that technology,”
he says. One requirement was to obtain
NSF 350 certification, a stringent
water certification standard enforced
primarily in California but also in
other water-stressed regions.
The company spent considerable
time, effort and money on creating
prototypes, Caldeira says. “We’re
trying to adapt the technology and
develop it further for the residential
side of things. It needed to meet
several important characteristics
demanded by [co-founders] Mark
Greyter Gets Even Better
Bringing Water Management Solutions to New Homes
Michael Caldeira (left) and Dana Morgoch
assemble a Greyter HOME system.
W
ater has always been important to Dana Morgoch. Growing up near the
Credit River in Mississauga, he picked up sprint canoeing (doing 1,000-
metre races!) and competed for Canada at the world championships.
PHOTOCOURTESYGREYTERWATERSYSTEMSINC.

28. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 202026
Sales and John Bell so that it would
be embraced by municipalities,
builders and the home owner.”
There’s a reason why Greyter’s
primary target market isn’t just
individual home owners, but builders
too. “It came down to money savings,”
Caldeira says. “Municipalities charge
connection fees, which home builders
pay when developing a new tract.
That can get pretty pricy – in certain
counties in Colorado and California,
water tap fees are in the tens of
thousands of dollars per house.”
Morgoch says that, in some regions
of the U.S., water shortages are so
severe that his friend from San Diego
confessed he would plug the bathtub
during showers so they could use that
water to flush the toilet. And California
isn’t the only place experiencing severe
water pressures – Arizona, Colorado,
Texas, Florida and other states are
also grappling with various pressures
on their water resources.
To address these water shortages,
Greyter, Tucson Water and Lennar
(America’s largest home builder)
are several months into their pilot
project showcasing the impact of the
Greyter HOME within two of Lennar’s
developments in Tucson, Arizona.
“The Tucson pilot allows us to
demon­strate what the Greyter HOME
can do, and is allowing us to move the
technology forward,” Morgoch says.
“In Tucson, the building code requires
that houses need to be plumbed in to
allow for greywater conservation, as
well as rainwater capture.” Even so,
you’re not finding whole tracts being
outfitted with greywater systems.
These rough-ins allow houses to
be future proofed to ensure water
conservation down the road.
The first step is to “Greyter water-
ready” the home (a phrase coined
by Sales). This is where the home’s
plumbing is installed to accept
greywater recycling, to capture shower
and bath water, and to deliver treated,
near-potable water to the toilets. It
requires piping to be installed in a
certain way. Morgoch says plumbers
need to be involved from the
beginning to make sure everything is
done correctly. “Then we inspect after
the install, commis­sion the system,
and go through an orientation with the
home owner, so they know how the
system works.”
Greywater recycling is definitely
“starting to garner more interest,”
Caldeira says. “We have had a lot of
conversations with builders. John
Bell is a key liaison with builders. He
ensures the equipment development
meets their needs for a compact
footprint, noise reduction and
serviceability.” He adds that “one of
the biggest requirements was that the
Greyter HOME be user friendly and
provide reliable performance.” To
that end, “it was designed to require
as little maintenance as possible. The
system merely requires the filling of
the disinfection tank and exchanging
of absorption media, typically once
per year.”
Caldeira says, “It was designed
realizing that some people won’t really
care how it works; only that it does
work. We had to make it easy enough
so that home owners could service
the system themselves or rely on an
annual service visit from a qualified
professional.” Morgoch and Caldeira
are optimistic that the pilot results
will show that Greyter HOME is a
reliable water reduction appliance that
saves water and minimizes servicing
requirements for the residential
market. BB
Alex Newman is a writer,
editor and researcher at
alexnewmanwriter.com.
Caldeira adds that “one of the biggest requirements
was that the Greyter HOME be user friendly and
provide reliable performance.” To that end, “it was
designed to require as little maintenance as possible.”
“The Tucson pilot allows us to demon­strate what
the Greyter HOME can do, and is allowing us to
move the technology forward,” Morgoch says.

29. Check out our website at www.gsw-wh.com

30. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 20202828
buildernews / ROB BLACKSTIEN
T
he impact of seeing baby
kangaroos and koala bears
being rescued is sure to be a
lasting memory from the devastating
fires in Australia that began last
summer. But the disaster also
underscored an important issue
that faces all of humankind: climate
change has exacerbated the growing
scarcity of water and heightened our
need to improve our efficiency with
this vital resource.
With this in mind, RESNET’s
recently developed HERSH2O scale is
coming to Canada, courtesy of John
Godden, the person who first brought
the HERS scale north of the border
in 2005. HERSH2O is a rating system
designed to determine how water
efficient a home is. The system is
based on a candidate-ANSI standard.
Godden says one of his goals was
to determine what the Canadian
reference was. While the standard
American home is 100, the Canadian
baseline is 97 – slightly better because
plumbing standards call for more
efficient toilets and Canada has
provincial requirements for drain
water heat recovery, he says.
Similar to HERS, HERSH2O allows
builders to meet local standards while
getting a third-party rating, rather
than having the municipality force
builders to do things they might not
want to do. “If a municipality is having
constraints on water and sewage, this
is a way of giving builders a choice on
the different water-saving features
they can put in a house,” Godden says.
It’s a situation we saw played out in
East Gwillimbury a couple of years
ago (see “Leading Edge” in Better
Builder Magazine issue 28), when
Rosehaven Homes wanted to use the
HERS scale as opposed to locally
prescribed ENERGY STAR. In the end,
after allowing Rosehaven to build a test
home, East Gwillimbury was convinced
enough to alter the prescriptive
language of its Sustainable Develop­
ment Incentive Program, thereby
allowing builders more options.
Rosehaven’s discovery home – the first
in Canada to receive a rating on the
HERSH2O scale – scored a 69, meaning
it’s 31% better than the reference house
that’s being used as a baseline.
That very same Rosehaven home
is part of a HERSH2O pilot program
that Godden is performing as per a
2019 Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) he signed with CRESNET. The
pilot consists of Godden applying this
new standard and ultimately providing
labels for specific homes.
Phase B of the pilot – which is being
done in conjunction with a discovery
home program in Enbridge’s Savings
by Design program – involves several
Hell or High Water
With water conservation being the next frontier, RESNET’s new
HERSH2O scale has come to Canada, providing builders with a valuable tool.
HERSH2O® Water Efficiency
Rating Certificate
Property
Address: 7 Forest Edge Crescent
City: Holland Landing, ON
Builder: Rosehaven
Rating Organization
Company: Better Than Code
Rater: John B Godden
Rater ID: 0001
Rating Information
HERSH2O Index: 69
Rating Date:01/03/2020
Rating Provider: Project FutureProof
HERSH2O Index
This home, compared to the reference home:
28 %
more water efficient
25,154 gallons
annual water savings
131 $
estimated annual water cost savings
Home Feature Summary
Conditioned floor area:
Number of bedrooms:
Lot size:
Irrigated area:
Automatic irrigation?:
Average toilet flush volume:
Kitchen faucet flow rate:
Bathroom faucet flow rate:
Average shower flow rate:
5,249 ft2
4
5,000 ft2
0 ft2
No
0.0 gpm
1.5 gpm
1.5 gpm
1.8 gpm
Daily water usage:
Daily water savings
compared to reference home:
Daily water usage:
Daily water savings
compared to reference home:
Estimated Indoor Water Usage and Savings
Estimated Outdoor Water Usage and Savings
155 gallons
69 gallons
gallons
gallons
HERSH2O certificate for Rosehaven’s discovery home in Holland Landing.

31. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
prominent Canadian developments,
including Geranium Homes’ 21-home
Edgewood community in Pickering
(see “Shades of Grey” on page 16 for
more on this project). Edgewood will
be the first production development
to use this new scale.
Other discovery home builders
that plan to participate in Phase B
of the pilot include Empire Com­
munities, Brookfield Residential,
Campanale Homes, Heathwood
Homes, Regal Crest Homes and
Tribute Communities – a veritable
who’s who of the leading home
builders in Canada.
The introduction of HERSH2O marks
another first for Canada. After bringing
HERS to Canada, Godden signed an
MOU with RESNET to apply the scale
here in 2007 and, in 2018, he received
permission to apply the HERSH2O scale.
HERS or RESNET energy modelling
is recognized by both the National
Building Code and the Ontario Building
Code SB-12. “This is the birth of another
program,” Godden says. Stay tuned. BB
Rob Blackstien is a
Toronto-based freelance
writer. Pen-Ultimate.ca
29
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“If a municipality is
having constraints on
water and sewage,
this is a way of giving
builders a choice on the
different water-saving
features they can put in
a house,” Godden says.

32. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 202030
fromthegroundup / DOUG TARRY
In many municipalities, a
residential customer’s water bill will
include both volumetric and fixed
charges. For example, in St. Thomas,
Ontario (where I live), residential
customers pay $1.82 in water charges
and $2.08 in wastewater charges for
every cubic metre (m³) of water they
use, plus a fixed monthly water meter
charge of $24.55 (for a ¾" cubic meter)
and a fixed monthly sewer charge
of $10.11. So, a home in St. Thomas
using 15 m³ of water per month would
pay: 15 m³ x ($1.82 + $2.08) + $24.55 +
$10.11 = $93.16 per month.
Not all municipalities include
fixed charges in their water bill. For
example, in Toronto, the customer’s
water bill is based only on the volume
of water they use. Toronto’s 2020 volu­
metric rate is $4.07 per m³, so a home
using 15 m³ of water per month would
pay: 15 x $4.07 = $61.05 per month.
Residential per capita water
demands in North America have been
declining for the last 30 years or so,
primarily because of the improved
efficiency of water-using fixtures and
appliances. However, it is important
to remember that aggregate water
demand has increased, freshwater
is a limited resource and we are
building more homes. Data from
Environment Canada and Statistics
Canada show that residential demands
have declined from 335 litres per capita
per day (Lcd) in 2001 to only 220 Lcd
in 2017 (Figure 1) – a decline of 34%
in just 16 years! Because most of the
costs associated with operating water
and wastewater systems are fixed,
when water demands decline, water
rates must increase. But, as water rates
continue to increase, there will be
even more opportunities for customers
to save money by installing efficient
fixtures and appliances and adopting
efficient water-using practices.
What is the desired outcome?
The desired outcome is to reduce
energy and water consumption related
to domestic water usage. Besides a
number of existing technologies, such
as low-flow faucets, showerheads and
flush toilets, there are some emerging
technologies that can help reduce
water use, energy consumption and
utility costs.
What’s the benefit?
Reducing water consumption will help
reduce water utility costs or energy
consumption costs.
What are the solutions?
Builders can help their home owners
reduce their water bill by installing
fixtures and appliances that go beyond
the Code minimum for efficiency. For
example, a three-person home in St.
Thomas can save about $38 per year
by installing toilets that flush with
only three litres instead of the 4.8-litre
standard. They can save another $46
per year in water costs by installing an
ENERGY STAR-certified clothes washer
that uses only 36 litres per load instead
of a standard model that uses 76 litres
or more per load. Home owners can
also save water and money by only
watering their lawns when needed. For
example, in St. Thomas, home owners
pay about $5 for every hour they run
their garden hose.
Home owners can save even
more water, energy and money by
adopting one or more beyond-Code
technologies. For example:
• Greywater reuse systems: Residential
greywater reuse systems collect the
drain water from showers and baths,
clean it, store it, and then use this
water to flush the toilets in the home.
Theoretically, 100% of toilet flush water
can be provided by a greywater reuse
system. In St. Thomas, this potential
savings equates to approximately $100
per year. These types of systems can
cost about $5,000 to buy and install.
• Hot water recirculation systems:
These systems reduce the volume of
water wasted down the drain while
you wait for hot water to arrive at
the faucet or shower. While there
are systems that work on a timer or
Go With the Flow,
Saving Water Makes Sense
I
am working with Natural Resources Canada to develop the Guide to Net Zero
Energy Homes by a Builder for Builders. The guide is designed to provide insights
on the why and the how of building to net zero. This article is an excerpt from the
water conservation section of this upcoming guide to net zero energy homes.
In some ways, water conservation gets the short end of the stick in the overall
energy conversation. However, it is interesting to note there are driving factors
that indicate we are going to need to be much more conscious about water
conservation. The good news is that using less water is not only good for the
environment, it is also good for your pocketbook.

33. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
motion sensor to turn on the hot water
circulation pump, the most efficient
systems are on-demand ones that
only operate when the home owner
activates a push button to turn on the
pump. When the pump is activated,
it draws hot water from the water
heater (either tank-type or tankless)
and circulates it through the home’s
hot water supply piping, sending the
ambient temperature water in the
piping back to the water heater to be
reheated. Once hot water has reached
the furthest fixture, the pump shuts
off. Some hot water recirculation
systems use the home’s existing cold
water piping to return the ambient
temperature water to the water heater;
however, the systems use dedicated
return piping to avoid having stale hot
water entering the home’s cold water
piping. These systems can typically
cost between $800 and $1,000 to buy
and install; home owners install
them more for the convenience of
eliminating waiting for hot water than
for cost savings.
• Looped water supply: Looped water
supply piping works well with hot water
recirculation systems because hot
water can be circulated to every fixture
in the home. While looped piping can
also help reduce the length of stems off
the main line, this type of plumbing
layout is not always possible based
upon the home design. The labour
cost of installing a “looped” system
is similar to the cost of installing a
conventional piping system.
• Leak detection: There are two
main types of leak detection systems
available to home owners: (1) systems
that sense water on the floor, perhaps
from a leaking water heater or from
rain water entering through a cracked
foundation and (2) systems that sense
a continuous flow of water through
the home’s water meter. Both types of
systems have the ability to sound an
alarm or to notify the home owner if a
leak is detected, but some models of the
second type also have the ability to shut
off the water supply to the home to help
avoid a major flood, especially if you
happen to be away from home when the
leak starts. Systems that sense water
on the floor can cost as little as $20.
Systems that can shut off the home’s
water supply can cost $500 or more.
• Drain water heat recovery: Most
Ontario builders have had at least
some experience with drain water heat
recovery as it found its way into the
2012 Ontario Building Code. A coil of
copper pipe is cut into the cold water
supply to the water heater. Because this
coil surrounds the drain pipe of one
or more showers in the home, some
of the waste heat from water draining
from the shower is transferred to the
cold water refilling the water heater. As
such, these systems save energy rather
than water. Note the shower drain
water and the cold water supply to
the water heater are in separate pipes
and do not mix. These systems can
cost about $800 to buy and install and
will save about $30 per year in water
heating costs (based on a volumetric
natural gas price of $0.30 per m³).
• Stacked/back-to-back/loop run
plumbing layouts: The length of water
supply piping should be minimized
wherever possible. When wet rooms
are constructed back-to-back or
stacked floor-to-floor, they can share
a common wet wall and plumbing
stacks, and you can reduce your overall
plumbing installation costs. Additional
energy and water savings can be
achieved by installing the water heater
as close as possible to where most of
the hot water will be used in the home.
Reducing the distance between the
water heater and the primary showers
31
FIGURE 1 — AVERAGE RESIDENTIAL PER CAPITA WATER DEMAND IN CANADA BETWEEN 2001 AND 2017
200 LITRES
PER CAPITA
PER DAY
250 LITRES
PER CAPITA
PER DAY
300 LITRES
PER CAPITA
PER DAY
Between 2001 and 2017
residential demands have declined
by 115 litres per capita per day.
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
292
335 333 331 329 328 327 309
274
263
251
237 222
229
235
228
220
Sources:
Environment Canada, Municipal Water Use reports and statistics for 2001, 2004, 2006, 2009; Statistics Canada, Table 153-0127 Potable water use by sector and average daily use for Canada, provinces and territories for 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017.
350 LITRES
PER CAPITA
PER DAY

34. BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 33 | SPRING 2020
ready to give them another try. (For
example, read more about the Greyter
HOME in “Shades of Grey” on page 16.)
I’ve become so annoyed with high
water bills and waiting for hot water to
arrive at the fixture that I am currently
trying a hot water recirculation system
in my own home. Preliminary results
are positive.
I’ve installed hundreds of drain
water heat recovery systems over
the years and have no issue with
recommending them to larger families.
Because of the cost, however, I don’t
agree that these systems should be
considered a universal energy-saving
technology.
Several years ago, I tried a leak
detection system out of concerns for
water damage in my home. Unfortun­
ately, there were so many false alarms
that I ended up shutting the system
off. Now, I typically only activate the
system when we are away on holiday.
Shorter, more direct water supply
trunks and branches means a lower
volume of water held in hot water lines.
Where possible, I try to guide my
design team to consider efficient
plumbing layouts. This works better
for some home designs than others,
and we ultimately need to consider
if the overall home design will be
compromised. We try to build homes
to be as efficient as practical, not as
efficient as possible.
Hopefully this excerpt provides
some insights on how we can, and why
we should, look at water conservation.
I look forward to sharing the Guide to
Net Zero Energy Homes by a Builder
for Builders once it’s published. A
special thanks to Bill Gauley of Gauley
Associates for providing a technical
review of this section. BB
Doug Tarry Jr is director
of marketing at Doug
Tarry Homes in St.
Thomas, Ontario.
can also help eliminate the need for a
hot water recirculation system.
• Pipe insulation on hot water lines:
Water stays hotter longer in pipes and
there is less wasted as occupants don’t
have to wait. Thus, less warm water
goes down the drain.
32
Personal experience
Either through work or at home, I’ve
tried them all:
In my opinion, the early model
greywater reuse systems I installed
were not quite ready for prime
time. The technology used by some
current models, however, is far more
sophisticated and advanced, and I am
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