Making Old Homes New Again: Renovation Strategies for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

1
BETTER
BuilderMAGAZINE
the builder’s source
ISSUE 15 | FALL 2015
WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA
Making the Old New Again
Renovations and Missed Opportunities
Top Five Reno Must Dos
Renovation Time Bombs
High Performance Renovation
Climate Change and Existing Homes
Publicationnumber42408014
IN THIS ISSUE
The Renovation Issue

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FEATURE STORY
16 The Challenge of Urban Renos
Urban renos can be more extensive than expected,
as Philip Barton discovered when he rebuilt a home
on a busy Toronto street.
BY ALEX NEWMAN
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
02 Publisher’s Note:
BY JOHN GODDEN
03 The Bada Test:
Opportunities BY LOU BADA
04 Industry News: Passive Design Strategies for
Renovations BY MICHAEL PATHAK
06 Industry Expert: Top Five Renovation Must Dos
BY GORD COOKE
08 Builder News:
BY BETTER BUILDER STAFF
11 Builder News:
Krumpers Solar Blinds
BY ALEX NEWMAN
13 Industry News: Renovation Time Bombs
BY MICHAEL LIO
23 High Performance Renovation
BY NOEL CHEESEMAN
27 From the Ground Up: Climate Change, Carbon
Footprints and Existing Homes
BY DOUG TARRY
29 Builder News:
BY JANE LOGAN
32 Builder News:
BY ROXUL AND BETTER BUILDER STAFF
BETTER
BuilderMAGAZINE
1
13
Cover: Kinswater Renovation Project
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WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 15 | FALL 2015
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2 WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 15 | FALL 2015
Publisher
Better Builder Magazine,
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Publication number
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published four times a year.
I
n 1982 I graduated from university in the
middle of a recession. Not able to find a job
in my chosen field, I went to work for Canada
Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
and the Canada Home Renovation plan. This
stimulus program used federal tax dollars to
give a rebate to homeowners who spent money
on home renovations. The program directors
claimed it saved the economy. A mighty claim. I
wonder, did it have a lasting effect?
Recently at Olympia Tile in Toronto, Steven
Harper announced that if re-elected, his party
will make the Home Renovation Tax Credit
a permanent program. Remember there was
a temporary Home Renovation Tax Credit
program launched and ended in 2009, result-
ing in almost a third of Canadian households
keeping $700 of their own money. Here’s how
it worked. By spending $10,000 on home reno-
vations, a credit for the GST was applied to the
homeowner’s personal income tax. It worked,
effectively stimulating households to spend.
Rebates on incentives are different. Incen-
tives from utilities or government give rate-
payers/taxpayers (us) our own money back
– money that was paid in the form of utility
bills or taxes. Ecoenergy incentives are our
tax dollars paid back to us at a fraction of the
value at which these same dollars were paid
out. Why the change in value? The government
has to manage the high overhead it carries in
the form of civil servants’ wages, pensions and
servicing the debt.
Approaching the election, each political
party presents its own formula for deal-
ing with the recession some think we are in.
Whichever way we vote, we all pay for it. The
multiplier effect (ME) in the economy happens
where an increase in spending produces an
increase in national income and consumption
greater than the initial amount spent. Incen-
tives by their nature reduce the ME because
each dollar collected does not find its way
back into the economic flow. These incentives
produce market distortions – think boom and
bust scenarios. When the incentive is available,
people spend. When it’s not, they don’t. The
incentive does not create longer term market
effects because it can’t be sustained. Wouldn’t
it be grand if politicians would play nicely and
share good ideas that benefit us all, regard-
less of their party affiliation? Specifically the
proposition of a permanent home renovation
tax credit we know can create long-term posi-
tive effects in the marketplace.
Scotiabank’s market analysis reveals
home renovation is a $50 billion business in
Canada. Most of that money is not spent on
energy efficiency, but on new kitchens and
the proverbial granite countertops. Educating
homeowners so good sustainable choices can
be made is needed. The ever-popular home
improvement shows would better serve the
masses if they shifted their focus from the
drama associated with the home improvement
process to energy efficiency and remodelling
to promote conservation.
Energy audits provided by a third party are a
powerful tool for educating and training home-
owners, renovators and designers – education to
be called on to make good sustainable choices
when faced with the multitude of options in the
marketplace, and balancing the “house porn”
being watched on TV. Our fall issue provides
plenty of technical information and stories of
real-life renovation projects demonstrating that
balance can be achieved and savings realized.
The word renovate means “To restore to
good condition; to make new as if new again
or repair.” It’s time to renovate our approach,
educating and allowing people to spend their
money in a way that fosters the green econ-
omy and reduces global warming.
I’m a fan of Ben Franklin’s principle “A
penny saved is a penny earned.” So by apply-
ing the multiplier effect – each penny saved
from energy conservation equals more pennies
for your future. BB
The Multiplier Effect
publisher’snote
By J oh n G o dden

3WWW.BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 15 | FALL 2015
E
ver wonder why you don’t have
a John Godden- or Gord Cooke-
type host on HGTV? Although
I do find these two fellows rather
entertaining at times, reality TV is
supposed to be entertainment, not
building science. Every aspect of tele-
vision is contrived and John, Gord and
others in their field are certainly not.
There’s a good reason some people
call these programs
“house porn.”
Although difficult to
measure and correlate,
I believe most would
agree there has been a
definite trend toward greater cosmetic
upgrades in new and existing homes.
I would put forward they often come
at the expense of sustainable/energy
conservation improvements because
budgets by definition are limited.
According to a Scotiabank report
from December 2014 quoting Statis-
tics Canada figures, Canadians spend
about $50 billion a year on home
renovations, outpacing new construc-
tion. It would be difficult to discern
how much of that would go to energy
efficiency upgrades intentionally. Win-
dows and furnaces get replaced all the
time due to reaching the end of their
normal life spans. It’s also difficult to
know whether customers are purchas-
ing the most energy-efficient products
available for their projects.
A quick, informal polling of some
of the renovators and suppliers I know
would lead you to believe that top-
end, energy-efficient retrofits do not
make up the bulk of spending when
it comes to purchasing renovation
products or spending on renovation
projects. It’s similar to our experience
when selling new home upgrades. We
all need to do much better on this. It’s
an enormous lost opportunity.
I met John Godden shortly after I
built my new home in 2002, then in
accordance with the 1997 Ontario
Building Code (OBC). I built what I
believed was a relatively airtight home
with the best mechanicals
and windows available at the
time. John tested my home.
I achieved a 3 air changes
per hour (ACH) leakage rate,
better than most, but not as
good as I’d hoped. I had an EnerGuide
75 rating (code for the home would’ve
been about 57). John pointed out some
flaws, largest of which was a detail I
used for my second floor ceiling/attic.
In the ensuing years, I’ve foamed my
attic, replaced all the mechanicals (fur-
nace, heat recovery ventilator (HRV) and
air conditioner) before I needed to with
the latest and greatest. I also installed
a condensing water heater, drainwater
heat recovery, energy-efficient lighting
and then retested.
I achieved a respectable 2 ACH
and had the home rated as a Home
Energy Rating System (HERS) 47, which
would be about 18% better than the
current 2012 building code (HERS 60
or EnerGuide 80). The home has very
good indoor air quality, is comfortable
and relatively inexpensive to operate.
Although I incurred some expenses, I
am very happy with the outcome and
saved a few more tons of CO2 from
being expelled into the atmosphere.
In truth, if I were to resell the home
today, I wouldn’t likely make back the
investment, but if I stay there long
enough, I will make the money back
and be more comfortable.
Part of the problem is an unjustly
expensive real estate market. Homes
are looked upon as an investment or
commodity. The “fix it and flip it”
philosophy, as showcased on many
TV programs, reflects a certain type
of consumer sentiment about their
homes. They are seen as investments
and money makers. A kitchen renova-
tion is always considered before a new
furnace or windows. New homeowners
aren’t immune from this speculative
mindset either.
We’re missing an enormous oppor-
tunity to improve the huge existing
housing stock while we continuously
ratchet up the energy conservation
requirements for new construction.
Although government and utility
incentives can be problematic, there
could be a role if properly structured.
Changing the narrative is the difficult
part. Rather than look at homes as
a speculative investment, we should
begin to look at sustainable and afford-
able homes as an investment in the
public good. Government would need
to rethink its approach to our industry.
There are no easy answers here, but
maybe we can roll out John and Gord
as the “Energy Efficiency Brothers” on
TV and see what they can tell us about
the efficiencies of homes across the
GTA. Perhaps there’d be a lot of public
shaming, but I’d certainly watch. BB
Lou Bada
manager for Starlane Homes.
thebadatest
By L ou Ba da
Retrofits, Renovations and
Missed Opportunities
Canadians spend
about $50 billion
a year on home
renovations.

T
his article defines passive
design strategies as strategies
which use the ambient utility
sources (energy and water) available
to the building, in place of design
strategies that use purchased energy,
such as natural gas or electricity.
Examples of these passive design
strategies are natural ventilation,
solar energy, daylighting and rainwa-
ter usage. It is important to note that,
in this definition, passive water con-
sumption strategies are also included.
While this article
focuses on renovation
options, passive design
strategies can also be
used in new construc-
tion. Although there
are numerous passive
design strategies, this
article will focus on
three topics – control-
ling solar gain, passive
cooling and rainwater
management.
When designing
an efficient building, we first look to
maximize energy conservation, then
identify passive design opportunities,
and finally explore renewable energy
generation, such as adding solar
photovoltaic (PV) panels. Doing so
allows for the mechanical and renew-
able energy generation systems to be
sized appropriately to match reduced
energy demands. This means that,
before the passive design strategies
are considered, it is assumed the
building already has a well-perform-
ing thermal envelope, at minimum
with an air leakage no higher than 1
air change per hour (ACH) at 50 Pa
(pascals of pressure or lbs/sq. in.) and
overall insulation values, inclusive of
thermal bridging, of R30 for walls,
R50 for roofs and R5 for windows.
When a building has a good enve-
lope, solar gains, in terms of thermal
energy from the sun collected in a
building, can have a significant effect
on heating and cooling loads, so man-
aging solar gains differently in sum-
mer and winter is important. With
proper solar gain management, gains
are maximized dur-
ing the winter for
free heat, and mini-
mized during the
summer to reduce
the cooling load.
This reduces overall
utility costs. In Can-
ada, the south- and
west-facing sides of
the building receive
solar gains which
coincide with peak
cooling demands,
and therefore windows on these sides
need to be optimized to maximize
solar gain benefits.
A possible solution, if space per-
mits, is to plant deciduous trees on the
south and west sides of the building.
In the summer, the trees will pro-
vide shading, allowing the building
to remain cooler, while in the winter,
when the leaves have fallen, the build-
ing will receive solar gains from the
sun. If trees are not a possibility, then
adding overhangs can provide a similar
effect. The overhangs can be a perma-
nent structure or more flexible, like
a retractable awning commonly seen
in Europe. Regardless of choice, the
overhangs or awnings need to be sized
correctly so when the sun is high in the
sky, as it is in the summer, the over-
hangs provide shade, and when the
sun is low, like in winter, the sunlight
can directly enter the window.
Blinds are another solar gain
control solution. They can be on the
interior or exterior of the windows,
and either manually controlled or
automated. Interior blinds typi-
cally reduce 30% of solar gains while
exterior blinds can cut solar gains up
to 100%, since the exterior blinds are
rejecting the gain before it enters the
window. A manually controlled system
will require owner discipline to open
or close the blinds depending on heat-
ing and cooling demands of the build-
ing. An automated system will better
optimize the needs of the building,
but will require controls and sensors
to make the system work, which adds
extra capital and running costs. In
some cases the system will fail to opti-
mize, such as on a partly cloudy day.
If changing the windows is part
of the renovation, a solar-rejecting
glazing could be part of the package.
Choosing glazing with a lower solar
heat gain coefficient (SHGC) means
the amount of solar gain entering
the window will be less, reducing the
cooling load, but also increasing the
heating load as there will be less solar
heat collection in winter. A cheaper
alternative, assuming the windows are
still acceptable, would be to have a
professional low SHGC film installed
on the existing windows. Lastly, storm
industrynews
By Mi c h a e l P a t h a k
Passive Design Strategies
for Renovations
When a building has
a good envelope,
solar gains, in terms
of thermal energy
from the sun collected
in a building, can have
heating and cooling loads,
so managing solar gains
differently in summer and
winter is important.

windows can be added to the exterior
of the windows for the heating sea-
son. This additional pane of glass will
add extra insulation and is typically
vented to prevent moisture buildup.
With solar gains of the building
under control, further reducing cool-
ing demands using passive design
strategies can help reduce or elimi-
nate the need for air conditioning.
One strategy is to use natural ventila-
tion to cool the building. It is known
that hot air rises and the hottest part
of a building are the highest levels,
whereas the coldest point is at the
lowest level. Therefore, adding opera-
ble windows or skylights to the upper
level, and operable windows on the
ground floor, will allow for hot air to
leave the top of the building, drawing
the cooler air from the ground level
inside. In the cooling season, when
the evening air is below 20°C, allowing
the buildings to naturally ventilate
overnight will precool the building. In
the morning, the building is closed up
to keep the cold air in, so it will stay
at a comfortable temperature as the
day warms up.
Another passive cooling strategy
is to look at the base ventilation load.
Good indoor air quality requires
proper ventilation. As the airtightness
of houses increases, homeowners can
no longer rely on fresh air to simply
infiltrate through cracks in the build-
ing envelope. Natural or mechanical
ventilation strategies are needed to
provide required ventilation. To assist
with preconditioning the air enter-
ing the building, an earth tube can be
installed. Instead of the supply duct
drawing air directly from the outdoor
ambient air, it is run underground
to allow the ground temperatures to
temper the supply air. This will cool
the supply temperature in summer and
preheat it in winter, helping reduce the
ventilation cooling and
heating load.
Rainwater man-
agement is also an
important passive
design consideration
for reducing the use
of potable (domestic)
water use. Rainwater
collection can be as
simple as using rain
barrels at the end
of downspouts. It
can also be a more
work-intensive solu-
tion such as using
underground storage.
Where storage is used,
the water can then
be pumped or gravity
fed to water plants
and for other uses at
a later time. Stored
rainwater can even
be used for laundry, but may require
some treatment for quality, as it is
typically soft water which improves
the performance of laundry detergent.
On the market there are many rain-
water collection systems which are
simple to install, so this passive solu-
tion does not require detailed design
or cost to work.
Passive design strategies range from
controlling solar gains to managing
your stormwater. Each strategy should
be implemented with or after conser-
vation measures, such as an improved
envelope, have been completed. To
provide the most benefit, strategies
need to be assessed to optimize the
best solutions for the building. BB
Michael Pathak,
in mechanical engineering and sustain-
able building consulting. Contact michael.
industrynews
By Michael Pathak
Passive design strategies implemented in a house: deciduous tree, overhangs, Low E coatings on windows.

W
hen you think of the
compelling changes
made in the energy
efficiency of new homes, even
over the last 10–15 years,
there is reason to look back
and question what is or could
be done in the 13 million
existing Canadian homes. It
is well documented that the
Ontario Building Code (OBC)
changes even since 2000 have
resulted in a 50% reduction in
space heating energy use in
a new 2015 code-built house.
On the existing home side, the
popular EcoENERGY program
that ended in 2012 resulted
in over a million homes in
Canada having an energy
audit done.
Hundreds of thousands
of the homes tested had
new high efficiency furnaces
installed, windows replaced
or insulation added, and
renovation contractors can
learn from the success and
findings of the program. For
example, it is pretty clear
that energy efficiency alone is seldom
the motivation for renovation work,
but every renovation project can and
should include some energy effi-
ciency improvement elements.
We can even set an improvement
goal. While we saw a 50% improve-
ment in new homes over the last 15
years, that is seldom a reasonable
goal for existing ones. A responsible
goal is a 15%–20% reduction in energy
use for the homes you work in. That
reduction can come in space heat-
ing, space cooling, water heating or
usage, or electrical use. Whatever you
are working on, improve the energy
efficiency of that element by 15%–
20%. Following are what I consider
the top five opportunities and the
real motivation for doing them.
First, always, always air seal. Do a
prerenovation airtightness test, incor-
porate recommendations to improve
it in your scope of work, and aim for
a 20% reduction in air leakage. In a
kitchen remodel, open up that valence
or soffit box over the cabinets to air
seal and insulate it properly. My skep-
tical neighbour, who didn’t
want to do this, was shocked
by the mouse droppings and
wasp nest they found in this
area that were eliminated
by air sealing. Similarly, in a
bathroom redo, pull that tub
that’s on the outside wall to
air seal so they can enjoy a
longer soak. Pull down that
garage ceiling and air seal
so the kids sleeping above
aren’t breathing car exhaust.
Caulk all casings and base-
boards before any redeco-
rating work. Remember the
easiest place to get large
leaks is in the attic. Seal
around pot lights, exhaust
fans, plumbing stacks and
masonry fireplaces. Drops
over showers and bathtubs
could also be inspected.
Second, if you are resid-
ing a building, add a fully
flashed weather barrier
that will be simultane-
ously airtight and add at
least R5 insulation to the
exterior – better would be
R10. Yes, this means building win-
dows and other penetrations out, but
imagine the next time this home will
be resided may be 50 years from now,
and who knows what energy costs
will be then? Water intrusion destroys
buildings, and every project you do
must reduce the chances for leaks.
Third, always, always switch to
direct vent-sealed combustion appli-
ances – furnaces, water heaters and
fireplaces. This is as much for safety
as for energy efficiency and, for
the most part, appliance efficiency
Top Five Renovation Must Dos
industryexpert
By G ord Cooke
Blower door fans
enable contractors
to conduct pre-
renovation
airtightness tests.
The results are used
to find ways to aim
for a 20% reduction
in air leakage.

regulations have eliminated chim-
ney-vented furnaces already. Don’t
miss the opportunity to improve
the efficiency of the water heater. A
power-vented water heater still only
has an energy factor of just 0.67 or
less. Let’s recognize that our clients
will be interested in the new condens-
ing tank or tankless water heaters
that simultaneously save space, offer
flexibility in location, are safer and
provide consistent hot water. I see
the efforts companies such as Navien
and Rinnai have made to improve the
performance and hot water experi-
ence of tankless units, and feel it
is time to empower your clients to
include these in every bathroom and
kitchen project.
Fourth, include ventilation on
every project – at least a good, quiet,
efficient bath fan or range hood.
Certainly, you know I want you to
consider an energy recovery ventila-
tor (ERV) on every project as well –
not because you are making houses
tighter, but because your clients are
staying inside more often and not
opening windows as much as they
used to. You are putting your clients
and yourselves at risk if you don’t
have a fresh air conversation with
them as part of every project you do.
Help them uncover air quality prob-
lems they may already be having, but
don’t recognize. That musty smell in
the basement, the plug-in scents, the
scented candles are all symptoms of
an issue you can help them resolve
while lowering their energy bills.
Finally, let’s not forget electri-
cal usage. Two important trends are
converging – the price of electricity
will be going up regularly over the
next 15–20 years, and the availability
of very cost-effective LED lights has
quickly arrived. I recently purchased
LED GU10 lights for a bathroom fix-
ture for less than the halogen equiva-
lent. Better yet, I had a choice of light
colour to complement my décor. Every
renovation project can be enhanced
with a true lighting design that takes
advantage of the flexibility LED lights
now provide, while saving energy.
That’s a quick list and, of course,
there are lots of other opportunities in
every project. Notice though, in each
case, simultaneously when you make
homes more energy efficient, you also
improve the health, safety, comfort and
durability of the home. It’s a real win-
win for you and your customers. BB
Gord Cooke is president of Building
Knowledge Canada.
vanee.ca
All these products meet ENERGY STAR’s higher standards
For more information or to order, contact your local distributor.
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industryexpert
By Gord Cooke

A
ll Angles Renovations is a
Toronto-based, family-run
residential renovation firm.
They say one of the best parts of being
a renovator in the city is the oppor-
tunity to work with all the quirks and
unique characteristics older homes
exhibit. Working with older homes also
means huge opportunities for energy
upgrades as most of these lovely
abodes are leaky, need a little love,
and someone who understands their
uniqueness to help give them a new
lease on life.
The company, led by owner Ken
George, continually reinforces that
sustainable practices and materials be
used in their renovations, and believe
strongly in making sure they success-
fully convey the importance of these
practices and materials to their clients.
This is the standard approach for any
All Angles renovation. Larger scope
projects allow for many of the energy
efficiency upgrades that may otherwise
be cost prohibitive. Smaller, less inva-
sive renovations can be more challeng-
ing, yet they have found ways to make
upgrades that still make an impact.
Some of the typical smaller scale
sustainable recommendations are
exterior wall insulation upgrades using
ROXUL batt and IS board insulation,
window replacement with Strassburger
or North Star ENERGY STAR windows
for better efficiency and to incorporate
more natural light, exclusive use of
LED lighting throughout, attic top-up
of blown-in insulation to R50, use
of Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-
certified framing lumber, Rainforest
Alliance- and FSC-certified trim, low
flow toilets and faucets to reduce
indoor water consumption, and low
VOC paints, to name a few. When tar-
geting indoor air quality in renovation
projects, the ventilation fans of choice
are the Panasonic Whisper Sense fans.
These fans have an electronically com-
mutated motor (ECM) which runs con-
tinuously, providing spot ventilation
at a lower cubic feet per minute (CFM)
rating, yet is motion sensor activated
to provide higher ventilation when
required. They are also big fans of the
VanEE heat recovery ventilators (HRV)
and energy recovery ventilators (ERV),
and have installed these in various
projects when ventilation is key.
Ken finds their best approach when
discussing energy retrofits with new
clients is to emphasize the increase
in comfort level and improvements
in indoor air quality that would be
achieved, along with the benefits of
return on investment (ROI) and long-
term money savings. Usually when
all those points are explained, clients
readily embrace the concepts.
One tool that has helped sell these
improvements is a blower test and
energy audit, coupled with programs
like Enbridge’s Home Energy Conserva-
tion program. These provide valuable
incentives to the customer, and the
required energy audits present impar-
tial information that reinforces their
recommendations.
Recently All Angles Renovations has
completed several relatively smaller
renovations that did not involve the
entire home and yet covered most ele-
ments that typically only large-scale,
full home renovations would be able to
incorporate. One of the most success-
ful upgrades for these and other reno-
vation projects has been the replace-
ment heating, ventilating and air
conditioning (HVAC) system they have
been promoting. Ken was so impressed
with this system after installing one in
his own home, it has become the go-to
system for his company.
The truly Canadian NY Thermal Inc.
(NTI) combination hot water boiler/
heater, combined with an AIRMAX air
handler, circulates warm air throughout
the home. It also handles domestic hot
water in an on-demand capacity, and
can be easily adapted to incorporate
in-floor radiant heating throughout the
home or connect to any other hydronic
system. Combining all heating require-
ments through one boiler effectively
reduces the amount of off-cycle losses
and is also fully modulating, with a
turndown ratio of 8:1. Simply put, this
system will allow you to tune it to the
buildernews
By Be t t e r Bu i l de r S t a ff
Retrofits – Looking at All Angles
Even If You Have to Borrow,
Themselves
Upgrades $15,200
New furnace, DHW and insulation
Year 1
Year 1

improvements you make to
your home. Incorporating this
system in a number of recently
completed renovation projects
resulted in a 50% gas consump-
tion reduction postaudit, with
significantly lower electricity
costs due to the removal of
the electric domestic hot water
systems – a definitive success.
All Angles is currently
in the final planning stages
for a large-scale exterior
energy retrofit project. This
1920s two-storey gem was
untouched. It was drafty,
had little to no insulation,
original windows and a cold,
unfinished basement. Phase
one was completed last year
with the existing basement
underpinned, hydronic in-
floor heating installed, and a
two-storey addition completed
to expand the living space. A
new insulated concrete form
(ICF) foundation was poured
and the main floor kitchen
expanded into the new space.
Phase two, completing the
basement renovation, wrapped
up this spring. All basement
windows were replaced,
ROXUL IS board insulation was
affixed to all exterior walls,
and ROXUL batt insulation
installed throughout for a total
exterior wall R-value of R22.
Phase three will include
replacing the rest of the win-
dows, the biggest challenge
being insulating the entire
exterior of the house. The
plan is to use a Larsen truss
system – deep enough to
allow for a larger than usual
amount of insulation.
To avoid disruptive interior
renovations and allow the
family to live on-site through
the upgrade, retrofitting from
the exterior is the easiest way
to add significant insulation
value to a building as well as
getting the most continuous
air barrier. The resulting R30
wall will then be ready for
installing fibre cement siding.
Because this project was
divided into stages, there have
been some unusual challenges
and a lot of foreplanning
required. When renovating
the basement, the windows
needed to be built out ahead
of time to accommodate the
new deeper walls, and weath-
erproofed to withstand the ele-
ments during the phase before
the exterior work would be
completed. All the remaining
windows will also have to be
built out in the same manner
again before the exterior work
gets underway. Ken and his
team are sure this project will
be an exciting and successful
addition to their repertoire.
Ultimately, All Angles
Renovations has committed
to sustainable strategies in
their renovations, using energy
auditing and benchmarking as
essential tools to understand-
ing the initial performance
of the homes they work on.
Presenting these approaches,
goals and targets to clients and
trade partners reinforces their
importance, making all parties
feel completely informed. This
easily allows the team to sell
energy-efficient upgrades and
most importantly, gives them a
sustainable final product they
can be proud of. BB
buildernews
By Better Builder St a ff

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RESIDENTIAL
ENERGY STORAGE
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Our intelligent battery system can:
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EneTelus Hybrid Inverter and
Lithium Ion Battery Unit

A
t the recent Scotiabank EcoLiv-
ing Awards, Krumpers Solar
Blinds won in the business
leadership category. You might won-
der why mere window blinds – out
of all the possible components that
go into building a home – would win
such a major award.
But that’s because you haven’t seen
them in action. Even for solar blinds,
they’re unique. Essentially, they’re
two-sided blinds that can be physi-
cally turned around so that in sum-
mer they reflect 76% of the heat back
outside, and in winter they actually
generate heat in direct light. And they
also insulate the window.
They work like regular blinds, says
Diana Livshits, who with her husband
purchased the sole Canadian rights
to the technology from the inventor
almost eight years ago, and opened
Krumpers Solar Solutions in Ottawa to
manufacture and sell the blinds.
“The material is unique,” she says.
“It’s proprietary technology, with
a layer of aluminum and a layer of
nano-carbon graphite sealed together.
One side is solar absorptive, and the
other is solar reflective.
“The material is perforated, with
every hole done on a different angle for
two reasons. One is so heat reflection
is random and doesn’t create hot spots,
and the other is so light transmission
is the same frequency as the retinal
receptors in the eye. You’ll never get a
headache looking through these blinds
the way you do with most.”
The blinds are then laminated with
third-grade encapsulated polyvinyl
chloride (PVC), which Livshits says
they intend to change
once the technology pro-
vides another material
that works as well.
The research sup-
ports the claims. “This is
the only window treat-
ment on the market with
independent lab results
that show a reduction
in heating and cooling
costs between 39% and
44%. They also provide
museum-grade ultraviolet
(UV) protection, which is
anything above 92%.”
However, it’s not
air conditioning (AC),
Livshits says. “It won’t
take your house from
40°C to 18°C, but it will
take the temperature
down to 28°C or 30°C. That’s why the
lab results show the AC and heating
load is 40% less. You can feel hot sit-
ting on the couch, pull down the blind,
and you’ll find you’re not hot.”
It works the same in winter – you
put the blinds down and it feels
warmer. On a sunny winter day, a 4’x4’
window will generate 2096 BTUs, equiv-
alent to a 600-watt electric heater, she
explains. “Moreover, because it insu-
lates the window, it also prevents heat
loss. Even with Low E argon windows,
you get 68% of hot air transfer. With the
blinds that goes down to about 18%.”
Krumpers’ client base is wide –
everything from trailers to estates,
Livshits says. She remembers get-
ting called to a trailer, and really
understanding once she walked in
why they needed the solar blinds.
Business Leadership Winner:
Krumpers Solar Blinds
buildernews
By A l e x Ne wm a n
Diana Livshits explains that Krumpers Solar Blinds are two sided – they can be physically turned around so that
in summer they reflect 76% of the heat back outside, and in winter they actually generate heat in direct light.

“You couldn’t breathe in there, even
though the AC was going full blast,
because the sun was pouring in.”
Naturally, condos, with their floor
to ceiling banks of windows, are a
huge market. “People are more than
happy to pay a premium for the view
in a condo, but then they have to live
with the climatic conditions of that
view, so they end up covering what
they paid to have,” Livshits says.
However, these blinds are so trans-
parent, she says, “You can distinguish
which birds are flying. It’s kind of like
sunglasses for your windows.”
The other thing is what that unre-
lenting natural light does to interior
climate – and appliances. Livshits
recounts making a customer call to
a condo when the owner was on the
phone to Miele. “It was the fourth fridge
that needed to be changed in three
months. Because the sun was beating
directly on the stainless steel fridge, it
was raising the temperature inside. It
hadn’t occurred to anyone that it wasn’t
the fridge, but the sunlight coming
through the window that caused this.”
They also make vertical blinds in
the same material because condos in
the winter can be hot during the day,
but cold once the sun sets. With a
vertical blind all you need to do is pull
the cord to make them turn 180° to
either winter or summer setting. “It’s
really ultimate control,” Livshits says.
She had no prior experience in this
kind of business. She was a Nortel
employee and her husband an electron-
ics academic. They were looking for a
solution to a problem in their home
that was resolved by these blinds.
“When Nortel went under, my hus-
band insisted we buy the rights to this
technology, and try this as a business.
We initially outsourced the manufactur-
ing, but less than a year later set up our
own manufacturing facility.”
They make both commercial and
residential blinds, and have even
engineered a solution for oddly shaped
windows and skylights. Turning the
blinds around winter or summer takes
six seconds. Livshits knows because
she’s timed it. “If you can change a roll
of toilet paper, you can turn these.”
Once people see how the blinds
work, she says, “It’s pretty much a
nonissue for them to buy and our
lead to close ratio reflects that – it’s
over 90%.” BB
Alex Newman is a writer, editor and researcher
at www.alexnewmanwriter.com.
buildernews
By Alex Newman
The blinds from Krumpers Solar Solutions are outstanding.
For one thing, the company has been honoured with the Best of Ottawa
Homestars Award in Shutters and Blinds. The award is the ultimate
heating and cooling costs while allowing you to enjoy an unobstructed
while keeping your home cool in summer. In winter, they reduce heat
loss and collect energy to keep your home cozy. Through the year,
Krumpers solar blinds protect fur- nishings from fading, reduce glare,
was so impressed with these results that I immediately ordered blinds
or
613-864-4921 for details.
Ottawa, ON
K2H 5P3
T. 613.864.4921
F. 613.829.2718
www.krumpers.ca

O
lder homes, for all their
old-fashioned charm, can
require large amounts of
energy to heat and are often uncom-
fortable, particularly for the grow-
ing number of seniors. In Ontario,
nearly 1.8 million aging homes
could use one type of energy-effi-
cient retrofit or another.
For government, the savings in
greenhouse gas emissions, and even
the potential for tax revenue, make
this fertile ground for new policy
and regulation. All three levels of
government have become active
in capitalizing on the potential for
energy-efficient retrofits.
The federal ecoENERGY program
offered incentives for energy effi-
ciency improvements in homes. The
program applied to existing Part 9
residential buildings and sought to
motivate the homeowner to action by
offering a customized, house-specific
report using standardized software
and trained certified energy evalua-
tors. The homeowner had 18 months
to complete the measures and have
their house retested to qualify for
grants. Prescriptive-based incen-
tives were used for this program. In
Ontario, there were over 435,000 ret-
rofit incentives paid under the ecoEN-
ERGY program, with by far the largest
incremental upgrade being new
furnaces (75% of all retrofits included
a furnace upgrade, see Table 1).
Through the Green Energy Act, the
Government of Ontario has signalled
its intention to make the disclosure
of a home’s energy consumption
mandatory at the time of sale. While
Renovation
Time Bombs
industrynews
By Mi c h a e l Li o
the Act is in
place, regula-
tions to support
this part of the Act
have yet to be adopted,
leaving the disclosure requirement
unenforceable. However, should
regulation be adopted, this manda-
tory disclosure would likely drive
energy-efficient renovations as home-
owners look to increase the value of
their homes.
Municipalities are beginning to
offer financing for energy-efficient
retrofits under an existing municipal
revenue tool, the local improvement
charge (LIC). Homeowners can receive
financing to increase the energy effi-
ciency of their home, and are charged
an LIC on their municipal tax bill.
Essentially a loan on the property,
this can make renovations accessible
to more Ontarians who would oth-
erwise be unable to afford to do so.
They in turn would save money each
month on their utility bills to offset
the property tax charge.
Given this interest from govern-
ment, it would be no surprise if the
number and scale of home renova-
tions significantly increase over the
next decade. While governments
capitalize on new HST and income
taxes, and reduced greenhouse gas
emissions, bad renovations can leave
homeowners with major problems.
The move toward energy-efficient
retrofits, supported and sometimes
even funded by government, assumes
renovations will be completed by com-
petent renovators doing quality work.
Poorly executed renovation work,
however, can leave homes with hidden
defects and put occupant health and
safety at risk.
For the last ten years, home reno-
vations/repairs has been in the top
three of the Ontario Ministry of Gov-
ernment and Consumer Services’ list
of Top 10 Complaints and Inquiries.
The most recently available data has

it occupying the third spot
after collection agencies and
water heater rentals/removal.
Clearly, there seem to be real
problems in the home reno-
vation market in Ontario.
The house is a collection
of interrelated systems, com-
prised of hundreds of mate-
rials and components, and
inevitably changes to one
system can adversely affect
others. For instance, sealing
and air tightening can affect
indoor air quality and occu-
pant health. Adding insula-
tion increases condensation
potential, making mould and
rot a risk only proper air
sealing and vapour protec-
tion can reduce. Replacing a
furnace to improve energy
efficiency without resizing
based on heating loads can
result in furnace cycling that
would significantly erode
efficiency improvements.
Without a proper understanding of
building science principles, renova-
tors risk leaving homeowners with a
time bomb that could explode many
years after the renovation. Home-
owners, or subsequent homebuyers,
could be saddled with a tax bill and
a house not fit for occupancy. Mould,
mildew, and rot can damage the shell
of the house. Impaired indoor air
quality can make people sick. Replac-
ing an old furnace with a new one
that cycles can make everyone cold
and uncomfortable.
The resulting problems would not
manifest immediately. The impacts of
a wrong-sized furnace would not be
felt until the following winter. Mould
and rot problems from improper
air and vapour barriers may not be
known for years after a ren-
ovation. The risks to home-
owners could be significant
where there are insufficient
safeguards. Before govern-
ments jump on the energy
retrofit bandwagon, they
need to seriously consider
the harm to homeowners
that might result from their
programs or regulations.
It is time the provincial
government considered
licensing professional ren-
ovators. Licensing should
require a mandatory
demonstration of build-
ing science and contract
management expertise.
A warranty fund should
be established for home
renovations as it exists for
new homes. The regulatory
system should be admin-
istered by a delegated
administrative authority
that protects public health
and safety, and provides economic
relief for homeowners with defective
renovations or absconded deposits.
It is irresponsible for governments
to call for mandatory energy retrofits
without providing the necessary pro-
tection homeowners are entitled to. BB
Michael Lio is
industrynews
By M ichael Lio
Table 1:
January 2008 – November 2010
Frequency
(% of Program
Participants)
Furnace/boiler replacement 75
39
Central air conditioner replacement 33
27
24
Toilet replacement 17
Basement insulation 15
Door replacement 13
11
Floor header insulation 11
Domestic hot water heater replacement 6
Ground source heat pump installation 4
Heat recovery ventilator installation 3
Lifebreath MAX Residential HRVs:
Maximum efficiency
Maximum reliability
Maximum choice

industrynews
By Michael Lio

T
here were nights Philip
Barton would wake at 2
a.m. and not go back to
sleep. The 49-year-old
Toronto contractor had
taken on the challenge
of a lifetime – renovating
a semidetached live-work space, add-
ing an underground garage and rear
addition, for a total of 6,500 sq. ft.
(which made it 200% lot coverage). It
was also on one of Toronto’s busiest
downtown streets and the client was a
well-known architect.
Barton, who’s been in construction
since 1988, is a licensed carpenter
and opened his renovation company
Kinswater Construction and Project
Management in 2009. He does every-
thing from bungalow top-ups to com-
plicated structural additions in the
$300,000–$3 million range. Although
he’d worked on several previous
projects with architect DeeDee Taylor
Eustace of Taylor Hannah Architect
Inc., when she asked him to project
manage the site with her, he didn’t
realize the extent of the job – or the
potential challenges – until he saw
the drawings.
But by then he was intrigued by the
challenge. “It was an as-built situation
with every challenge being met at the
time of occurrence … no way to antici-
pate and prepare ahead, so you had to
be on site a lot.”
Eustace says Barton was “abso-
lutely the right person to project man-
age this with me. He’s conscientious,
… does all the things you’re supposed
to do. I can’t have someone working
who doesn’t respect those things,
especially on such a densified site.”
While Barton worked the labour
and trades component, Eustace
engineered and worked with the
City on the zoning bylaws. “Part of
my specialty as an architect, interior
designer, and developer is to look at
zoning and figure the most favourable
and best use of the design.”
The Neighbours – a Constant
Presence and Construction
Challenge
Anytime there’s a party wall, the
renovation is bound to have chal-
lenges. To compound matters at this
site, the third-level wall was just one
brick thick, so construction required
an accordion method or zigzag
approach of demolishing and rebuild-
ing in sections, bracing between the
old and new, replacing ceiling joists,
then reframing piece by piece.
A new underground garage and
rear addition called for major excava-
tion and serious underpinning which
also affected the demolition.
Because the third floor party wall
was not strong laterally, Barton didn’t
want to take away more than 20 ft.
at a time. So the demo and framing
crews had to take everything down
and rebuild in sequences. On this job
there were five such sequences.
Had the existing basement ceiling
height stayed the same, the process
would have been easier, but Eustace
wanted higher ceilings, and a walk-out
for better light and outdoor access. To
accomplish that required very deep-
stepped underpinning of 15 ft. at the
basement party wall. Shoring (steel
piles and lagging) were required for
the garage and addition at the rear
of the building (there was an 18 ft.
drop in elevation from the street
to the laneway). Dump trucks and
rubble bins could not manoeuvre the
hairpin turn from the laneway to the
backyard, so all the excavated materi-
als were carried to waiting trucks via
bobcat through the laneway.
“To achieve the front walkout, we
would have needed to submit our
proposal to 12 City departments and
get approval to place shoring equip-
ment on the City sidewalk, but that
would have taken months and set the
project back. So [Barton] elected to dig
featurestory
By Al e x Ne w m a n
The Challenge of

Urban Renos
A new underground garage
and rear addition called for
major excavation and serious
underpinning which also
affected the demolition.

by hand and timber shore about 14 ft.
below the sidewalk, all while staying
on our property.”
“It was always a question of time
versus money,” Barton says. “This
monumental hand dig would cost the
same as shoring, but not waiting for
the report allowed us to get further
ahead and save time.”
With such tight quarters many
materials had to be carried in. In
some cases, things normally built
off-site had to be constructed inside
– the open riser stairs between each
floor, for example. “There was no
way we could have turned the corner
on the side entrance to bring those in
already assembled,” Barton says.
For the same reason, excavated
materials had to be carried out
through the rear laneway to wait-
ing trucks on Pears Ave. Because
the water truck couldn’t make the
tight turn, cleaning up afterward
took hours with power washers.
And when road construction on Bay
Street stopped all road permits in
the area, they had to pour the garage
footings using motorized wheel-
barrows buggied from Pears Ave.
through the laneway.
Underpinning
To prepare for underpinning, the
distance between cuts is measured
and then numbered on the wall – one,
two, three and so on. (The distance
depends on soil conditions, Barton
adds.) After digging under all the foot-
ings marked number one, you pour
the concrete, then pack nonshrink
grout between the new concrete and
existing footing to let it cure. Then do
all the number three cuts, and skip
back to do the number two cuts.
In the party wall agreement that
had been negotiated, the neighbour
had a say on how close those cuts
would be. Barton’s structural engi-
neer felt every 3 ft. was appropri-
ate, but the neighbour’s consultant
wanted 18 in. cuts.
Barton says usually an engineer will
observe a couple of pours, as will the
building inspector, but the third party
agreement insisted on inspectors and
engineers being present for every
underpinning cut. They also wanted
cuts done and cement poured the
same day. Eustace paid for both her
featurestory
By Alex Newman
With limited access manpower was the name of the game. Wheelbarrows moved concrete and soil for underpinning. Red iron was moved
and placed by hand.

engineer and the neighbour’s, which
added about $25,000 to the final cost.
EXTERIOR
With the residential-commercial
zoning of the site, exterior walls had
to be noncombustible. This meant
using 18-gauge metal studs screwed
together, then covered with Dens-
Glass Gold, which were then clad with
HardiePanel and limestone. To ensure
proper fire separations between office
and residence, double drywall was
installed with a resilient channel, all
joist cavities were filled with R24
ROXUL SAFE’n’SOUND®, and metal fire
doors hung between the two spaces.
The building design required Bar-
ton to build moment frames, which
means installing steel columns from
basement to roof, and across the top
and bottom of every window to pro-
vide lateral stability. This process is
commonly used on high-rise buildings
to resist lateral loads from wind or
earthquakes.
Flat Roof
Although flat roofs today perform as
well as peaked, Barton called in a roof
specialist to consult on the job because
of the potential for moisture problems
due to runoff and dew points, and
advise on whether or not to vent, and
whether and how much to insulate
above or below the roofline.
INTERIOR
The three mechanical systems each
have forced air high efficiency gas
furnaces, with two-stage electronically
commutated motors (ECM) that are
more energy efficient. Windows are all
Low E argon, or Low E2 double glazed.
A boiler drives the radiant heat in the
walkout walls and floor (for added
frost protection), and in the garage.
ROXUL is the main insulation which
also provides sound attenuation.
OTHER
Working in a major city centre pres-
ents a number of challenges including
tight spaces, strict bylaws and dealing
with high traffic streets.
Parking was a major issue, Barton
says. Scaffolding over the shared drive
between the site and the next door
neighbours meant providing alterna-
tive parking for them. That added
another $14,000 in parking meters
and tickets to the bill. Barton’s crew
incurred another $10,000 in parking
expenses and each vendor racked up
about $1,000. Barton figures the total
parking cost was about $40,000.
Paid duty police officers were
hired for traffic control in the lane-

way, not because it was
required, but to reduce
neighbour questions or
complaints, Barton says.
And they hired someone
to help people over the ramp
under the hoarding that cov-
ered the sidewalk on Daven-
port Ave.
In spite of “doing every-
thing by the book” – even
printing off letters to
inform nearby residents of
the schedule – Barton says
neighbours were hard to
please. He thinks it’s partly
because the affluent area
may generate NIMBYism
(Not in My Backyard), but
also because the site got
a 200% lot coverage (100%
residential and 100% com-
mercial) with no committee
of adjustment.
The building inspector’s
voice mail was filled with
neighbour complaints, and
Barton says they had two
site visits from the Ministry
of Labour to “investigate
unsubstantiated reports
of unsafe work. There was
someone from the council-
lor’s office, from the rate-
payers’ association, lots
of people with clipboards,
doing what, I don’t know.”
The weather didn’t co-
operate either. Just as the
crew was about to take
down the structure’s last
20 ft. along Davenport Ave.,
the ice storm of 2013 hit,
followed by months of deep
freeze temperatures. It
wreaked havoc with con-
struction schedules, Barton
says. “At -18°F you’re get-
ting only 30% productivity
out of your crew.”
Barton is amazed at
Eustace’s fortitude in deal-
ing with so many compli-
cations. Eustace is more
sanguine about it all. “I’ve
built a lot of complex things
– my cottage is on 70 ft. of
steel cantilevered over the
water. To me it was just a
process, shoring the site,
underpinning, and all the
various ways of going about
building it. There are issues
with any structure – of the
thousands of details that
go into one build, there
will always be things that
go well, and others that
take more time. The secret
is working through it with
your trades.”
Although he’s not sure he
would want to tackle another
project of this complexity
again, Barton feels a certain
sense of accomplishment. “I
can’t believe what was done
there. We made the impos-
sible possible. Even the
building inspector was blown
away when he did the final
inspection, especially consid-
ering the location.”
In retrospect, Barton
says, “It would have made
great TV – the stakes were
always high, the obstacles
constant, and ever-present
neighbours.”
Eustace loves her new
home and office. “It’s stun-
ningly beautiful. At the end
of the day, I’m the first sin-
gle-family home on Daven-
port Ave. just shy of 7,000
sq. ft. with 1,500 sq. ft. of
roof garden and another
200 sq. ft. of mahogany
terrace off the kitchen. I’m
very lucky.” BB
Alex Newman is a writer,
editor and researcher at
www.alexnewmanwriter.com.
featurestory
By Alex Newman

Telephone 905-760-9894
Toll Free 1-800-465-5700
Fax 905-660-5967
Mike Martino
I am a “GOOD MAN”
MikeMartino
www.martinohvac.com
HVAC2014
We provide home comfort
solutions that exceed our
customers’ expectations
through professional design, installation, service
and use of environmentally friendly, energy efficient products.
CALL US FIRST!

A
fter living in our Toronto
1940s two-storey brick home
that leaked air, was drafty
and had high energy bills, we were
motivated to create a high perfor-
mance house. So we set out to reduce
our energy and water use through an
extensive renovation in 2009.
A major renovation is a project
for the long term. A key goal was to
reduce our energy consumption, veri-
fied through our actual utility bills.
We set an energy reduction perfor-
mance target of 25% while expanding
the area by 75% to 2,700 sq. ft. This
would amount to a reduction in elec-
tricity and natural gas consumption
per square foot of 57%. Besides the
need for greater space for our family
of four with two young children, we
wanted more natural light, a space
that delights, and good indoor air
quality with no more drafts. There
was much research done and I was
fortunate to be able to tap into build-
ing science experts given my work as
a management consultant in the area
of energy-efficient buildings.
The main energy and water perfor-
mance areas we focused on were:
make the house as airtight as
possible
use as much insulation as pos-
sible
use the highest efficiency heating
and domestic hot water system
have high water efficiency.
In addition, we wanted to:
come up with a better solution
to insulating double masonry
walls from the inside without
compromising the exterior
brick’s durability
incorporate mainstream proce-
dures and technologies that were
readily available for reasonable
costs.
Even an extensive house retrofit is
much more challenging to do well as
you have to live with certain layouts
and related cost constraints. Our
house had a large tree shading it, and
was oriented so we had very limited
opportunities to take advantage of
solar gains.
What We Did
While we greatly improved the
airtightness of the house from 7.5
to 3 air changes per hour (ACH) at
50 Pa, I was disappointed we could
not get below 2. My colleague and
expert in sustainable houses John
sitespecific
By Noe l Ch e e se m a n
High Performance Renovation
On June 25, 2015 the Sus-
tainable Housing Founda-
tion (SHF) hosted its annual
Green Builder Challenge
golf tournament. The SHF
promotes education and
awareness for sustainable
housing in Canada.
Builders and manu-
facturers from across the
GTA attended the nine-hole
event. Bruce Young from
drive competition on the
fifth hole. Martin Kuypers
from Henry Canada won
the closest to the hole at
the forth. The Green Build-
er Challenge raised money
the photo, Patsy Duffy, the
executive director of the
SHF presents the dona-
tion cheque to Agatha Pisi
from the Flemington Park
Golf Club with Steve Doty
of Empire Communities
looking on.

Godden suggested it is very difficult
to achieve that tightness in an old
house, but I thought about what we
could have done better. Our trades
meant well, but didn’t fully under-
stand the importance of the details
for airtightness. Contractors will
serve their clients – and the earth –
better if they commit to raising the
bar on airtightness levels in a house
renovation.
Our new windows were double-
glazed, Low E2 argon-filled wood
and aluminum clad with some high
performance fibreglass. The Low E2
coatings were tuned on different wall
elevations to either take advantage of
solar gain in the winter or block it in
the summer.
We insulated the existing walls
from the inside using a combination
of ROXUL R14 batts inside a con-
tinuous layer of DRAINBOARD® (now
known as COMFORTBOARD®) directly
against the masonry. This greatly
increased the effective R-value of the
wall as it provided a thermal break
for the 2x4 interior wall. The addi-
tional 1” layer of just R4 continuously
across the entire masonry wall, before
the 2x4 framing, increased that wall’s
effective R-value by 47% over a typical
one without the R4 layer.
This was one of the first times this
product was used in this application,
according to ROXUL. With so many
houses in Toronto and across the
country built with a double masonry
wall and no insulation, this approach
will deal with the movement of
moisture from the outside through
the brick and cinder block. Without
careful attention when insulating
from the inside, the freeze-thaw cycle
on the masonry wall can lead to brick
spalling. Addressing this issue was a
major goal for this project.
ROXUL R22 batts in 2x6 walls
were used in the new extension and
when the exterior 2” expanded poly-
styrene (EPS) foam was added for the
stucco, we knew we had a good solu-
tion with a relatively high R-value
and limited thermal bridging. The
basement also employed full length
COMFORTBOARD® against the block
before the interior framed R14 2x4
walls. In the ceiling we used R50 cel-
lulose insulation.
The last critical area of focus was
the mechanical system. Here I was
fortunate to obtain a hardly used
small Viessmann 95% efficient boiler,
which became the heart of the hot
water heat source for our forced air
furnace (air handler), the radiant heat
in-joist loop we installed in the two
second floor bathrooms, the radiant
loop in the slab of the new section
of the basement, and the domestic
hot water (DHW). For the DHW, we
used an indirect 30-gal tank with
high insulation. We also installed
an energy recovery ventilator (ERV),
which we interlocked with the air
handler electronically commutated
motor (ECM) fan, and use it practi-
cally year round on a 20/40 minute
on/off cycle to bring in fresh air.
For water efficiency, we installed
the necessary low flow fixtures and
6-litre toilets. But we also had the
plumber run all the toilet water lines
together on a separate circuit that
can be easily redirected to a future
greywater system we plumbed for in
the mechanical room. We installed
a drainwater heat recovery pipe to
preheat the cold water going into the
hot water tank.
While the tree shading prevents
solar use today, eventually when the
tree dies we’ll be ready. We installed
copper tubing and control wire from
the attic to the basement mechanical
room for a future solar thermal sys-
tem to preheat domestic hot water.
TheHealthyHomeSpecialists
BuilderServices:
Aeroseal Duct Sealing
Validate/Refute Homeowner comfort related complaints
Data logging for: temperature, RH, Equipment
run times, etc.
Chronic icicles
Excess moisture issues
Thermal Imaging
Air Leakage Investigations
Written Reports with Photos/Thermal Scans
Recommendations for remediation
HVAC balancing
HRV Balancing
Exhaust Fan performance measurement
For homeowner/consumer services
please visit our website
905.875.4544
m.white@heandcs.ca
www.heandcs.ca
sitespecific
By Noel Cheeseman

Performance
We took a year of postrenovation
electricity and gas bills to determine
the performance numbers. Initial
computer-based modelled numbers
done for the project were EnerGuide
83 and Home Energy Rating System
(HERS) 50. These rating systems
generate numbers used in new home
construction when there are no
actual bills on which to base perfor-
mance. But once a house is a home
with people living in it, real perfor-
mance matters, and that comes from
the actual consumption on our utility
bills over a year.
Our actual consumption reduction
came in at 18%, or an energy inten-
sity of 9.9 equivalent kWh per sq. ft.
(ekWh/sq. ft.), which is quite good.
The average house in Toronto uses
10,000 kWh and around 3,000 m3
of
gas annually – about 20 ekWh/sq. ft.
for a 2,000 sq. ft. home. Our actual
annual emissions reductions are just
over 1 tonne eCO2 (carbon). We could
not report on water as we had a mal-
functioning water meter.
I recently went online to Scotia-
bank’s EcoLiving Home Energy Savings
Calculator (www.ecoliving.scotiabank.
com/calculate-savings) to see what it
suggested we do and what we could
save. After entering our profile infor-
mation through easy step-by-step
questions, it produced a list of rec-
ommended upgrades and what the
savings would be for our house in
Toronto. While it was not able to incor-
porate our area expansion, the recom-
mendations were almost exactly the
ones we did. From replacing our heat-
ing system with a combined space and
hot water system to more insulation in
the walls, it was encouraging that the
recommendations were relevant to our
situation. And it showed we could save
about $1,300 per year for energy and
water at today’s prices.
Our work and promotion of resi-
dential performance metrics earned
project finalist in the 2012 Green
Toronto Awards for Energy Conserva-
tion. It’s not difficult to measure the
actual performance of our homes. We
will build and renovate better when
we measure what we have done and
learn from the data. Our hope is that
more contractors will become more
familiar with performance metrics
and best practices. With better pro-
cesses, including standardization
methods like labelling for houses and
training, we will all pay more atten-
tion to what makes a high perfor-
mance house. BB
Noel Cheeseman is president of
Equanim Systems.
Dow’s full house of insulation, air sealants and
adhesives work together to create an airtight,
moisture resistant structure from roof to
foundation, helping builders and contractors
meet or exceed building codes, reduce
callbacks and create a comfortable, durable,
energy efﬁcient structure for their customers.
DOW BUILDING SOLUTIONS
1-866-583-BLUE (2583)
www.insulateyourhome.ca
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Whole-House
SolutionsTHAT HELP BUILDERS AND
CONTRACTORS OUTPERFORM
sitespecific
By Noel Cheesema n

to develop
wall system
improvements
for existing
older homes by
developing and
testing exterior
insulation/
wall assem-
blies that can
be retrofitted to
existing buildings.
The research is far
enough advanced that
a training program can
and should be developed for
renovators. It is important
they be properly trained, but
it does not mean the training
has to be either extensive or
burdensome – no different than the
ENERGY STAR and R2000 training is
for builders.
In discussing this issue with a
number of MPs, it was suggested
they develop a robust national home
renovation program to tackle several
issues at once. Here are the win-win-
win priorities of the program that
should be enacted:
Create an ongoing revenue
neutral home tax credit program
for homeowners who complete
energy-efficient home renova-
tions, specifically improving their
building envelope through air
sealing, improved insulation, bet-
ter windows, and then installing
higher-performing mechanicals.
T
here is a growing sense of
urgency around the concept of
climate change and what to do
about it. The headlines range from
bold to alarming, anything from “G7
Targets Huge Emissions Cuts” (The
Sun Times, June 9, 2015) to “The
Boiling Planet” (Toronto Star, June
27, 2015). At the recent G7 Summit,
leaders agreed to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions by 40%–70% by 2050
compared to 2010 levels. Those
reductions are going to have to come
from somewhere, and you can bet our
industry will play a large part in meet-
ing those targets.
As an industry, we have long been
advocating for more energy-efficient
housing and have had voluntary pro-
grams for decades. Recently the con-
versation has begun to focus on net
zero homes. While it is aspirational
to think of building homes that cre-
ate as much energy
as they consume, it
seems we are miss-
ing the point.
The far bigger
issue is the exist-
ing housing stock
of leaky old homes
that are not energy
efficient. If we really
want to drop the carbon footprint of
housing, we need to deal with exist-
ing homes. It is time for the govern-
ment to step forward with a program
aimed at improving the energy
performance of existing homes. This
fromthegroundup
By Dou g Ta rry
program needs to have a
primary focus on the
building envelope
to help reduce
energy needs.
Done prop-
erly, this pro-
gram will have
broad consumer
appeal and can
be designed to be
revenue neutral,
which should allow
the Federal and Pro-
vincial governments
to maintain the pro-
gram permanently.
At the same time, con-
sumers should be aware
of what they are buying. I
believe it is time to require manda-
tory labelling of all homes at time of
sale. There are enough energy raters
now that this pro-
gram could be put
into effect within
24 months.
From past arti-
cles, many of you
will know our com-
pany developed the
Optimum Basement
Wall with ROXUL
Insulation, and had it studied by
the Applied Research Green Innova-
tion Lab Experience (ARGILE) project
from George Brown College. How-
ever, you probably don’t know that
the ARGILE project was designed
Climate Change,
Carbon Footprints
and Existing Homes
The far bigger issue is
the existing housing stock
of leaky old homes that
the carbon footprint of
housing, we need to deal
with existing homes.

Prepare our industry’s renovators
for the market transformation of
mandatory labelling of existing
homes to ensure the updates are
completed by qualified renova-
tors.
Level the playing field on the
underground economy further
by requiring receipts and build-
ing permits for the work to be
completed. (Statistics Canada has
a really good study on the under-
ground economy that shows its
numbers dropping concurrent
with the previous EcoENERGY pro-
gram.)
Provide ongoing affordability to
consumers by enabling them to
reduce their heating and cooling
loads, and their exposure to rising
energy costs.
Maintain Canada’s historic lead-
ership in housing, building sci-
ence for housing, and carbon
footprint reduction by reducing
overall heating and cooling energy
consumption. This technology can
be exported to other countries
who have not done this type of
research.
Create a more durable building
envelope, better able to withstand
the changing weather patterns
climate change brings.
Here is a potential program that
can be revenue neutral to the gov-
ernment, protect consumers from
fraudulent renovators, reduce the
underground economy, and improve
affordability of home ownership
while increasing Canada’s leadership
role in both energy-efficient building
and climate change initiatives. Our
suggestion is to make it a permanent
program. This will allow industry to
plan and grow into it.
I’d say that’s a pretty good place
to start. BB
Doug Tarry Jr.
Tarry Homes in St. Thomas, Ont.
fromthegroundup
By Do ug Tar r y

buildernews
By Ja n e Loga n
M
ark Madigan, owner of Total
Renovations Inc. (www.total
enovations.com), was intro-
duced to sustainable building expert
John Godden (www.clearsphere.ca) at
a Project FutureProof home seminar
hosted by Better Builder writer Alex
Newman. It was a perfect opportunity
to discuss green energy initiatives and
ways to implement them in his projects.
Mark proposed putting Future-
Proof into practice with clients
George and Maureen MacDonald. The
retired couple had recently purchased
a bungalow in Toronto’s East End
that they planned to totally gut and
renovate, including a large addition.
Maureen’s wish was to have a larger
kitchen which opened onto a deck
and backyard, with lots of room and
seating for family gatherings.
Since everything in the home –
from the insulation to the windows
to the furnace – was being replaced,
Maureen and George agreed it was
the perfect time to upgrade their
home’s efficiency. They were intrigued
with the idea of future proofing, and
with the prospect of major savings
on future heating, cooling and water
costs for their new home. “That did
the trick,” says George of their deci-
sion to future proof their home.
Initially they were simply thinking
about installing a more efficient fur-
nace. However, they soon discovered
A Total Reno Promotes Homeowner
Awareness at Every Stage

there were many more energy-saving
options available to consider.
“There was so much information
to take in, it made our heads spin,
but we were kept in the loop during
the whole process,” says Maureen.
“Ultimately, we felt comfortable
going with the systems and products
Clearsphere and Total Renovations
recommended.”
Clearsphere and Total Renova-
tions guided the MacDonalds through
the Discovery Home process, which
includes testing and energy modelling
to determine the home’s current energy
use. This data was shared with the Mac-
Donalds and together the appropriate
course of action was decided.
Total Renovations installed BP
EXCEL sheathing on the home’s exte-
rior, which is made with 98% recyclable
materials with an R-value of 2, to create
a secure building envelope and mini-
mize heat loss and air leakage. ROXUL
insulation was used in the cavities.
The MacDonalds opted for the
AIRMAX small duct high velocity air
handling system. The powerful system
runs briefly but frequently, maximiz-
ing its efficiency throughout the home.
Panasonic WhisperGreen Select ventila-
tion fans and an energy recovery venti-
lator (ERV) were also installed, provid-
ing both spot ventilation in bathrooms
and whole house continuous ventila-
tion with energy recovery.
A Power-Pipe drainwater heat
recovery system was installed. Waste-
water from the shower flows down
a copper pipe. At the same time,
cold fresh water travels up copper
tubes wrapped around the pipe. The
warm wastewater going down the
pipe clings to the inner sides, heating
the incoming cold fresh water. The
water being delivered to the new NY
Thermal Inc. (NTI) boiler on demand
is already warmed, which reduces
the amount of heating required. This
energy-conserving system reduces
water heating costs by as much as
35%, and also greatly reduces the
home’s greenhouse gas emissions.
The den and basement both have
radiant floors, which are heated
with warm water from the NTI boiler
through polyethylene pipes imbed-
ded in the floor. So the den, which
sits above the garage, is always cozy.
It also makes the basement very
comfortable, which the MacDonalds’
grandchildren appreciate when they
visit, says George, as they are fre-
quently drawn to the basement pop
fridge and family room.
The home has also been roughed
in for greywater recycling. With this
system, grey wastewater from tubs
and sinks is directed to a reservoir,
treated, and then reused for toilet
flushing and irrigation. When installa-
tion of the greywater recycling system
is complete, it will result in significant
water savings for the MacDonalds.
When renovations were complete,
Clearsphere retested the home using
the Home Energy Rating (HERS)
system. A blower door test was done,
and the ventilation and air handling
systems balanced. As displayed on
the Project FutureProof label issued
to the MacDonalds by Clearsphere,
their home’s HERS energy rating
score is now 54, roughly 11% bet-
ter than code. Here is the proof that
building and renovating with sustain-
ability in mind works.
Better air quality, better heat dis-
tribution, lower utility bills, and the
Enbridge Home Energy Conservation
program rebate they received with Cle-
arsphere’s help, are among the many
benefits enjoyed by the MacDonalds
in their newly renovated and future-
proofed home. They have already
noticed appreciable reductions on their
heating/cooling and electricity bills.
In addition, sustainable Canadian
oak hardwood floors were installed
throughout the home. “From an
ecological point of view, it all makes
great sense. It really is the way of the
future,” says Maureen.
Now that it’s done, George and Mau-
reen don’t actually think about it much,
which is great for this active, family-
oriented couple. “The guidance John
Godden provided made it easy for us
to operate the systems, and once they
were in place and balanced, there was
nothing else to do, really,” says George.
“We would definitely recommend this
process to other homeowners.”
Homeowners George and Maureen MacDonald with Mark Madigan.
buildernews
By Jane Logan

Mark Madigan says, “I and my team
at Total Renovations appreciate the
opportunity to collaborate with John
Godden and Clearsphere in applying
green technologies to this project.
I believe it puts Total Renovations
on the leading edge of renovators
of existing homes who are working
toward better energy efficiency and
sustainability of resources. Most
importantly, applying this new tech-
nology benefits our client through the
resulting permanent energy efficiency,
a healthier atmosphere, and a higher
level of comfort, coupled with ease of
operation and lower operating costs.”
Effecting change, both in industry
and society, is a challenge, but Mark
feels that “This is absolutely the way
of the future. It’s time to embrace a
new method of renovating, one with
sustainability in mind. Total Reno-
vations will definitely continue to
incorporate sustainable practices and
products, and green initiatives wher-
ever possible. Everyone wins.” BB
Total Renovations Inc. is a Toronto-based
design/build company.
Mark Madigan can be reached at
416-694-2488. www.TotalRenovations.com
Jane Logan is a freelance writer and adminis-
trator in the homebuilding/renovation industry.
BETTER
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“It’s a choice not a chance!”

B
eing energy conscious goes
beyond simply lowering
monthly expenditures. It can
actually stimulate economic growth
and promote job creation. A report
delivered at the 2014 Energy and
Mines Ministers’ Conference titled
Economic Benefits of Responsible
Energy Use explores the concept
of how there is a direct correlation
between a country’s investment in
energy efficiency and its improved
overall economic health.
When energy-conscious consumers
invest in their homes by upgrading win-
dows, doors or insulation, demand is
created for goods and services. Jobs are
created in numerous industries, rang-
ing from research and development,
production, sales, service and instal-
lation – all of which lead to increased
consumer confidence and spending.
Did you know that keeping a
home’s temperature comfortable
year-round makes up as much as 2/3
of the average family’s energy bill?
Installing insulation keeps tempera-
tures stable and has been proven to
reduce a building’s energy use by as
much as half. It’s one of the easi-
est and most cost-effective ways to
improve energy efficiency.
“Insulation takes effect immedi-
ately and continues to have a measur-
able impact over the lifetime of the
building,” says Dave Smith, residential
segment manager at ROXUL Inc. “The
installation of ROXUL stone wool
insulation can drastically reduce the
monthly cost of heating and cooling
your home while providing a number
of other significant benefits.”
Lowering monthly expenditures on
energy costs will provide more dispos-
able income, allowing homeowners to
spend that money on consumer pack-
aged goods, additional home renova-
tions, or luxuries like recreation and
travel. This spending creates a ripple
effect, generating what the report
defines as a “double bang for the
buck” in the economy.
Increased savings for consumers
and ratepayers are obvious benefits.
However, energy conservation has
proven to go beyond simply financial
savings and compensation. Accord-
ing to a recent study conducted by
Natural Resources Canada (NRCan),
every $1 spent on energy efficiency
programs generates between $4 and
$8 to the gross domestic product
(GDP), while every $1 million invested
in energy efficiency programs gener-
ates up to 57 job years (that’s one job,
for one year, for 57 years).
In 2011, it was found that Cana-
dian consumers saved over $20
billion and businesses over $14 bil-
lion in energy costs from all energy
efficiency improvements since 1990.
Considerable savings like this can
unquestionably propel investment
and job growth. According to the
Environmental Careers Organiza-
tion, there were over 100,000 active
energy efficiency-related occupations,
totalling $7.7 billion in wages. NRCan
estimates the energy efficiency indus-
try accounted for approximately 3%
of GDP in 2013 or $54 billion.
Another recent study by the Inter-
national Energy Agency (IEA) ranked
Canada a world leader in energy effi-
ciency, which is particularly impressive
given the many challenges we face in
this country. Extreme seasonal temper-
ature fluctuations, dispersed popula-
tion, and an energy-intensive industrial
sector each pose their own unique set
of obstacles to be overcome.
Out of 15 countries, Canada was
ranked second for its energy efficiency
improvement from 1990 to 2010.
Canada earned high marks as a result
of energy improvements that focused
on higher efficiency rather than energy
savings that resulted in a shift from
industrial manufacturing to more
service-focused industries. As a nation
we continue to work toward greater
improvements. The Economic Benefits
of Responsible Energy Use report noted
that “Approximately $300 million in
utility, municipal, provincial and ter-
ritorial incentives” currently promote
energy conservation and efficiency in
homes and businesses, and “Twelve
provinces and territories have adopted
or are in the process of adopting
more stringent building codes…. The
result is that building owners will see
approximately $70 million in cost sav-
ings in 2016.”
More nations and corporations are
realizing the benefit of adopting green
practices to bolster efficiency, sustain-
ability and profitability. Energy savings
can be reinvested to increase capacity,
fuel research, development and com-
petitiveness, or passed along to con-
sumers. Ultimately, we all benefit from
greater energy efficiency. It may seem
overly simple, but as a homeowner,
when you do your part by building a
more energy-efficient home, you’re
helping to make an indelible contribu-
tion to job creation and sustainable eco-
nomic development in this country. BB
buildernews
By RO XU L a n d
Bet t e r Bu i l de r st a ff
By the Numbers:
Economic Benefits &EnergyEfficiency

Making Old Homes New Again: Renovation Strategies for Energy Efficiency and Sustainability

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