Better Builder Magazine, Issue 42 / Summer 2022

PUBLICATION
NUMBER
42408014 ISSUE 42 | SUMMER 2022
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BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 42 | SUMMER 2022 1
32
ISSUE 42 | SUMMER 2022
Images internally supplied unless otherwise credited.
34
18
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
2
The Annual Cross Border
Builder Challenge
Why Competition Is a Good Thing
by John Godden
THE BADA TEST
3
The Hybrid House Approach
A Production Builder’s Best
Strategies for (or Before) 2030
by Lou Bada
INDUSTRY EXPERT
5
Spring Training Camp 2022
by Gord Cooke
INDUSTRY NEWS
8
Regal Crest Promotes Choice
in Achieving Energy Efficiency
by Marc Huminilowycz
BUILDER NEWS
11
Lindvest Homes
“Doing It Differently”
by Alex Newman
BUILDER NEWS
14
ICON Homes
An Iconic Cross Border
Builder Challenge Award
by Alex Newman
BUILDER NEWS
16
Resourceful Conservation
by Rob Blackstien
BUILDER NEWS
18
Continuous Improvement
Mandalay Homes’ constant
process of education
by Rob Blackstien
INDUSTRY NEWS
22
Uncertain Times for
Homebuilding in Ontario
by Paul De Berardis
BUILDER NEWS
27
Country Homes
Built with Hands, Heart
and Care for the Planet
by Marc Huminilowycz
BUILDER NEWS
31
Empire Communities
Five Years of Continuous
Improvement
by Better Builder Staff
BUILDER NEWS
32
The 2022 Cross Border Builder
Challenge Golf Tournament
BUILDER NEWS
33
Cross Border Challenge
Honourable Mentions
by Better Builder Staff
FROM THE GROUND UP
34
Why Indoor Air Quality Matters
by Doug Tarry
Cover, awards, event and golf photos by Mike Day, theartofweddings.com
The 2022 Cross Border
Builder Challenge

BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 42 | SUMMER 2022
The Annual Cross Border
Builder Challenge
Why Competition Is a Good Thing
“Competition is always a good thing. It forces us to do our best.
A monopoly renders people complacent and satisfied with mediocrity.”
— Nancy Pearcey
I
n a rapidly changing world of politics, codes, programs and technologies, compe
tition creates a level playing field and provides superior outcomes. Single-minded
government policies, programs and agendas need to be vetted with transparency
and standard forms of measurement. The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) index
and software recognized in the Ontario Building Code (OBC) draw a line where the
industry can objectively determine, through a standard-based approach, which
builders are winners when it comes to energy efficiency.
In this issue, we tell the important background stories of all our Canadian RESNET/
CRESNET Cross Border Builder Challenge winners: BK Couper Custom Homes,
Country Homes, Dietrich Homes, Empire Communities, ICON Homes, Lindvest
Homes and Regal Crest Homes. We were able to stack them up against American home
builders in a friendly competition using HERS scores. They show us the leadership that
comes from a competitive, yet collaborative homebuilding industry.
In the U.S., there are many competing software providers, so HERS-based software
is very accurate, user-friendly and under continuous improvement. In Canada, ERS
software for energy modelling has no competition and, therefore, some parts of it have
not been updated for over 30 years. In his article about spring training camp, Gord
Cooke refers to a discussion of this by Jeff Baker. Baker is a window expert, and he
says that even the window algorithms within the ERS software that he wrote need to
be updated to include low solar heat gain windows. Read more in Gord’s article about
other timely issues like the resiliency of net zero homes during blackouts (page 5).
Many are rethinking net zero or balanced energy. Lou Bada introduces the concept
of the hybrid house, where batteries are utilized for peak shaving before panels go
onto roofs (page 3). Paul De Berardis helps us understand what business may be like
in Ontario under a provincial mandate to build 1.5 million more houses amidst the
challenges of municipal overreach, affordability, labour shortages and supply chain
issues (page 22).
Lastly, Doug Tarry reminds us that homes are built for occupants (page 34). In
the quest to reduce carbon emissions when building and operating houses, we need
to provide healthy living environments and educate people around their choices for
finishes.
When we can measure to the same standard, we can all begin striving to do better.
Currently, the OBC offers builders choices for how to enhance their brand while
satisfying code requirements for energy performance. A single rating system cannot
foster this same spirit of continuous improvement. Competition is good and mono
polies don’t work – just remember what happened with Rogers this summer. BB
publisher’snote / JOHN GODDEN
2
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ASHRAE Standard 90.2 (Energy-
Efficient Design of Low-Rise Residential
Buildings), we will see that a HERS
rating of 46 is a “Zero Energy Ready
Home,” which is a 35% improvement
from the NBC Tier 1. This American
approach by the Department of Energy
(DOE) deliberately omitted the word
I
f the current energy shock – and,
more importantly, the enormous
human suffering caused by the
war in Europe – hasn’t been an eye-
opener, then I’m not sure what is.
The extent of the world’s reliance
on fossil fuels and its economic
weaponization should feel like a
punch in the mouth. It’s a reasonable
reaction to the war to call for the more
rapid decarbonization of our lives
and economies. It’s not a matter of if
we decarbonize, but a matter of when
and how. As should be evident, it’s not
as easy as flipping a switch.
My friend Paul De Berardis’
explanation and analysis of the tiered
approach to energy conservation
in the upcoming building codes in
the last issue of Better Builder was
excellent. Essentially, the upcoming
requirements for section SB-12 in
Part 9 of the 2024 Ontario Building
Code (OBC) will be what our current
A-1 prescriptive package is, with
the addition of an airtightness test.
This represents a 20% improvement
of the National Building Code’s
(NBC) Tier 1. It will be the OBC’s
baseline for 2024 (or NBC’s Tier 3).
As Paul also explained, more
ominous are municipal governments’
pushes to move ahead of the OBC and
implement their own municipal green
standards. If we guess at what the next
step may be or what municipalities
will foist on us, we need to look at a
Net Zero-Ready requirement. A 40%
improvement in energy efficiency
from Tier 1 is required for a Tier 4
home in the NBC. If we look to the
“net.” DOE has a defined threshold of
50% better than International Energy
Conservation Code (IECC) 2006. A
HERS 46 rating is very close to the
40% improvement required for Tier 4
in the NBC. Again, I will reiterate the
importance of a recognized standard
(such as ASHRAE) and a rational scale
(such as HERS) for measurement of
energy efficiency in homes.
How would we get to
“Net Zero Ready or Zero
Energy-Ready” or Tier 4?
John Godden’s elaboration of a hybrid
house in previous issues made a lot of
sense, and I briefly touched on it in the
futureproofing issue of Better Builder
(winter 2021). To understand the
hybrid house principle is to understand
that the home will use multiple energy
sources. The wise use of natural gas
with combination heating and the
3
thebadatest / LOU BADA
A Production Builder’s Best Strategies for (or Before) 2030:
The Hybrid House Approach
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
— Mike Tyson
ELECTRIC
MOTOR
NATURAL
GAS
PETROL/
DIESEL
TANK
OFF-PEAK
ELECTRICITY
ICE
REGEN-
ERATIVE
BRAKING
BATTERY
Hybrid House is like a plug-in hybrid car that uses two or more energy sources –
natural gas and off-peak electricity with battery storage.
90.2 COMPLIANCE ERI
SCORES BY CLIMATE ZONE
CLIMATE ERI SCORE
ZONE 1 43
ZONE 2 45
ZONE 3 47
ZONE 4 47
ZONE 5 47
ZONE 6 46
ZONE 7 46
ZONE 8 45
In ON, low carbon homes are ERI/HERS 46.

weather heat pumps don’t work well
enough. They still require electrical
resistance heating to be comfortable in
the home. Electricity is still produced
from natural gas at peak on the coldest
days. The home may be “net zero,” but
the grid isn’t. It’s not an energy efficient
way of going about things, especially
since PV systems without batteries
could not generate electricity during
the Ottawa blackout.
We also need to choose the right
windows for our climate. We need
windows that keep heat in during the
winter and keep heat out during the
summer. We should use affordable
double-glazed windows with U-values
lower than 1.6 and solar heat gain
lower than 0.3. This can reduce cooling
loads by up to 30%.
Why not go all the way and
build “Net Zero” homes?
Mandating Net Zero homes now will
be costly and ineffective in reducing
the amount of greenhouse gases new
homes produce until the energy grid
is also decarbonized. Municipalities
need to rethink mandating Net Zero
housing before it’s practical, tried and
true, and affordable. Also, Net Zero is
not a standard but a program.
My recent article on affordability is
even more pertinent now with rising
interest rates and inflation taking hold.
Economic hardship has very real social
consequences.
It’s one thing to be aspirational and
set goals for the future; it’s another to
get punched in the mouth right now. 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).
according to some manufacturers’
literature), without backup electrical
resistance heat, the temperature
rise and delivery of warm air is not
satisfactory to the occupants of the
home. I visited a home we built with
this system and it was uncomfortable
– it felt like a cool breeze was being
delivered through the ductwork. We
had to reset the trigger point for the
electric resistance heating to turn on at
about 0° C to deliver a level of comfort
that the homeowners could stand
when it was cold. I’m afraid that the
electricity bills will be a shock to the
homeowners of an “energy efficient
home” and rates will only increase in
the future.
Quite frankly, right now, cold
4
use of off-peak electricity can reduce
carbon emissions by up to 50%. A
standard air source heat pump air
conditioner can provide 40% of the
space heating in shoulder months
using electricity, a non-carbon-based
fuel in Ontario. Shoulder seasons are
months where we have low heating
loads and moderate temperatures and
where gas-fired “peaker-generating
plants” aren’t working much.
Why not use a “cold
weather” heat pump and
go all electric then?
Our experience with cold weather
heat pumps was less than ideal.
Although they are rated to work
somewhere down to −10° C (and lower

W
e were so pleased to be able
to host Spring Training
Camp in person once again
in April 2022. Officially, this was the
ninth annual event, albeit the last
two were hosted in the virtual realm.
As always, we felt there were many
important technical lessons offered
for residential new homebuilders.
For a start, as always, we were
privileged to have Dr. John Straube
speak for a few hours, offering
compelling yet simple details for
improving the resiliency of new
homes. Interestingly, both he and Jeff
Baker of WestLabs (one of Canada’s
foremost authorities on window
performance) spoke about the
importance of appropriate window
coatings with respect to solar gain.
John spoke about the dangers of
high solar gain glazing in ever-more
efficient buildings and the possibility
of dramatic overheating in the
event of electrical grid interruptions
with no air conditioning. Jeff spoke
about the overall energy efficiency
opportunities in choosing lower solar
gain glazing to balance winter versus
summer energy use.
There were a number of sessions
and even a debate on the progress of
“counting carbon” (both embodied
and operational) with a goal of finding
the appropriate balance between
reducing energy use while optimizing
the carbon emitted in the production
of more insulation or additional
panes of glass in high-performance
windows. Of importance, there are
now resources available to builders,
such as carbon simulation tools
– not unlike the energy efficiency
simulation software that has now
become a common code compliance
tool. It can be expected that the same
consultants who provide energy
performance assessments will soon
be able to advise on cost-effective
carbon optimization choices.
(The link at the end will provide
more information on some of the
technical topics discussed at Spring
Training Camp.)
To me, however, one of the most
enlightening sessions was what I would
consider a process lesson that was
delivered by Jim Moore and Joe Starr
of Beazer Homes. Jim is the senior vice
president of operations and Joe is the
senior director of national accounts
and innovation at Beazer. Beazer’s
head office is in Atlanta, and they
currently build in 16 markets across 12
states. As one of the largest builders in
the United States, Beazer defines their
difference in three corporate pillars.
The first is tremendous flexibility in
5
The Important Lesson Learned
from Spring Training Camp 2022
industryexpert / GORD COOKE
The same consultants
who provide energy
performance
assessments will soon
be able to advise on
cost-effective carbon
optimization choices.
Jim Moore of Beazer Homes (left), Joe Starr
of Beazer Homes (centre) and Gord Cooke.

6
the choice of house plans. The second
is the opportunity for homebuyers to
choose their own mortgage financing
(this is not something all national
builders provide).
The third pillar, “Surprising
Performance,” was the focus of Jim
and Joe’s presentation to the 160
campers – the builders, designers,
energy advisors, manufacturers and
utility representatives – at Hockley
Resort this year. Always a leader in
technical performance, Jim recounted
that in spring 2020, he asked industry
influencers where the technical
performance of houses was headed
over the next seven to 10 years. Jim
and Joe were intrigued to hear from
those experts about the inevitability
of net zero energy construction over
the next 10 years. With the help of my
partners at Construction Instruction
and the energy modelling team
of Building Knowledge Canada in
running a common American energy
design software, Beazer executed
a virtual integrated design process
over a six-month period with a
multi-disciplinary internal team
supplemented with a few external
subject matter experts (such as solar
system designers) to map out a path
to net zero energy construction.
The process laid out was so
surprisingly simple that Jim and Joe
were able to show a cost-effective
and timely plan that will empower
all divisions to meet the corporate
mandate of net zero energy-ready
for every home delivered in 2025,
rather than the original goal of 2030.
While many builders in Canada
have implemented net zero energy
construction in demonstration homes
or even in specific developments, I
feel the unique difference in Beazer’s
process was to have every division
implement very specific construction
details in each of the years in the four-
year plan.
For example, in the first full year
of the process (2022), every one of the
approximately 7,000 homes closed will
be airtightness tested and achieve a
level of no more than 3.0 air changes
per hour at 50 pascals (3.0 ACH50)
– even in states where testing is not
required. Also included in year one
is the installation of energy recovery
ventilators (ERVs) in every home; they
will be the first national builder in the
U.S. to do so.
Notice the building science
synergy of build tight, ventilate right.
That theme extends into each year
of the plan. The focus of year two is
improving window performance;
appropriately selecting more efficient,
smaller-sized air conditioning
systems; and moving airtightness
to 2.5 ACH50. Each year, there are
also elements that are simpler to
implement – such as water heating
efficiency, lighting, appliances and
attic insulation upgrades. The more
complex implementation of high-
performance walls and getting all
ducts out of attics and into conditioned
space are being worked on now but
targeted for execution in the final
year of the program. In that final year,
the airtightness target moves to 1.5
ACH50. All measures have been fully
costed, and manufacturing and supply
partners have been engaged to provide
appropriate product innovation and
training for smooth implementation.
For example, a national arrangement
with AeroBarrier has been provided to
every division. AeroBarrier provides
the technology that empowers all
builders to achieve airtightness levels
under 1.5 ACH50 with one process or
phone call. (For more information,
visit www.aerobarrier.ca.)
Jim Moore was candid in his
explanation that about a third of the
building divisions were enthusiastic
supporters and are already ahead
of schedule. Another third of the
divisions have expressed challenges
with local contractors, suppliers and
even building officials. However, head
office is providing them with additional
resources and support rather than
backing off on the corporate mandate.
An additional challenge was that
the corporate sales and marketing
team initially struggled with how
to present this stepped approach.
However, they were intrigued that
Beazer will adopt the U.S. Department
of Energy Zero Energy-Ready (ZER)
label as homes become qualified on or
before 2025. The ZER program includes
a requirement for homes to also be
labelled under the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Indoor airPLUS
program. When Jim and Joe committed
to the sales team that all new homes
would be labelled to this indoor air
quality program’s requirements within
the first year of the program, the sales
team quickly became excited to focus
on this as the “Surprising Perform
ance” feature of their homes. Again,
they are the first national builder to
adopt this helpful air quality require
The building science community has
always shown that the same things done
to make a home more energy efficient
simultaneously make them healthier, safer,
more comfortable and more durable.

ment as a standard. I found this to
be rewarding as well, as the building
science com
munity has always shown
that the same things done to make a
home more energy efficient simulta
neously make them healthier, safer,
more comfortable and more durable.
It is therefore gratifying to see that
the Canadian Home Builders’ Asso
ciation’s Net Zero Energy labelling
program is planning to add an indoor
air quality checklist requirement to
their specifications as well.
Beazer’s success in outlining a
process for a clear, cost-effective
path to net zero energy-ready well
ahead of most regional or state code
regulations could serve as a useful
lesson for large Canadian builders as
well. After all, Jim and Joe both noted
how pleased they were to find common
challenges and processes with the
many Canadian builders they spoke to
at Camp. The rigour of a specific plan
that allows for small, incremental steps
(just ahead of codes) – and with clear
collaboration amongst internal teams,
supply partners and energy advisors
– allows Beazer the opportunity for
a proactive, reasoned and controlled
implementation. Perhaps Beazer’s
three pillars of difference, including
their “Surprising Performance”
promise implementation, were part of
the reason they were ranked as number
one in the construction industry on
Newsweek’s list of America’s Most
Trusted Companies for 2022.
This first year back in person
highlighted again why we have been
so pleased that Spring Training Camp
continues to foster the sharing of
successes and challenges between
high-performance builders from
across North America. This willingness
to collaborate is, in my opinion, one of
the best aspects of our industry. BB
For more information, stay tuned to
buildingknowledge.ca/spring-camp.
Gord Cooke is
president of Building
Knowledge Canada.
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8
I
n 1965, a group of 17 Ontario trades
people got together with a shared
vision: to build better homes and
communities through hard work,
innovation and a commitment to
quality. Today, despite its small size,
builder Regal Crest Homes in Concord
remains a competitive player in the
province’s homebuilding industry by
constructing 400 to 500 quality homes
every year.
“We can strike and bang with the
best,” says Regal Crest contract and
costing manager Mike Rubino. The
company is a graduate of the Savings
by Design program from Enbridge
Gas which, through building science
and energy modelling, helps builders
design and construct energy-saving
homes that offer maximum comfort
with minimal environmental impact.
It also took part in an Enbridge
monitoring study in integrated
combination systems. Since then,
Regal Crest has created its own
builder brand using the Home Energy
Rating System (HERS) and the Better
Than Code third-party label.
As a result of the company’s
commitment to energy-efficient
building through the Savings by
Design program, Regal Crest received
the President’s Award in the 2022
CRESNET Cross Border Builder
Challenge for its Anchor Woods
subdivision in East Gwillimbury,
Ontario. “Anchor Woods put us on
the map,” says Rubino. “Although this
project was built to Energy Star to
comply with a municipal subdivision
agreement, it gave us a platform to go
beyond the confines of the program
– with the same savings, energy
efficiency and value – and create
customized building solutions instead
of following a label.”
Rubino and the Regal Crest team
believe that decisions regarding
energy efficiency should be left to the
builder. “There should be checks and
balances,” he says. “It’s really about
affordability. A municipality tells us
that we have to build to Energy Star,
but we can achieve the same or better
in many other ways. Because we’re
small, we know what’s going on, and
we work lean, from breaking ground
to closing. I wish municipalities would
reach out to builders more, in order to
create better communities. We say to
them, ‘Are you getting the best value?
Give us options instead.’”
When it comes to dealing with the
long arm of local municipal overreach,
Regal Crest is leading the way by
promoting builder choice and creating
its own technical requirements and
green standards for developers to
follow. As for the federal government’s
commitment to developing a Net Zero
emissions model Building Code for
provinces by 2024, Mike Rubino claims
that Regal Crest is prepared for what
is to come. “Most builders today are
unfamiliar with Net Zero,” he says. “We
prefer to use the term ‘zero energy-
Ontario Builder Promotes
Choice in Achieving Energy Efficiency
industrynews / MARC HUMINILOW YCZ
Regal Crest Homes — Winner, 2022 President's
Award, presented to Art Rubino (right) by Paul
Lowes, President of CRESNET.

ready’ in our building practices,
meaning that we can build 20% better
than Building Code. We won the
President’s Award averaging a score
of HERS 42 at our East Gwillimbury
subdivision for over 100 homes.”
Currently, all of Regal Crest’s new
homes boast an impressive average
HERS score of 46, which, according to
Rubino, makes them well on their way
to being “zero energy-ready.” A new
development in Markham, Ontario
– a municipality with “some of the
toughest energy efficiency standards
in the business” – comes with a set
of stringent specifications. “They are
expecting zero energy performance
from us, meaning that we will need to
reach a HERS score of 46,” says Rubino.
“We don’t have a problem meeting this
goal, as long as we can have a say in
how it’s done. This will help us achieve
what the municipality wants, at a lower
cost, by following standards like HERS
instead of programs like Net Zero.”
Rubino strongly believes that
builders should be given a choice in
reaching home energy efficiency goals
and a say in the future of greener
homebuilding. “Price is everything
now,” he says. “Municipal governments
need to listen to the opinions and
concerns of builders on how to achieve
their goals in a more cost-effective
way.” BB
Marc Huminilowycz
is a senior writer. He
lives and works in
a low-energy home
built in 2000. As
such, he brings first-hand experience
to his writing on technology and
residential housing and has published
numerous articles on the subject.
9
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they already were. To push that, the
company wanted to achieve greater
efficiencies and build better brand
recognition.”
For Martelli, this was a great
“opportunity to introduce things that
would help us succeed. Even with
COVID’s restrictions on delivery, we
continue to pursue progress.”
The pandemic resulted in delivery
issues and corresponding construction
This past year, Lindvest won the
Cross Border Builder Challenge for
energy efficiency in the low-volume
category for lowest HERS score under
50. With an average score of 45, every
house is zero energy-ready.
Their paths crossed when Lindvest
was looking to restructure. As Martelli
says, “they wanted to build an even
better product and, ultimately, be
a more prominent builder than
cost increases. But there were some
silver linings, Martelli says, “such as
how the pandemic really brought home
the importance of inside air quality.”
In turn, that influenced which
category the company competed in for
the Cross Border Builder Challenge.
Even though the Klein Estates project
is one of their biggest (with 500 units
once it’s completed), it didn’t qualify
for the high-volume category because
of how COVID-19 slowed down delivery
of homes. “We pride ourselves on
moving people into completed homes,
even though it may take a bit longer,”
Martelli says.
At the moment, about 50 homes are
11
Lindvest Homes
“Doing It Differently”
buildernews / ALEX NEWMAN
Lindvest — Winner, 2022 Lowest HERS Score for Low Volume
Builder, presented by Rod Buchalter of RenewABILITY (right)
to Jason Morin (centre) and Dan Lacroix of Lindvest Homes.
E
verything that rises eventually converges. And so it was for Anthony Martelli
and Lindvest, who joined forces almost four years ago.
Lindvest, a family-owned development and construction company
established in the 1990s, had been steadily rising as a leader in energy efficiency
construction, using the EnerGuide Rating System.

12
occupied and another 240 units are
under construction. Thus, they were
a perfect fit for Tier 1 of Savings by
Design.
Martelli is no stranger to the Cross
Border Builder challenge, having won
in 2016 with Liv Communities when
he was their Chief Operating Officer.
“Winning is a gratifying experience
for the whole team, especially when
you are competing against builders
from all over Canada and the United
States.”
It’s a healthy experience, he adds,
because it pushes a company to keep
up the high standards.
When Martelli started with
Lindvest, the company was eager to
improve in efficiencies. For the chal
lenge, they knew they were competing
with other builders who weren’t in
the Better Than Code program and
“we wanted to distinguish ourselves.
‘Do it differently’ is our current
slogan.” For example, some builders
use Energy Star at 15% better than
Package A-1. Most Lindvest homes
are 25% better than code.
Staying ahead of Building Code
changes is always a challenge. But
going better than code now prepares
you for that eventuality and is a great
way to test the team and its abilities,
Martelli says.
Lindvest began using the Better
Than Code program through Clear
sphere almost four years ago and,
since then, each of their homes targets
a minimum of 20% better than code
with airtightness at Energy Star levels.
Some achieve 25% while others
come close, Martelli says, and “it
depends on the house. With some of
the smaller units, we had a little more
control of the product specifications
and construction features, which got
our numbers up even better. Each
month we review our scores to help us
focus on continuous improvement.”
However, each home has certain
standards, such as a power pipe,
increased R-values in insulation,
the highest efficiency mechanical
appliances available, and advanced
systems in domestic hot water, heating
and cooling. They also added right-
sized conditioning to their HVAC. Most
importantly, they made a change to
their windows. Using passive coding
strategies with high-performance
double-glazed windows with low
U-values and low solar heat gain, heat
gain calculations went down by 30% or
one ton of cooling on large models.
Another feature well worth the
investment, Martelli says, was
insulating the basement walls with
Rockwool and incorporating insulation
under the slab. “With the price of real
estate today, the basement is no longer
just for storage – it’s for living too.”
These finish-ready basements not only
increased comfort but have moisture
management built in.
While many of the features were
obvious, some items that didn’t have
great return on investment were
incorporated anyway. “We looked
at the whole package to figure out
what was worthwhile to include. If
you stick with items that are merely
cost-effective and a better return,
you miss out on providing items that
work together as a whole package for
occupant comfort and durability.”
Despite winning the Cross Border
Builder Challenge, and the fact the
units are performing well above code,
Lindvest continues to look for other
opportunities to reduce consumption.
“It’s great that we’ve reached these
milestones, but evolution is necessary,
especially in today’s environment.
We continue to look at what is coming
next, what else we can add to our
program and how we can prepare for a
code change in 2024.” BB
Alex Newman is a writer,
editor and researcher at
alexnewmanwriter.com.
41
HERSSCORE
Staying ahead of Building Code changes
is always a challenge. But going better
than code now prepares you for that
eventuality and is a great way to test
the team and its abilities, Martelli says.

14
buildernews / ALEX NEWMAN
I
CON Homes is known for building
energy-efficient attached homes –
stacked townhomes, row housing
and semis. In fact, all homes operated
at a minimum of 15% better than
code. That was thanks to standard
features – such as low-carbon
concrete, drain water and greywater
recovery system, and the Panasonic
energy recovery ventilator (ERV),
which improves interior air quality
by maintaining humidity levels in
winter and summer – and offering
new technologies such as AeroBarrier.
Better insulation in the walls and
ceiling, full insulation under the slab
and high-performance, double-glazed
windows also upped the R-values
considerably.
ICON uses the Home Energy Rating
System (HERS) for its creativity in
achieving better than code. While
Energy Star is a good system, Kevin
Watt, Vice President of Construction,
says there are different ways to build
a better house. Because Energy Star is
very prescribed, it’s harder for builders
to build a package that is specific to
their energy efficiency goals. He finds
the HERS rating allows for them to
create a whole package that delivers
high-performance homes while
enhancing the ICON brand.
Watt says using HERS allowed the
company to do performance-based
permit applications. “It allows you to
be very creative in the way you build a
better house.”
Achieving 15% better than code
using a HERS package also qualified
them for Enbridge incentives and the
Savings by Design (SBD) program. The
first project was Market District, which
garnered the builder a Civic Award
for Sustainability from the City of
Pickering in 2019.
At Market District Towns, they
qualified a mid-rise building by using
an alternative approach rather than
following a Part 3 approach to energy
rating and verification. HERS allowed
them to qualify a four-storey building
on a unit basis, rather than a whole
building, by modelling under ANSI/
RESNET/ICC 301-2019.
The second SBD project that
ICON built was Forest District,
ICON Homes
An Iconic Cross Border Builder Challenge Award
ICON Homes — Winner, 2022 Lowest HERS Score
by Mid-Volume Builder, presented to Kevin Watt (left)
by Brian Cooke of AeroBarrier.

where 100 units qualified for Tier 2
Savings by Design. The super-semi
demonstration was inspired by the
integrated design process (IDP)
approach in the Savings by Design
workshop.
With Forest District, they had their
next opportunity for innovation: meet
Savings by Design at 15% better than
code but build a super-semi with one
side “better” with a HERS 44 (23%
better than code) and the other side
“best” with a HERS 38 (39% better
than code) and give AeroBarrier a try.
They built a winner, with the lowest
score of 38, in their category of 50 to
100 homes. This is well below zero
energy-ready at a HERS 46.
While ICON builds across the GTA,
Watt says the company focuses more of
its attention east of Toronto, especially
in Pickering. The reason for this, he
says, is that “Pickering is one of the
most progressive municipalities, and
its staff is forward thinking. I’ve been
in the industry 24 years and worked in
a lot of regions, but this is the best. It’s
why we love working in Pickering.”
Two more stacked sites in Pickering
are in the works: Central District
(located on Kingston Road east of
Whites Road with 88 stacked towns)
and Park District (on Brock Road
North, with 197 units in a combination
of four-storey and three-storey stacks,
and three-storey regular towns).
Because of the negative impacts
of the pandemic across the industry,
homebuyers are more conscious of the
benefits of better indoor air quality and
are more interested in ensuring a good
living experience, Watt says.
And certainly, sales in the past
year reflect that – the two new sites in
Pickering are nearly sold out, despite
higher costs to cover the materials and
the energy-efficient features.
The biggest thing a green builder
can do for potential purchasers is to
educate them, Watt adds. “Education
is a big deal when it comes to building
houses in a sustainable way. It’s critical
to provide enough info to homeowners
so they know why these homes are
better.” BB
Alex Newman is a writer,
editor and researcher at
alexnewmanwriter.com.
15
39
HERSSCORE
519-489-2541
airsealingpros.ca
As energy continues to
become a bigger concern,
North American building
codes and energy programs
are moving towards giving
credit for and/or requiring
Airtightness testing.
AeroBarrier, a new and
innovative envelope
sealing technology, is
transforming the way
residential, multifamily,
and commercial buildings
seal the building envelope.
AeroBarrier can help
builders meet any level
of airtightness required,
in a more consistent
and cost-effective way.
Take the guesswork out
of sealing the envelope
with AeroBarrier’s
proprietary technology.
“Education is a big
deal when it comes
to building houses
in a sustainable
way. It’s critical to
provide enough info
to homeowners so
they know why these
homes are better.”

16
buildernews / ROB BLACKSTIEN
To achieve this level, Dietrich
says, first and foremost the company
focused on energy efficiency, with an
assist from Clearsphere: “The draw
for energy is considerably less than
the average newly built home today.”
And while these homes will be
ready to receive solar panels as
needed in the future, it’s really all
about the basics here – a very tight
building envelope, one that will
require less heating and cooling
power than most houses. “So really,
you’re not consuming a lot of histor
ically traditional types of energy
sources,” he explains.
Dietrich says the company employs
advanced materials and products such
as insulation, vapour barrier, high-effi
ciency gas furnaces, energy recovery
ventilators (ERVs) and tankless water
heaters to ensure the highest possible
energy efficiency in its homes.
It’s All About Quality
At the end of the day, he says it’s all
about quality materials, superior insu
lation and quality control inspections.
“My homes take slightly longer to build
because of the detail and building pro
cess that’s so efficient and effective.”
The process clearly works, given
that these homes were 30% better than
code, Dietrich says, owing to a “design
process [that] was meticulously
thought through.”
He explains that building homes
with this level of energy efficiency
on a production level is what makes
Dietrich Homes stand out as a
regional rarity, as you’ll only find this
in custom-built houses within the
Peterborough area.
While zero energy-ready homes
are still a niche offering (Dietrich
estimates that fewer than 2% of new
Resourceful Conservation
Peterborough builder bags an award by helping
the municipality and homeowners save water
Dietrich Homes — Winner, 2022 HERS H2O Award presented
to Paul Dietrich (right) by Paraic Lally of Gretyer.
D
ietrich Homes has a simple but effective approach: build sustainable
homes today… for tomorrow.
A long-time leader in the Peter
borough market, the company’s efforts
have been recognized in the form of the 2022 RESNET Cross Border Builder
Challenge HERSH2O Award for Canada.
An industry veteran of 35-plus years, Paul Dietrich owns the recently
rebranded company that innovated by building zero energy-ready homes
(rated HERS 46) within its award-winning 75-home (phase one) development in
Peterborough, Trails of Lily Lake.

homes meet this level), he says it’s
a growing market that is becoming
more popular with homebuyers.
Dietrich says that such homes
are more durable, featuring high-
performance windows, ultra-efficient
heating and cooling systems, and
better insulated walls – all of which
adds up to a better-built home that
won’t bring warranty concerns.
That, in a nutshell, is a big part of its
business model: “superior business
techniques and quality inspections,”
Dietrich summarizes.
“We are a large builder and have
the ability to create a positive impact
to reduce our homes’ energy use dras
tically,” he says in explaining the com
pany’s motivation to build this way.
Dietrich Homes’ sustainability
philosophy hinges on not just talking
the talk, but actually walking the walk.
Don’t Just Talk About It
“It’s a conversation that is occurring
all of the time,” Dietrich says. “Con
versation is great; it brings awareness
to the topic. But one truly does need
to engage action to make a positive
commitment or positive attribute to
improve the quality of [the situation].”
He says even the smallest of
endeavours can pick up steam and
snowball into a very large movement.
Going through Enbridge’s Savings
by Design program – an “integral
part” of this project’s success – not
only helped the company win this
award, but it also created plenty of
local buzz. For starters, Dietrich says
he found the charrette very valuable
from an educational standpoint and,
given how many people wanted to
attend the session, he certainly wasn’t
alone in that regard.
When word got out that Dietrich
Homes was working on a project
through the program, they received
a ton of requests from Peterborough
and adjacent municipalities’ building
and planning staff that wanted to
participate or observe the session.
It’s probably not a surprise that
Dietrich’s project garnered so much
attention. After all, he’s a bit of a legend
in Peterborough – whenever anyone
needs a local recommendation or
testimonial, they come to him.
One of the keys to earning
the CRESNET honour was water
conservation measures – both indoor
and outdoor on each property.
Dietrich was able to accomplish this
by applying the lessons learned from
building three discovery homes that
featured greywater recovery systems
and HERSH2O labelling.
Stormwater management was top of
mind in the design of each house in the
Trails of Lily Lake. Every home features
a soak-away water device, either in the
front or back, that transfers rainwater
from rooftops through the downspouts
to an underground system that’s
unique to each house. The system is
not much more difficult to build than a
rear deck, he says.
And There’s More
But Dietrich Homes didn’t stop there.
Greywater recycling systems were
offered as an upgrade, and each Perfor
mance Plus Series home has a rough-in
for this device, making future retrofits
17
HERSH2O® Water Efficiency
Rating Certificate
Property
Address: 56 York Drive
City: Peterborough, ON
Builder: Dietrich Homes
Rating Information
HERSH2O Index: 69
Rating Date: 10/28/2021
Rating Provider: Better Than Code
HERSH2O Index: 69
This home, compared to the reference home:
31 %
more water efficient
95,218 litres
annual water savings
much simpler. Given that the munici
pality charges occupants for every litre
of water they receive, those opting for
inclusion of the system are benefitting.
“It’s definitely reducing the water
consumption and the water load that
the home is consuming,” Dietrich says.
All told, these solutions “helped
dissipate water shed on a lot-by-lot
basis” within the community. How big
an impact is this having?
“If every home being built was
incorporating this system, in theory,
sewage treatment plants that exist
today would never need to be
increased in size,” he suggests. “In
theory, they would only need to be
maintained and perhaps could be
decreased in size.”
Dietrich says he’s a big believer in
“integration,” meaning that everything
in the house works as an ecosystem –
from the foundation to the roof, it’s all
designed to function as a whole.
The result?
Comfortable and Healthy
“A comfortable, healthy indoor
environment.”
At the end of the day, the Green
Builder Member of the Year for the
Peterborough and the Kawarthas Home
Builders Association understands that
it has a responsibility to do whatever it
can to help alleviate climate change.
“Our goal is to do our part to tackle
the serious impact of buildings on our
climate and work toward reducing our
carbon footprint for the environment,”
Dietrich says. BB
Rob Blackstien is a
Toronto-based freelance
writer. Pen-Ultimate.ca

18
buildernews / ROB BLACKSTIEN
T
o say that Arizona-based
Mandalay Homes owner
Dave Everson was surprised
to learn that his company won the
2022 RESNET Cross Border Builder
Challenge President’s Award is an
understatement.
In fact, he wasn’t even aware that
they had entered the competition
– maybe because he’s so focused
on continuously improving his
company’s capacity to build healthy,
energy-efficient houses.
The 23-year-old company’s initial
foray into healthy, sustainable home
building dates back to 2010, when it
was approached by the City of Phoenix
to be a consortium partner in a federal
grant program designed to “push the
envelope on home performance,”
Everson says.
The program mandated minimum
sustainability requirements to qualify
for the funding, but to the city’s credit,
he says, it didn’t want to just comply
with those requirements – it wanted
to exceed them. Everson explains that
Phoenix was keen on learning new
construction practices that could
be adopted going forward, so it was
willing to pour a lot of time, energy and
money into training Mandalay.
He immersed himself for six to nine
months, sucking up all the knowledge
he could from raters, mechanical
companies and city consultants. The
most fun exercise was a boot camp
at Harvard, where they really got to
understand the influence of certain
practices, plus the durability and
sustained value of high-performance
homes.
Dropping that nugget definitely has
some legs at a cocktail party.
“I can say I went to Harvard…
I was only there for three and a half
days,” Everson chuckles.
Continuous Improvement
Arizona builder’s reputation and accolades have grown
thanks to a constant process of education

Rewarding and Fun
But at the end of the day, all this edu
cation put its fingerprints on every
thing that is now Mandalay. And the
experience was not just rewarding,
but highly enjoyable, he says. “It was
super fun and I just learned so much.”
Ultimately, all this knowledge
manifested itself in the award-
winning Jasper development. In
2021, the discovery home there had
a dual gas-electric environment, but
Mandalay took it to the next level this
year by going all electric, thanks to
Mitsubishi heat pump technology.
“That was a massive step towards
carbon neutrality,” he says.
Another big addition to this year’s
home involved creating an intelligent
environment. Mandalay wrote its own
code, and the supplier incorporated it
into the battery firmware.
“It’s effectively an optimized envi
ronment where it’s managing its clean
energy, so the lowest cost and the
lowest carbon footprint [is achieved],”
Everson explains. Basically, the soft
ware manages the state of charge and
discharge on an hourly basis based on
specific variables like production, con
sumption, time of use, orientation, etc.
Incredibly Detailed
The beauty of this solution is that it’s
incredibly detailed and specific to each
individual home but takes occupant
behaviour out of the mix. “We didn’t
want the consumer to be tied down
or have their behaviour changed; we
wanted to have an intelligent environ
ment that manages for them,” he says.
Mandalay is a big proponent of
the zero energy-ready movement,
having won the Zero Energy Inno
vation Award from the Department
of Energy every year.
“It’s really the North Star for home
performance builders,” Everson
explains. “We look to the program
and its builders as those wanting the
absolute best for our environment and
the people that live in our homes.”
Because the program challenges all
participants and offers collaborative
opportunities that allow builders to
learn from others and adopt those
techniques into their own offerings, it’s
a win-win. “It’s really rewarding and
addictive,” Everson says.
Among the sustainability features
in the Jasper homes that helped
Mandalay earn the President’s Award
were R-15 wall insulation, R-4 exterior
sheathing insulation (cooling climate),
AeroBarrier air sealing insulation,
Mitsubishi variable-speed heating and
cooling systems, Broan ERV and REMI
Halo air purification (optional with
iOn Plus).
Massive Energy Demand
Reduction
Mandalay’s offerings range all the
way to its iON Solar Zero home, which
employs enough solar panels to reduce
energy demand by around 90% and
rate 0 on the HERS scale. While all the
company’s homes boast excellent air
quality, these models also feature an
additional layer of air purification.
Everson has specific philosophies
about what constitutes a healthy
house. “A healthy home is both the
sum of its parts and how it functions
over time,” he explains.
The journey begins with an
awareness of the materials that will
be used in construction. Next, they
evaluate the envelope and mechanical
systems to ensure the home will
19
Mandalay Homes — Winner, 2022
President’s Award, presented at the
RESNET conference by Steve Baden.
20
HERSSCORE
PHOTO
COURTESY
MANDAL
AY
HOMES

20
What’s Possible in
Production
It’s for this reason Everson refused
to submit a net zero home for any
award competitions. His goal was
to show what is possible in homes
that can actually be duplicated on a
production level.
To that end, Everson likes the fact
that the focus has shifted from net
zero to zero energy-ready, “because
that to me means you’ve assembled,
designed and constructed a home
that can be calibrated, and you can
enhance it with renewables and
storage to be zero energy.”
This varies from region to region
based on specific climates. He believes
the house is the vehicle and the goal is
“getting that home where it’s ready to
adapt to its local environment.”
Despite all the technology and
knowledge it pours into its homes,
Mandalay’s prices remain highly
competitive with Code builders.
Everson says consumers value what
the company is doing, so there is a
bit of a premium, but they do such
a great job of costing that the price
difference is negligible.
Sounds impossible? Think again,
he says. “This is all achievable. Our
homes are not expensive in our
marketplace.” BB
Rob Blackstien is a
Toronto-based freelance
writer. Pen-Ultimate.ca
actively manage indoor air quality.
While tighter envelopes create more
energy efficiency, they can also
trap contaminants, Everson warns,
so Mandalay ensures the home
addresses this issue. Other factors
of a healthy home include comfort
and natural light, each of which can
benefit health and enhance livability.
He says once the home has synergy
with the local grid and climate, you
have an opportunity to launch into
indoor air quality and healthiness for
the occupants.
Everson believes net zero was
always going to be difficult to achieve,
but it did make some sense to have
this as the target. Having said that, a
continuous improvement environment
is the most logical approach.
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22
industrynews / PAUL DE BERARDIS
S
ince my article in the last
issue, there have been
several significant geo
political, economic and electoral
developments, all poised to have
significant impacts on the new
housing industry in Ontario.
On February 24, 2022, Russia
invaded Ukraine, initiating a
deplorable war which has continued
to this day. The conflict has
triggered a global commodity crisis
as countries grapple to institute
economic sanctions on Russia, which
happens to be a leading exporter of
crude oil, refined petroleum, natural
gas, coal, wheat, iron, and the list goes
on. The move to restrict the import
of Russian commodities has created
an energy crisis in many European
Union (EU) countries, threatening the
goals of their climate strategy and the
2030 Paris Agreement targets.
For the EU to meet the Paris
Agreement targets, the phase-out of
coal power plants is needed by 2030.
While Austria, Denmark, Finland,
France, Italy, the Netherlands,
Portugal, Sweden, and the United
Kingdom had set phase-out goals that
would have achieved this target, they
are now questioning this timeline.
Meanwhile, Germany and Poland
have already stated they will need
more time. Several EU countries have
indicated they intend to increase
the usage of dirtier coal-fired power
plants in the short- and mid-term
while they more slowly transition
to cleaner natural gas, nuclear
and renewable energy. Fossil fuel
commodity prices in Europe have
jumped and fluctuated wildly in the
last few months as the EU seeks to
reduce its heavy dependence on fuels
from Russia.
While these events may be
occurring far away on another
continent and seem somewhat
external to our way of life and
business operations here in Ontario,
that is far from the case. Canada is
somewhat more sheltered from the
impacts of the economic sanction-
induced commodity crisis than the
EU, but the cost of fuel at the pumps
has spiked to record-high levels, and
the global demand for alternative
sources of natural gas and wheat
has put a strain on Canadian supply.
The surging cost of fuel and other
commodities has a direct cause-and-
effect relationship with inflation,
which measures the overall rate of
price increases across the economy, so
the high fuel costs have contributed
to Canada’s new 31-year high of 6.8%
inflation. The cost of consumer goods
continues to rise at the fastest pace
in decades, with the homebuilding
industry also feeling these effects
through ongoing construction
material price escalations, which have
been compounded by the existing
pandemic-related supply chain issues.
To combat inflation and temper
both the rising demand and cost of
new housing in Canada, the Bank
Uncertain Times for Homebuilding
in Ontario
The cost of consumer
goods continues to
rise at the fastest pace
in decades, with the
homebuilding industry
feeling these effects
through ongoing
construction material
price escalations,
compounded by
pandemic-related
supply chain issues.

of Canada has been increasing interest rates by
adjusting the target for the overnight rate with
increases announced in March, April, June and
July 2022, with further increases expected in the
coming months.
History has demonstrated that increasing
interest rates typically puts downward pressure on
home prices and inflation. However, the current
environment and economic situation we find
ourselves in cannot be described as typical, with
the effects of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine
both contributing to escalations in inflation/
material prices and labour wages. As a matter of
fact, my colleagues at RESCON who work in the
realm of labour relations just wrapped up the latest
three-year cycle of collective bargaining for the
various trade groups that work in the new home
building industry, where considerable labour wage
increases were negotiated. These conditions are
creating an economic “scissor effect” in the new
home building sector, whereby interest rates are
putting downward pressure on new home prices,
but costs (construction materials and labour) to
build new housing are going up.
In Ontario, the latest provincial election
was held June 2, 2022, whereby the governing
Progressive Conservatives (PC), led by Premier
Doug Ford, were re-elected to a second majority
government. Housing affordability is a major
issue facing Ontarians, and this was a pillar in
the party’s election platform. Ford’s plan includes
23
The next major challenge is the
actual construction, which has
become increasingly difficult
since the start of the pandemic
with persistent labour short
ages plaguing the industry.

24
measures to reduce the costs of
housing, primarily by increasing
housing supply to make sure that
everyone in Ontario can find a home
that meets their needs and budget.
One specific pledge laid out by the
party is a commitment to facilitate
the delivery of 1.5 million new homes
over the next 10 years. Just prior to the
election, the PC government passed
legislation to work towards this target,
building off recommendations from
a housing task force report. The party
said it is committed to implementing
the task force recommendations
but needs more time to engage with
municipalities to meet the stipulated
1.5 million new home target.
The government’s plan also
includes getting more homes built
faster by reducing red tape in the
approvals and permitting process
as well as delivering a housing
supply action plan every year for
the next four years. This is where
we are hoping for some stability,
as it is likely that the next edition
of the 2024 Ontario Building Code
will adopt only Tier 3 of the latest
2020 National Building Code as
part of the harmonization process,
instead of permitting all five of the
proposed tiers. While it is unclear
how municipalities will react to this
proposed change by the Ministry of
Municipal Affairs and Housing, we
are hoping this will not spur further
municipal overreach as it relates to
municipal green standards.
So, when you look at what’s
ahead for the building industry, new
home sales are slumping as interest
rates have diminished consumers’
borrowing capacity, leading to
downward pressures on the cost
of housing, although material and
labour costs to build new homes have
increased substantially. At the same
time, the municipal development
approvals process is lagging and has
yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels
for processing applications, all while
GTA municipalities are also in the
process of raising their development-
related charges for new housing
units. These market conditions will
inevitably lead to cancellations of
existing housing projects that are no
longer financially viable as well as
new potential projects being shelved
until project pro formas are once
again feasible. This is coming at a time
when our newly elected provincial
government is pressuring industry to
deliver record levels of new housing
starts to meet their 1.5 million new
homes target. The market conditions
will make this task extremely chal
lenging, with municipal and federal
government policies that are counter
intuitive to increasing housing supply.
As if there weren’t already enough
challenges for developers and builders
in the new housing sector, getting
a project through the approvals
process in a timely manner and
then securing sales to move forward
only represents the initial hurdle.
Now, the next major challenge is
the actual construction, which
has become increasingly difficult
since the start of the pandemic with
persistent labour shortages plaguing
the industry. This problem will only
be exacerbated by the fact there are
an estimated 50,000 construction
workers in Ontario (or 20% of the
sector’s labour force) expected to
retire within the coming decade, so
we must find replacements. Canada-
wide, BuildForce Canada reports that
the residential construction sector will
need to recruit 107,900 workers by 2031
to meet changing industry demands
and replace retiring workers. RESCON
is also part of a coalition known as
WorkForce 2030, which is a group
of stakeholders seeking to fast-track
the recruitment and training of the
workforce needed to build the future
low-carbon Ontario. The time is now
for government to collectively work
with industry to attract more people
to work in the sector, whether it be via
targeted immigration or training new
prospective talent.
While this article is a departure
from my typical coverage of tech
nical matters, I wanted to take
this opportunity to discuss these
broader industry issues as they are
all very interconnected with the new
housing sector. For that matter, if the
new housing market were to face a
significant and prolonged decline,
technical issues could become a
moot point if new housing projects
are not able to be developed, sold and
constructed. BB
Paul De Berardis
is the director of
building science and
innovation for the
Residential Construction
Council of Ontario (RESCON). Email
him at deberardis@rescon.com
The time is now
for government to
collectively work with
industry to attract
more people to work
in the sector.

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W
oodbridge, Ontario builder
Country Homes, part of
the Rinomato Group of
Companies, is a third-generation GTA
builder with 50 years’ experience that
recently began focusing on designing,
building and marketing the next
generation of eco-friendly homes.
This year, Country Homes won two
prestigious awards at the RESNET
Cross Border Builder Challenge for
its green focus: Canadian Net Zero
Builder and the Canadian Enbridge
Innovation Award.
“We’ve always had a lot of pride in
our buildings and our communities,
so we took the first step in building
more sustainably by enrolling in the
Savings by Design program from
Enbridge Gas,” says Country Homes
head of sustainability Christian
Rinomato. This step resulted in
building 50 homes to Better Than
Code in Innisfil, Ontario, to be
completed by the end of 2022, and an
upcoming project in Brampton.
The company’s Net Zero Builder
award was won thanks to the con
struction of two discovery homes in
a Milton, Ontario development. “We
chose Milton because we wanted to
get started by discovering what Net
Zero homes were all about and looking
at what would be sustainable in the
marketplace,” says Rinomato. “With
a Net Zero goal, we set out to explore
the concept of including renewable
energy by pushing the capabilities
of the buildings, the building envi
ronments and the new technologies
involved in an all-electric home.”
According to Rinomato, the project
presented several challenges:
1) System integration: how the HVAC
systems work together in the home
and syncing various components;
2) Cost upgrade and marketing:
how to sell the benefits of a more
expensive Net Zero home; and
3) Electricity cost: the higher cost of
all-electric compared to gas, the
largest consumer being the cold-
weather air source heat pump.
In order to address climate change
by reducing the carbon emissions of
its discovery homes, Country Homes
continues to work with the Endeavour
Centre, a sustainable building school
in Peterborough, Ontario. Materials
such as blown cellulose insulation in
the attics and Rockwool insulation in
the walls were used, while the use of
XPS foam insulation was decreased
and the thickness of the concrete in
foundation walls was reduced. In
addition, Country Homes is looking
27
Built with Hands,
Heart and Care for the Planet
buildernews / MARC HUMINILOW YCZ
38
HERSSCORE
Country Homes — Winner, 2022 Canadian
Enbridge Innovation Award, presented to Christian
Rinomato (right) by Kain Allicock of Enbridge.

28
director of sustainability at Rinomato
Group of Companies, believes that it
was a commitment to a disciplined and
managed innovation program that led
to his company’s Cross Border Builder
Challenge Enbridge Innovation Award.
“In Milton, we built a low-rise
containing two semi-detached homes
through Enbridge’s Optimum Homes
program (now Savings by Design) in
order to understand more advanced
homes, energy efficiency, carbon and
how to get to Net Zero,” he says. “We
used two different approaches: one
all-electric Net Zero home including
a solar array and a cold-weather air
source heat pump, and the other a
hybrid home with a combination
natural gas/electric on-demand
system with a lower-cost air source
heat pump air conditioner and battery
storage.” This home scored a HERS 38.
“We set out to understand these
two options from several perspectives,
including constructability and cost
compared to Code-built and, with
input from the tenants, study how
these homes performed over one year,”
says McBurney. “From an operational
perspective, factoring carbon reduc
tion, both building options were geared
at energy efficiency, but the Net Zero
energy home was more important to us.”
Why is Net Zero important?
“Because we, as an industry that is a
large source of carbon, are trying to
decarbonize,” declares McBurney.
“As such, it behooves us to innovate.
We’re helping to create a recipe that
is cost effective and feasible. Others
will take note, and they will influence
manufacturers.”
From a marketing perspective,
McBurney hopes that his company
will use the RESNET awards it received
to gain recognition for its innovative
efforts and managed approach to
building better. “We went all the way
with our Net Zero home, scoring a
HERS 8. As we grow, we learn, and
we’re always looking into the future,”
he says. BB
Marc Huminilowycz
is a senior writer. He
lives and works in
a low-energy home
built in 2000. As
such, he brings first-hand experience
to his writing on technology and
residential housing and has published
numerous articles on the subject.
into new, greener construction
materials such as Hempcrete walls.
“The most important takeaways
from the project are that, instead of
following guidelines, you need to go
through the process yourself. You
have to understand new building
practices, educate your entire staff
on the importance of building
sustainably, and bring together
builders and manufacturers to
work towards a common goal,” says
Rinomato. He adds that Country
Homes is considering including a
discovery home in every new project.
“It’s a great opportunity.”
Corey McBurney, managing
6
HERSSCORE
Country Homes — Winner, 2022 Net Zero
Award, presented to Christian Rinomato
(right) by Sonny Pirrotta of Panasonic.

BetterThan Code
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The Lower the Score the Better – Measureable and Marketable
betterthancode.ca Email info@clearsphere.ca or call 416-481-7517
Low Cost Code Compliance
with the Better Than Code Platform
This Platform helps Builders with Municipal Approvals, Subdivision Agreements and
Building Permits. Navigating the performance path can be complicated. A code
change happened in 2017 which is causing some confusion. A new code will be coming
in 2024. How will you comply with the new requirements? Let the BTC Platform —
including the HERS Index — help you secure Municipal Subdivision Approvals and
Building Permits and enhance your marketing by selling your homes’ energy efﬁciency.
This rating is available for homes built by leading edge builders who
have chosen to advance beyond current energy efﬁciency programs
and have taken the next step on the path to full sustainability.

BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 42 | SUMMER 2022 31
buildernews / BETTER BUILDER STAFF
W
ith six Cross Border Builder
Challenge awards to
their name in the last five
years, Empire Communities is truly
manifesting their goal of building
better homes for the next generation.
A review of the homebuilder’s
accolades is in order.
At the 2018 Cross Border Builder
Challenge awards, Empire was
recognized as the winner of the
Enbridge Innovation Award and the
Net Zero Award with a HERS score
of 19 for their hybrid house at the
Empire Riverland community in
Breslau, Ontario. The hybrid home
was constructed with the latest
sustainability innovations, newest
insulation materials and experiments
in energy efficiency, including solar
PV with battery storage. This home
produces two metric tonnes less CO2
than its Code counterpart.
The 2019 Cross Border Builder
Challenge awards saw Empire
recognized with the President’s
Award for having the lowest average
HERS score (44) across 284 homes.
It also received an award for the
lowest HERS score for a Canadian
production builder with a score of 38.
In 2020, after building and labeling
918 houses at 20% Better Than Code
in 2020 using HERS, Empire won the
lowest production builder with a
HERS score of 38.
In 2021, during COVID, Empire
built and labelled 670 Better Than
Code houses, and using HERS, they
continued to produce the Lowest
HERS Score for a production builder
at 42 at this year’s 2022 Awards.
Having won multiple Cross Border
Builder Challenge awards, Empire is
clearly a believer in the initiative.
With homebuilding traditionally
lagging behind other industries, when
it comes to advancement of innovation
and research, Empire proudly
embraces new learnings and has
devoted a portion of its resources to
develop new skills, test new products
and techniques, and learn for the
future.
Having turned 29 this year, the
homebuilder now proudly operates in
two countries and six regions with 90
communities and more than 28,000
homes to their name. As a family-
owned and operated company, they
are currently building high-rise and
single-family homes in Toronto,
Ontario; Houston, Austin and San
Antonio, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; and
Charlotte, North Carolina. BB
Empire Communities
Five Years of Continuous Improvement
42
HERSSCORE
Empire — Winner, 2022 Lowest HERS Score by
Production Builder, presented to Steve Doty
(right) by Rod Buchalter of RenewABILITY.

buildernews
32 BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 42 | SUMMER 2022
Jennifer Hurd, Paul Dietrich, John Godden, Wendy Shami.
Sarah Southwick, Robin and Brian Couperthwaite, Emma Culbert.
Jason Morin, Dan Lacroix, Sonny Pirrotta, William Russell.
Awards ceremony.
Matthew Howard, Chris Watt, Ian Walker, Brian Cooke. Grace Russell, Christian Rinomato, Sanjeet Bhoola, Kain Allicock.
Art Rubino, Paraic Lally, Mike Day, Paul Lowes. Nick Samavarchian, Steve Doty, Rod Buchalter.
The 2022 Cross Border
Builder Challenge Golf
Tournament

C
ongratulations to BK Couper Custom Homes for winning the Vince
Naccarato Memorial Award. This award is given to a custom/production
builder who demonstrates Vince’s spirit of excellence, quality and
dedication to customer satisfaction in their homes.
BK Couper completed an infill
project in Markham where 9 houses
scored 25% Better Than Code or lower
than a HERS 43 on all homes. The
lowest score was a HERS 39. The homes
also featured finished basements with
ROCKWOOL’s finish-ready approach to
moisture management. BB
33
Cross Border Challenge
Honourable Mentions
buildernews / BETTER BUILDER STAFF
A Tribute to Tribute
H
onourable mention goes to Tribute Communities for being a runner up in
two important categories. For the President’s Award, the winning score
was 45. They were edged out by one quarter of a HERS point on their fleet
average, in a tie breaker, with Regal Crest Homes. In the Lowest Score category,
with a HERS 42, Tribute was narrowly defeated by Empire Communities with a
slightly better air test on the winning home.
Tribute Communities won the custom category at the 2020 Awards. A score of
HERS 40 was achieved under the direction of the late, great Frank MacPhee. Like
Vince Naccarato, Frank demonstrated a commitment to excellence and is well-
remembered among his peers. To his credit, Frank was an early adopter of Savings
by Design which has allowed Tribute Communities to maintain its commitment
to building and labeling high-performance homes. BB
BK Couper Homes — 2022 Vince Naccarato Memorial Award
recipient, presented to Brian Couperthwaite by Sarah Southwick
(left) and Emma Culbert (right) of ROCKWOOL International.
39
HERSSCORE

34
fromthegroundup / DOUG TARRY
However, as with the physics
principle “for every action there
is a reaction” (in builder terms,
we’ll call it the Law of Unintended
Consequences), building a home
super tight means we have to really
consider how we ventilate our
homes and the products we select
to put inside them. That old leaky
farmhouse had plenty of drafty
outside air entering the home. We also
used lead paints, had mould on our
windows, and experienced a host of
other challenges. The good old days
of “we don’t build them like we used
to” were really a romanticized version
of reality. While people may long for a
simpler time, the homes of today have
the potential to be much healthier.
It is also important to note that
the great majority of the fresh air
entering a new home now comes from
two controlled sources: windows
that open and a fresh air machine
(energy recovery ventilator [ERV] or
heat recovery ventilator [HRV]). While
tightening the homes and providing
sources of controlled ventilation
greatly improve indoor air quality
(dilution is a solution), it is not a
universal answer. We still have to be
very aware of carbon and pollutant
levels within our homes and of the
chemical makeup of the products we
install. This is important not just for
our customers, but also for our trades
and employees that are in these new
homes every day.
When conversing with other
builders about indoor air quality (IAQ),
I recommend they ask themselves two
questions about the products – both
those that are seen and hidden – they
specify for their homes:
1) Does the product increase/decrease
the chemical loads within a home?
2) Does the product increase/decrease
the carbon intensity of the home?
Carbon Dioxide, VOCs
and Why Indoor Air Quality Matters
A
s our building codes contemplate ever-higher levels of energy performance,
there reaches a point where we, as builders, have to deal with tightening
our homes. I mean making them super tight, as in less than 1.5 ACH. This is
not space station-tight or submarine-tight – we’re still looking at a combined hole
the size of a postcard – but for practical purposes, future homes will be extremely
tight. You just can’t let conditioned air wander out of the house uncontrolled.
Firenzza mortar by Graphenstone, shown
in Cinder Grey and done using the Pure
Pressed technique to create a monolithic
stacked stone effect.

Decreasing Chemical
Loads
How you cook matters
While controlled ventilation is
important, it cannot completely
compensate for the sources of indoor
pollutants and chemical loading.
Studies are very clearly showing that
cooking on a gas stove does release
potentially dangerous chemical
particulates that are not captured
by either the range hood or the ERV.
Induction cook tops are not only a
better-performing choice – they are a
safer choice for IAQ and they reduce
our operational carbon intensity.
What’s on your walls matters
Not all zero-VOC paints are
created equal. European standards
for zero-VOC products are far
more stringent than their North
American counterparts. In reality,
zero-VOC paints manufactured
in North America can contain
preservatives such as formaldehyde
and methylisothiazolinone (MI),
as well as microplastics and a host
of other chemicals. For people who
are asthmatic or have high allergen
intolerance, these chemicals can
make them extremely sick and can
potentially be deadly.
I recently received this comment
from Dylan McAteer, business
development lead for Graphenstone
Canada: “We’ve had cases where
children were too chemically
intolerant to even live in their home
properly without an MI-free product on
the walls. Cases like these are starting
to become far too common and we’re
so relieved to have found a solution.”
This exposure extends beyond our
customers. Think of all those workers
on your job sites that enter the home
after it’s been painted, up until the
time of closing. They are all exposed
on a daily basis to pollutants that are
potentially harmful to them.
At Doug Tarry Homes, we’ve made
the decision to change our wall paints
to Graphenstone for this specific
reason. We were worried about the
chemical exposure to our clients,
trades and staff. The Graphenstone
paint lines are compliant with
European standards for zero-VOC
products, do not contain microplastics
and are mineral based with graphene
nanotechnology as the binding agent.
I was so impressed with the difference
in IAQ that my wife and I became the
principal distributor for Canada.
Several decades ago, Canada
Mortgage and Housing Corporation
(CMHC) developed four main proces
ses for improving indoor air quality:
35
Remove the Pollutants
Selecting products that
limit VOCs and other
harmful chemicals is a
critical step in reducing
dangerous chemicals.
Occupant behaviour and
education can also play a
key role in improving IAQ.
Filter
If you have a ducted
mechanical system, it can
be used to capture the
particulate that floats in
the air. Use a minimum
of a MERV 11 filter.
Control the Source
Air barriers, water-
resistant barriers (WRBs)
and soil gas barriers all
play a role in limiting
dangerous toxins from
growing or accumulating
in your home.
Ventilate
Cooking, bathing, pets,
cleaning products and
other sources can all
accumulate indoors.
Replacing stale indoor air
with good, clean, outdoor
air on a regular basis
greatly improves IAQ.
We still have to be very
aware of carbon and
pollutant levels within
our homes and of the
chemical makeup of
the products we install.
This is important not
just for our customers,
but also for our trades
and employees that
are in these new
homes every day.

Given that Canada does not have
a strong IAQ program such as the
Environmental Protection Agency’s
Indoor airPLUS program in the U.S.,
the CMHC guidance is still relevant
and a great place to start.
Decreasing Carbon
Intensity
Carbon is the new kid on the block.
While codes look at ever-tightening
energy performance, I believe they
are like a physician treating a side
effect and not curing the disease.
In the last three years, since I began
writing my book, From Bleeding
Edge to Leading Edge: A Builder’s
Guide to Net Zero Homes, the
conversation around embodied
carbon has gone from non-existent,
to being on the radar, to being
actively measured by leading-edge
builders using products such as
the BEAM Calculator developed by
Chris Magwood. The great concern
is that the National Building Code
is pushing to move to Passive House
levels of energy performance, at
the expense of – or without the
consideration of – either cost or
carbon intensity. We should be
concerned.
What’s in your walls matters
A simple change from a fiberglass
batt insulation to a blown cellulose
insulation can help decrease
your carbon intensity. Rigid foam
insulation used to be a major culprit
as a source of embodied carbon, but
this has improved with the regulated
change from a hydrofluorocarbon
blowing agent to a hydrofluoroolefin
blowing agent (the stuff that makes
the foam puff up with air holes).
However, there are wall insulation
products available that can further
reduce our carbon footprint, such as a
rigid mineral wool insulation. We can
also look to reduce carbon intensity by
using a composite siding on our walls
rather than brick, which has the double
benefit of being able to reduce the
thickness of our foundation walls. All
of these options are now being looked
at by leading-edge builders working
on the challenge. And it doesn’t
immediately mean increased cost or a
loss in performance, but the products
are different and do require a mind
shift, without having to move to straw
bale construction on a mass scale.
What’s on your walls matters
(part 2)
There is also the potential to look at
the products we are applying and their
impact on carbon intensity. Imagine
using a paint that has no off-gassing,
is zero-VOC to European standards
and also absorbs CO2. Petroleum-
based products with chemicals and
microplastics will inherently have a
higher embodied carbon footprint than
materials that are mineral or organic
based. At Doug Tarry Homes, we have
had the opportunity to work with
the Graphenstone line of paints and
specialty coatings, which are mineral
based. While we made our original
choice due to improved IAQ, there are
also several products that absorb CO2
as they cure (generally over the first
12 to 18 months). This is unique to
limestone-based products, including
paints, Venetian stuccos and specialty
mortars used for feature walls.
At the end of the day, each builder
is inundated with different products
and materials to choose from, and we
each have to make a great number of
decisions on how we put our homes
together. As you move to building
tighter homes, I urge you to consider
the products you are putting into your
homes and how they impact your
overall carbon intensity, as well as the
health and safety of your customers,
trades and employees. To me, that’s a
sound investment. BB
Doug Tarry Jr is director
of marketing at Doug
Tarry Homes in St.
Thomas, Ontario. 
36
[New options don’t]
immediately mean
increased cost or a
loss in performance,
but the products
are different and do
require a mind shift.

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Building beyond code
gives Dietrich Homes
an edge
—
Savings by Design | Residential
Visit enbridgegas.com/SBD-residential to get the most out of your next project.
* Projected savings based on energy modelling simulations from the Savings by Design Integrated Design Process workshop. Terms and conditions apply. Visit enbridgegas.com/SBD-residential for
details. © 2022 Enbridge Gas Inc. All rights reserved. ENB 822 04/2022
Success Story | Dietrich Homes
BycollaboratingwithSavings by Designexperts,DietrichHomes
wasabletodesigntheirTrailsofLilyLakehomestomaximize
energyandenvironmentalperformance.Improvedwallinsulation
andairsealing,high-efficiencyfurnaces,andotherenhancements
willhelpbuyerssaveenergyandlivecomfortably.
TrailsofLilyLake
Peterborough, ON
—
By the numbers
Projected annual
natural gas savings
22%
Projected annual
electricity savings
24%
Projected
GHG reduction*
1,521kg CO2e

Better Builder Magazine, Issue 42 / Summer 2022

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Better Builder Magazine, Issue 42 / Summer 2022