Better Builder Magazine, Issue 41 / Spring 2022

PUBLICATION
NUMBER
42408014 ISSUE 41 | SPRING 2022
ISSUE 1…
…ISSUE 40
YEARS OF
1O

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BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 41 | SPRING 2022
16
1
FEATURE STORY
16
Intriguing Developments
Stricter municipal standards over the last decade have made
navigating the development process more challenging.
by Rob Blackstien
3
ISSUE 41 | SPRING 2022
Images internally supplied unless otherwise credited.
24
13
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
2
A Decade of Better Builder
10 Big Topics and 10 Big
Points of View
by John Godden
THE BADA TEST
3
The Crisis of Housing
Affordability and
Challenges of Building
Affordable Homes
by Lou Bada
INDUSTRY EXPERT
6
10 Changes In 10 Years
by Gord Cooke
INDUSTRY NEWS
9
A Decade of Perspective
by Paul De Berardis
SITE SPECIFIC
13
Projects
A Look from Both Sides
of the Fence
by Alex Newman
INDUSTRY EXPERT
21
Home at Last
Heathwood Homes Continues
Its Commitment to Sustainability
by Marc Huminilowycz
INDUSTRY EXPERT
24
Gearing Up for Greening
by Marc Huminilowycz
FROM THE GROUND UP
30
The Radon Logic Trap
An Excerpt from Bleeding
Edge to Leading Edge:
A Builder’s Guide to Net Zero
Homes by Doug Tarry
On our cover: 10 covers from Better Builder’s 10 years of publication.

A Decade of Better Builder
10 Big Topics and
10 Big Points of View
2
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FEATURE WRITERS
Rob Blackstien, Alex Newman,
Marc Huminilowycz
PROOFREADING
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CREATIVE
Wallflower Design
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buildings that use less energy,
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impact on the environment.
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Better Builder Magazine is
published four times a year.
“There is nothing new under the sun.” — Ecclesiastes 1:9
T
he sun is the source of all energy on the planet. Whether stored as fossil fuels
like oil and natural gas or in biomass like the rainforests, these sources have
not changed. The “what” that we get our energy from is static. The “how” in
which we satisfy our energy and shelter needs depends on our ingenuity.
I started Better Builder 10 years ago on a challenge. A partner and colleague
from Sustainable Builder told me that I did not have what it takes to carry on solo
with a new magazine. Ask anybody that knows me: suggesting I can’t do something
is the first step of me working to make that thing a reality. Wendy and I conceived,
edited and laid out the first issue of Better Builder in Liverpool, New York, in a coffee
shop named Freedom of Espresso in spring 2012. My hope is that the magazine has
created a positive change over the last decade.
On December 31, 2012, energy performance standards were codified under SB-12,
where an EnerGuide Rating System ERS 80 appeared as a benchmark as Package
J (the archetypal R-2000, ENERGY STAR version 4 house). In 2017, that threshold
improved by 15% in Package A1 to exceed the Paris Agreement reductions of 37%
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Since then, on a global scale, COVID-19, direct
challenges to democracy, and the wars in Syria, Afghanistan and now Ukraine have
distracted us from dealing with climate change in sectors other than housing.
The mandate of this magazine, then and now, is to bring together premium
product manufacturers and leading builders to create better, differentiated homes
that use less energy, save water and reduce the impact on the environment. Real
change comes from motivation, education and awareness – not what we need to
change, but how we are going to do it.
In this 10th anniversary issue, we present and discuss 10 big topics and 10 big
points of view. We have our regular crew of contributors, but we’ve also included
interviews from five other influencers. The 10 big topics we review are zero energy
as a goal, change in codes, housing supply and affordability, municipal overreach
and red tape, water efficiency, moisture and radon in basements, integrated design
through Savings by Design, skilled labour shortages, global warming potential
(GWP) of building materials and, lastly, changing mechanical systems.
Lou Bada discusses the irony of policy creating the challenge of housing afford
ability (page 3). Gord Cooke discusses the process of road testing the Net Zero
energy approach (page 6). Paul De Berardis counters with municipal overreach and
challenges with Net Zero energy and Code harmonization changes (page 9). And on
page 30, Doug Tarry comes full circle and ends up where he started in the very first
issue: in the basement, as he explains approaches to dealing with radon.
In closing, I will also finish off where I started – there is nothing new under the
sun, only the promise of becoming better at building sustainably by approaching
tomorrow in new and creative ways. Here’s to the next 10 years. BB
publisher’snote / JOHN GODDEN

now present are the only way to
meaningfully address the crisis.
It is useful to look at some of the
issues that are external to builders and
their effect on our internal decisions.
Externally, in a nutshell, govern
ment land-use policies inadvertently
created a mismatch in the supply
and demand for housing. Federal
policy to increase immigration levels,
T
he Oxford Dictionary defines
a crisis as “a time of danger or
great difficulty or a decisive
moment; turning point,” originating
from the Greek meaning of “decision.”
I don’t believe you can find anyone
today that would argue that it’s not
a time of great difficulty for housing
affordability in the Greater Toronto
Area (or Canada, for that matter).
The term “affordability crisis” is so
easily spoken of now and no longer
a contested subject. How this came
to be is no longer a matter of great
debate either: it was a series of short-
sighted government policy decisions
at all levels.
Which decisions do we make
now, as both the government and
industry, to improve affordability?
Blaming each other won’t help, but
understanding the origins of the
problem and the challenges they
which are necessary for Canada to
continue to grow, was not paired with
provincial and municipal policies to
increase land development approvals
to develop housing to accommodate an
expanding population.
Federal immigration policies are
of great consequence. According
to Immigration, Refugees and
Citizenship Canada, approximately
400,000 new residents were brought
into Canada in 2021. Between 100,000
and 150,000 have settled in Ontario
(predominantly the GTA) each year
since 2001. This obviously created
increased demand for housing.
Although desirable, government
policies for increased immigration are
flawed in their implementation. The
Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)
for new Canadians created a problem:
few recent immigrants are matched
to the increasing requirement for new
3
thebadatest / LOU BADA
The Crisis of Housing Affordability
and Challenges of Building Affordable Homes
ISTOCKPHOTO
Externally, in a nutshell,
government land-use
policies inadvertently
created a mismatch
in the supply and
demand for housing.

where someone buys a home (usually
a new home) and sells (assigns) the
agreement to another purchaser for
a profit before closing. This form of
speculation is rampant in our industry,
and although the profit should be
taxed, it rarely is. I would go further
and make it so that it is not permitted
unless the original purchaser is
suffering some form of extreme
hardship. This would be a good use of
government’s legislative powers.
I must admit it has been frustrating
for builders. We have been pointing
out these challenges for years only
to be shouted down and shut out.
By no means is my list of misguided
government policies and programs
exhaustive either. One thing is for
sure: If we don’t change our approach
towards the affordability crisis, it will
only get worse. When you’re in a hole
and you want to get out, you should
stop digging. It’s time to make
a decision. 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).
or streamlining and digitizing the
process for approvals. This has
produced few results so far but we
are eternally hopeful. Advocating for
the expansion of urban boundaries
(not necessarily into the Greenbelt)
to accommodate population
growth, when properly done, can
be sustainable. Densification, even
when permitted, won’t solve all of
our problems. On its face, it should be
apparent we can’t have more people
and not expand our communities.
On the immigration file, we are
lobbying the federal government along
with our organized labour partners
LiUNA Local 183 to bring in more
immigrants as construction labourers.
These are good paying jobs with
pensions and benefits.
Technology and innovation are
builders’ most important tools when
confronted with affordability chal-
lenges. Panelized and modular build-
ing are starting to take greater hold. We
advocate for intelligent solutions based
on recognized standards for energy
conservation and low-carbon housing
(not government programs), which
will allow the cream to rise to the top
and keep an eye on costs and benefits.
I would also advocate for the
federal and provincial governments
to clamp down on the assignment
sales of homes. Assignment sales are
labour to build the homes they need
to live in when they get here. Very few
young people born in Canada want to
become bricklayers, cement finishers
or form workers. Older workers in
these important fields are retiring
quickly. This work was traditionally
done by new immigrants in the past.
This mismatch has created a large
labour shortage, greatly increased
the cost of labour and spurred costly
delays.
In terms of housing supply,
rather than governments allowing
more land development, they have
curtailed and delayed approvals at
the same time in which they were
supposed to increase them. The 2005
Places to Grow Act began this attempt
to curb urban sprawl in favour of
greater sustainability, but it also set
out to deal with government budget
deficits for new infrastructure. The
policies were very short-sighted.
All levels of government also
decided it was a good time to over
reach with regulations and add more
costs to building. This was often
in the name of sustainability but
just as often done for some obscure
and circumspect planning goals.
Pandering to NIMBYism (“not in my
backyard”) was also in governments’
political self-interest and has also
helped curtail supply and slow
intensification.
Scarcity of supply spurred rampant
speculation in housing and thus
created a vicious cycle of price growth.
So, what can builders do?
Well, we have been lobbying
government for years to make
changes by cutting the red tape
4
I would also advocate for the federal and
provincial governments to clamp down on
the assignment sales of homes …where
someone buys a home and sells (assigns)
the agreement to another purchaser
for a profit before closing. This form of
speculation is rampant in our industry.

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6
industryexpert / GORD COOKE
In an industry often cited for being
slow to change, these first 10 years in
the life of Better Builder coincided
with many compelling industry
developments that have impacted
the performance of houses and those
involved in building them. Here, then,
are 10 changes that undoubtedly have
impacted your business and that I feel
the building science community can
help with in new home construction
and renovation.
Perhaps the most obvious initia
tives in the building science realm
were the ever-more comprehensive
energy efficiency measures in both
the National Building Code of Canada
(NBC) and the Ontario Building Code
(OBC) since 2012. I find it interesting
that insulation of walls and attics
was a requirement in the first NBC
published in 1941, but it was in the
“Health and Sanitation” section of
the Code, to ensure the life safety of
occupants and to avoid condensation
on surfaces in cold weather. The 2010
NBC and the 2012 OBC created new
sections that ramped up the require
ments to include a comprehensive
accounting of all enclosure elements
and mechanical systems.
One helpful aspect of the two
Code changes in Ontario since 2012
was that up to five years of advanced
warning of future energy efficiency
measures were given. The newest
version of the NBC (2020) continues
this helpful approach by publishing
future tiers of energy efficiency
requirements, allowing the industry
time to contemplate and innovate new
cost-effective approaches.
A very interesting aspect of the
energy requirements is that the Code
includes both a prescriptive and
performance path for meeting energy
requirements. This provides excellent
flexibility for builders, but it does create
stress for manufacturers, building
officials and trade suppliers in trying
to satisfy the many solutions builders
want to try. It has raised the profile of
the energy advisor or rater profession as
they become an important consultant
to help builders optimize the cost and
buildability of the ever-increasing
energy efficiency requirements.
One compelling change in the last
decade was complementary to the
advancing energy codes, including
the tiered approach – it was the
Canadian Home Builders’ Association’s
development of the entirely industry-
driven, voluntary Net Zero Energy
program. The enthusiasm from the
building industry across the country
for this program is due in part, in
my opinion, to the simple definition
and straightforward objectives of the
program. Builders, manufacturers,
energy advisors, local home builders’
associations and even utilities are
encouraged to work together to provide
a simple choice to homebuyers for a
home that uses only as much energy
as it is able to produce itself on-site.
Unlike other energy programs, the good
folks at Natural Resources Canada are
encouraged to play just a supporting
role in this industry-driven program –
hopefully a change that develops into
a trend or path going forward.
It is useful to highlight that,
over the last decade, mechanical
equipment specifications have been
bumped up either by the federal
government minimum efficiency
regulations or within provincial
building code options. In many cases,
the new efficiency requirements
nudge up against the theoretical or
at least practical limits of traditional
technologies. For example, the
95% federal annual fuel utilization
efficiency (AFUE) requirement and
the 96% AFUE requirement for gas
furnaces within the most commonly
chosen OBC compliance packages
don’t leave much room for future
advancements with this familiar and
reliable technology. The regulations
for furnace fan motor efficiency (FER)
enacted in 2019 also offered not only
a significant improvement to the
electrical efficiency of air handling
10 Changes In 10 Years
One compelling
change in the last
decade … was the
Canadian Home
Builders’ Association’s
development of the
entirely industry-
driven, voluntary Net
Zero Energy program.
C
ongratulations to the publishers and staff of Better Builder on the 10th
anniversary of the founding of this publication. Thank you for chronicling
the passion, the challenges and the accomplishments of committed high-
performance builders and their industry partners over the last 10 years.

equipment, but also improved air
distribution capabilities and lowered
noise levels in houses.
Hot water heating equipment and
heat or energy recovery ventilation
system minimum efficiency levels
were also increased over the last 10
years. The most commonly used
water heater in 2012 would have
been either a natural draft or a power
vented water heater with an energy
factor (EF) of 0.67. Now, condensing
tank water heaters and tankless
water heaters or boilers with EFs of
over 0.80 are a cost-effective way for
builders to eke out the overall energy
performance requirements of their
homes under either prescriptive or
performance path approaches. Drain
water heat recovery systems have
similarly become a useful measure
for optimizing energy performance.
However, it does mean that other than
adopting heat pump technologies,
we can’t expect to rely on mechanical
system improvements to drive future
energy efficiency gains.
One other intriguing mechanical
change in the last few years was the
requirement for duct sealing in the
Code. In houses where all or even
some of the duct work is located in
unconditioned spaces, there can be
significant energy losses related to duct
leakage. Ducts in chases on outside
walls, ducts in garage walls and
ceilings, and ducts in attics all present
risks of large energy losses.
But even duct leakage into the
conditioned space, which wouldn’t
be considered to be a direct energy
efficiency loss, may impact comfort
control. For example, our random
measurements of duct leakage both
before and after the 2014 Code change
upping duct sealing requirements
have shown an improvement from
typically 25% to 35% duct leakage
down to under 20%. This has definitely
improved the accuracy of air flow
distribution in homes, but a 20% loss
in delivery of air to a room over the
garage is still a significant factor to
keeping that room warm in the winter
and cool in the summer.
In my experience, the duct sealing
requirements in the Code have also
raised the expectations of HVAC
designers, building officials, home
inspectors and homeowners for even
higher levels of performance. If we
use the United States’ experience
as a guide, the International Energy
Conservation Code since at least 2012
has required an objective test of duct
leakage. At least 30 U.S. states have
adopted this code requirement, in
part because it avoids the ambiguity
of subjective inspections and
determination of whether the duct
sealing is adequate.
The two Code changes, the addition
of the Net Zero Energy program and at
least the five mechanical equipment
changes outlined above were all taken
pretty much in stride by the partner-
ship and cooperation of builders, man-
ufacturers, trade suppliers and energy
advisors/raters. Moreover, there is a
clear path and process moving forward
to achieve net zero-ready levels of
energy efficiency over the next decade
that I am confident the industry can
respond to cost effectively.
That confidence is in part due to
the fact that the sum of the incre
mental costs of the energy efficiency
improvements required above were
in the ballpark of $4,000 to $6,000 per
house (at least in Ontario). However,
the resulting energy savings per
household were in the range of $300 to
$600 per year or $25 to $50 per month.
At current interest rates of 3% to 4%,
this means the utility savings actually
make 2022-built homes slightly more
affordable per month than 2012-built
homes, and the affordability crunch
is, of course, a much bigger agent of
change than all the Code and technical
changes listed above.
Affordability is a much bigger
topic than a building science writer
is qualified to discuss; however, the
building science community and the
professional builders they serve have
7
POSITIVE PRESSURE
1000 900
100
SUPPLY AIR RETURN AIR
RETURN DUCT LEAKAGE
(Testing duct work outside heated boundary.)
Pulling 900 cfm from the house and putting 1000 cfm into the house.
The pressure is higher inside the house than the pressure outdoors. We
say the indoor pressure is positive. That extra air’s gotta go somewhere,
so it leaks out. We get more exfiltration from the house when this system
is running than when it’s off. — Energy Vanguard website

been impacted by the dramatic house
price increases. Specifically, with
each price increase, the expectations
of the buyers of million-dollar homes
seem to increase exponentially.
These rising expectations,
coupled with the changes to the
new home warranty process and
builder licensing, are making the
phones ring in our building science
realm. Small temperature differences
between rooms or spaces, minor
drafts around windows, modestly
high relative humidity levels, and
minor differences in floor layouts
or specifications that used to be
easily rationalized now require
exhaustive research and explanation
to homeowners. The coincidence of
rapidly increasing prices and rising
expectations has been documented
before in the industry, and new home
builders may wish to “design-out”
what are now seen as defects or be
ready to quickly address them in early
customer service meetings before they
escalate into very expensive and time-
consuming processes. Fortunately,
there is good evidence that the same
measures undertaken to make houses
more efficient simultaneously make
houses healthier, quieter, more
comfortable, more durable and, as
noted above, more affordable.
From a building science perspec
tive, it’s been a decade of helpful
advancements along a path of
continual improvement with the end
goal clearly in sight – and it’s attainable
and cost effective. BB
Gord Cooke is
president of Building
Knowledge Canada.
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rates of 3% to 4%, the
utility savings actually
make 2022-built
homes slightly more
affordable per month
than 2012-built homes.

a mechanism for the provincial
government to achieve certain climate
change policy objectives through
energy efficiency improvements in new
homes and buildings.
Still under the 2006 OBC at the
time, a notable leap in regulating the
performance of new homes took effect
on January 1, 2012, with the intro
duction of Supplementary Standard
SB-12: Energy Efficiency for Housing.
The concept of choosing a prescriptive
compliance package (A through M)
was permitted along with the perfor
mance compliance path that utilized
energy modelling. Not long after, SB-12
was revised effective January 1, 2017
to provide a further minimum 15%
energy efficiency improvement with
new packages (A1 to A6), drain water
T
his being the 10-year anniver
sary edition of Better Builder,
I thought I would take this
opportunity to provide some per
spective on how the homebuilding
industry has evolved over the last
decade, and where things might go in
the next 10 years.
Looking back 10 years, the term
“global warming” started to become
more prominent in the media and
people were becoming cognizant
of the effects of climate change and
measures to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. All levels of government
were working on different policies and
initiatives to combat climate change.
The Canadian government signed the
Paris Agreement to reduce carbon
pollution and limit global average
temperature rise, later adopting the
enabling roadmap known as the
Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean
Growth and Climate Change.
At the provincial level, combating
climate change was paramount for
the reigning Liberal government
under former Premiers Dalton
McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne. It
was during this era that government
policies truly began to permeate
into the mechanics of the building
industry. As an example, the Ontario
Climate Change Action Plan from
that era intended to update the
Building Code to require net zero
carbon emission (all-electric) homes
by 2030 or sooner, while planning
to keep electricity rates affordable
for homeowners through subsidies
from the proceeds of the cap-and-
trade program. As a result, the
Ontario Building Code (OBC) became
heat recovery became mandatory,
heat/energy recovery ventilators also
became mandatory, thermal U and
RSI values were increased and credits
for reducing air leakage were added.
Industry was being pushed through
Building Code requirements to rapidly
drive climate change policy, which
thrust Ontario to be a North American
leader with respect to energy efficiency
in new homes.
Meanwhile, at the local government
level, climate change policy had
trickled down to municipal councils
whereby numerous cities and towns
began introducing their own unique
and more ambitious requirements on
the development and building industry.
Irrespective of the fact that the OBC
already required very high levels
of energy efficiency, municipalities
couldn’t help but meddle in this space,
almost creating a culture of which
municipality could differentiate itself
as the “greenest.”
What seemingly started in 2010
when Toronto introduced its mandatory
Toronto Green Standard for all new
developments has become an ever-
evolving “standard” that continues
to push the boundaries of energy
efficiency in new homes and build
ings. Municipal green standards and
energy efficiency mandates became
entrenched into planning department
development approvals (typically
subdivision agreements for low-rise
projects), and this practice spilled
over into numerous Greater Toronto
Area municipalities (you can read
first-hand builder accounts describing
these events in the other articles in this
edition of Better Builder).
9
A Decade of Perspective
industrynews / PAUL DE BERARDIS
Figure 3. Total Canadian GHG emissions
and projections (with no further government
action): 2010–2020 (Mt CO2e, incl. LULUCF)
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800 MEGATONNES CO2e
730
700
694
2020
2015
2010

10
While no one argues the merits
of combating climate change, the
pace of progressive new energy
efficiency requirements, both in
the OBC and at a municipal level,
had industry grappling with the
evolving landscape as new housing
development timelines are not nimble
and measured in years. As time went
on, municipal energy efficiency
initiatives advanced, especially as
municipal governments all wanted to
join the who’s who list of jurisdictions
to declare a climate emergency, as if
the term “global warming” doesn’t
already imply that climate change is
not a municipally isolated occurrence.
While the intent is well meaning,
municipal green mandates just create
an extra layer of geographically varying
requirements that industry must navi
gate – ultimately adding even more
costs that are just passed on to new
homebuyers already grappling with
housing affordability challenges.
Under the current Doug Ford Con
servative government, the previous
advancements to the OBC allowed
Ontario to rest on its laurels for the
last few years and still be a leading
jurisdiction, even though municipal
green requirements just continued to
further upward spiral. However, with
the provincial government signing
on to the Reconciliation Agreement
on Construction Codes back on
August 27, 2020, Ontario committed
to harmonizing the OBC with the
National Construction Codes.
As of March 28, 2022, the 2020
National Model Codes were finally
released (that’s not a typo – the
2020 National Codes were two years
overdue), which introduced energy
performance tiers for the first time.
The Tier 1 requirements are similar to
Section 9.36. of the National Building
Code 2015, whereas Tiers 2 through
5 approximate the energy savings
targets of ENERGY STAR, R-2000, Net-
Zero Energy Ready and Passive House
programs. Under the performance
path (modelling energy performance),
Tiers 1 through 5 represent improve
ments of 0%, 10%, 20%, 40% and
70%, respectively. By contrast, the
prescriptive path utilizes a point-based
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system with Tier 1 as the baseline and
Tier 2 requiring a minimum sum of
10 energy conservation points, with
Tiers 3 through 5 being “reserved,”
as these higher levels are still under
development. As you progress
through the higher tiers, compliance
with Tier 5 will demand electrically
heated homes.
The new tiers created a predica
ment for Ontario, as the 2017 require
ments of SB-12 already exceeded
the just-released Tier 2 equivalency
in the National Building Code
(NBC). As a result, for Ontario to not
backslide, the Ministry of Municipal
Affairs and Housing consulted on
a proposal to only adopt Tier 3 of
the NBC as the new baseline for the
OBC as part of the harmonization
process. This speaks to the rapid pace
of energy efficiency improvements
industry was faced with meeting
under the OBC updates of the former
Liberal government, as the 2017 OBC
amendments still make Ontario a
leader across Canada to this date.
Where do I see things headed for
Ontario in the next 10 years? As part
of the harmonization requirements,
the next edition of the OBC must be
released by March 2024. Assuming
a five-to-seven-year code cycle, and
the current oversight of the federal
government in transforming the
national code development system as
part of the Reconciliation Agreement
on Construction Codes, I see it being
very plausible that Ontario will be
the first province to regulate net zero
energy ready homes by 2030 or sooner.
The reason I think net zero energy
ready homes may come even sooner
than 2030 is attributed to the wild
card in this equation, which is
municipal governments and their
much-beloved desire to meddle with
their own green standards. While
federal and provincial governments
have committed to harmonized
construction codes across Canada,
meaning reducing variations in
technical requirements, municipal
governments tend to operate in silos
as planning departments concoct new
policies which create geographically
divergent technical requirements.
Before net zero energy homes
can be embraced by industry and
consumers, there are some very real
implementation obstacles that must
first be overcome. With government
policies pushing the electrification of
homes and vehicles, electrical demand
loads are expected to double or triple
as a result. Electric utility companies
responsible for distribution will
require profound capital infrastructure
upgrades and the large-scale adoption
of net metering capabilities.
Furthermore, Ontario’s electrical
grid needs to be decarbonized;
otherwise, would it really make
sense to preemptively push towards
mass electrification before we have
a carbon-free grid? A report by the
Independent Electricity System
Operator found that to replace natural
gas power generation capacity by 2030
would require more than $27 billion
to install new sources of supply and
upgrade transmission infrastructure.
This translates into a 60% increase on
the average monthly residential bill.
These high electricity costs may deter
consumers from willingly investing
in carbon reduction, such as through
electric vehicles or all-electric homes.
In the meantime, low-carbon homes
with battery storage capacity may
represent a more moderate approach
until net zero energy homes can be
more feasibly achieved (an example of
this is Country Homes’s low-carbon
HERS discovery home covered in the
last issue).
Obviously, the political winds
of change and housing market
conditions will have an influence, but
for those working in the development
and building industry, get ready for
the next 10 years. I remember the
perspective a seasoned builder once
instilled: “Remember, tomorrow may
be worse than today, and 10 years from
now today will be considered the good
old days. So enjoy today!” 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.
11
While federal and provincial governments have
committed to harmonized construction codes
across Canada, municipal governments tend
to operate in silos as planning departments
concoct new policies which create geographically
divergent technical requirements.

Better Builder Magazine, Issue 41 / Spring 2022

That said, McBurney didn’t just
wake up one day and decide to go
into construction – he was born into
it. His father was an architect; his
grandfather was a builder in North
Bay. And at 15, McBurney started
working construction from the
ground up – literally – with shovels
and hammers.
After university, he worked for
contractors and then took a position
with Options for Homes, a non-profit
housing developer. He was also
involved with Habitat for Humanity.
Recognizing the need for solid
business practices, he returned to
school for an MBA. After that, he was
“seduced” by the pace of the internet
economy and worked for several
agencies. “But all I kept thinking
about was housing and cities,” he says.
In 2005, a colleague introduced
him to EnerQuality, a “fledgling”
company created in 1998 as a joint
venture between the Ontario Home
Builders’ Association and the
Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance,
a public advocacy group.
It was designed to create and
deliver programs for builders of high-
performance homes, McBurney says.
One of the programs was ENERGY
STAR for New Homes, which was
created by EnerQuality together
with energy advisors, builders and
manufacturers.
At that time, energy efficiency
was a slow sell, and fewer than 100
homes were certified R-2000 each
year. As McBurney explains, “in 2005,
there were few builders pushing the
efficiency agenda. It was anything but
mainstream. But the launch of ENERGY
STAR brought together building science
and advanced building systems like
heat recovery ventilators, exterior
insulation and air barrier systems,
and introduced them to the industry
on an unprecedented scale.”
“It was transformative,” McBurney
says, “and a way to shift sustainability
into standard building practice.”
Within a few years, Ontario was
certifying about a quarter of all new
homes – one of the only regions in
North America to reach such a high
percentage of energy-efficient new
builds. That 25%, McBurney says, was
“pretty consistent” over the next 15
years, and effectively pushed energy
efficiency into the mainstream.
“ENERGY STAR wasn’t the last word
in energy efficiency,” McBurney says,
“but it became the standard for your
regular, 2,400 square foot single family
home.”
It had a leap-frogging effect – as
builders began to adapt, the Code
changed to keep up. As EnerQuality’s
president, McBurney had a ringside
seat: “Through this, I observed how
government and industry can work
together when their interests align.
Energy efficiency was a case of public
goals, like reducing carbon and saving
people money on energy, working in
concert with builders’ goals to build
better quality homes.”
In 2021, McBurney joined the Rino
mato Group of Companies (Country
Homes is part of the company). “I was
impressed with their desire to be leaders
in sustainability and their excellent
track record of getting things done to
move that forward,” he explains.
The founder’s grandson, Christian
Rinomato, had already been advanc
ing building standards. For example,
Country Homes adopted Enbridge’s
13
Projects
A Look From Both Sides of the Fence
sitespecific / ALEX NEWMAN
Corey McBurney, Country Homes
C
orey McBurney got a degree in political science from the University of
Toronto before heading into the building industry.
It’s not as big a leap as one might think. “I see housing as both a private
and public good,” says McBurney, who is managing director of sustainability for
Country Homes. “In fact, housing is an important determinant of a healthy, just
society and a functioning economy.”

14
Rather than why, McBurney prefers
to look at how. Thanks to his work
at EnerQuality, he knows how other
builders are doing it – and how to help
Country Homes do it. “I have some
good insights into what makes most
sense to a builder – how to manage a
program of action when dealing with
all these changes and issues beyond
energy efficiency like stormwater
management, indoor air quality, even
neighbourhood planning.”
But thanks to his role as managing
director, sustainability for Country
Homes, he sees the unique builder
challenges, such as cost management,
supply chain issues (especially since
COVID-19) and how to integrate
sustainability into the demands of a
business.
In November 2021, one of his first
challenges was to manage the Milton
discovery homes open houses. Over
time, these houses will be monitored
for the impact of occupants on energy
consumption.
The study involves analyzing
the two side-by-side homes from
construction, cost and performance
perspectives and comparing an all-
electric approach to a hybrid gas-
electric one. “We’re looking at what
it takes to build a home whose space
and domestic hot water heating come
100% from electricity. And we want to
see how that home performs in terms
of energy consumption and cost to the
homeowner compared to its natural
gas-heated counterpart.”
The study also considers a “hybrid
approach” – using natural gas
supplemented by off-peak electricity
storage and air source heat pump
technology. One unit of electricity
can produce up to three units of heat
and maintain comfort when outdoor
temperatures are above freezing
with air source heat pumps. This is
a promising avenue to pursue where
cost benefit analysis must determine
outcomes with escalating costs of
electricity.
Admittedly, electricity costs four
times what natural gas does, but
generates one-fifth the harm. And
that’s where advances in building
science come in: “In its more holistic
view it isn’t just about reducing
energy but also quality, durability
and occupant health, such as how
to manage moisture in the structure
or consider indoor air quality and
thermal comfort. In the old days,
electric heat was inefficient, but
current heat pump technology has
improved to the point where it can be
utilized more efficiently.”
The purpose of the Country
Homes Demonstration Project, when
monitored with actual occupants, will
show us how to approach the future in
residential home building. BB
Alex Newman is a writer,
editor and researcher at
alexnewmanwriter.com.
McBurney doesn’t like to waste time
on “why” we should do these things.
“Most builders realize that if they don’t
think ahead, they’ll be left behind
when codes ramp up more,” he says.
Savings by Design and Optimum
Home programs to meet the ENERGY
STAR standard. It also undertook
an ambitious research project: the
construction of two discovery homes
in its West Country Milton project.
Working both sides of the
industry has given McBurney a
unique perspective. While still a
huge proponent of “decarbonizing”
housing, he can also appreciate the
challenges builders face in their
efforts to do so.
But at heart, the adoption
of sustainability is really about
management – that is, finding a cost-
effective way to achieve upgrades.
“Constructability and the ensuing
costs are key issues,” McBurney
explains, noting that these are
practical and not abstract matters.
Introducing a new technology or
building practice – HVAC systems,
windows or air sealing – is disruptive
and can cost more than current
practice. “Builders are looking for
cost-effective ways to meet higher
standards, particularly when that
cost cannot be passed on to the
homebuyer and can negatively impact
the success of a project.”
Economies of scale will help
change that. When more builders
start using specific methods – taught
and encouraged by consultants –
things become cheaper. McBurney
cites the R-2000 program as an
example: “Only a handful did it. It
was expensive. But we’ve moved the
needle much farther now, looking at
Net Zero. Only a handful of builders
are doing that, but it will change too.”
As such, McBurney doesn’t like to
waste time on “why” we should do
these things. “Most builders realize
that if they don’t think ahead, they’ll
be left behind when codes ramp up
more,” he says.

Become a VIP builder! Ask us how.

16
featurestory / ROB BLACKSTIEN
Intriguing
Developments
I
t’s amazing how much can change over
the course of a decade. Just think back to
2012, when we were all swept up by Psy’s
ridiculous but catchy hit song “Gangnam
Style.” Today, he’s just a footnote in history.
All industries are affected by this
dynamic, and the land development and
homebuilding sector is no exception.
One of the biggest trends our industry
has experienced over the last 10 years is
the dramatic increase of municipalities
enforcing much stricter requirements
to obtain approvals for developing new
Stricter municipal standards
over the last decade have made
navigating the development
process more challenging.

BETTERBUILDER.CA | ISSUE 41 | SPRING 2022 17
housing within their communities.
These standards generally focus
on energy and water benchmarks,
but more recently have spilled into
agendas that are not related to the
Building Code, some of which have
prompted much head scratching and
disbelief.
It’s a tendency that has frustrated
many a builder and prompted some
creative solutions to adapt to this new
normal. There have been countless
discussions between builders and
various municipalities to break
through this “my way or the highway”
stance and show these communities
that there’s always more than one way
to achieve a specific mandate.
The prime example of this scenario
occurred around seven years ago,
when East Gwillimbury enacted its
Sustainable Development Incentive
Program (SDIP), which commanded
more energy efficient development with
reduced water demand and wastewater
as a requisite to building in the town.
The goals were commendable, but
the method to get there – the SDIP
specifically mandated ENERGY STAR
– is what rankled builders. Rosehaven
Homes (a veteran of using the HERS
label to rate homes) took it upon itself
to convince East Gwillimbury that
there was a better, less prescriptive
manner to achieve what the munici-
pality was seeking and that it’s incum-
bent on municipalities to remain
agnostic, rather than endorsing a
specific brand.
Taking on City Hall
Long story short: It took building a
discovery home to clinch it, but Rose
haven took on City Hall and ultimately
convinced them to change the SDIP’s
previously prescriptive language (see
“Leading Edge” from the winter 2018
issue).
While this is the most notable
instance, this story has played out in
several municipalities, says Rosehaven
architecture and engineering manager
Joe Laronga.
In fact, it’s been exactly a decade
since Rosehaven shifted from ENERGY
STAR to HERS, and the company has
been dealing with prescriptive language
within municipal standards since.
However, Laronga says, this is not
the reason why the builder began
developing its own brand for energy
efficiency using the Better Than Code
platform.
“Rosehaven has been voluntarily
building its residential units to exceed
the minimum energy efficiency levels
prescribed in the Ontario Building
Code for many years,” he explains.
The goals here were to add value
for homeowners, to differentiate
At the 2018 open house of
Rosehaven Homes’ discovery
home in East Gwillimbury.
From left: Joe Laronga,
Architecture and Engineering
Manager, Rosehaven Homes;
Marco Guglietti, Owner,
Rosehaven Homes; homeowner
Mary Jafarpour; and Nick Sanci,
Contracts Manager, Rosehaven
Homes. Photos by Rodney Daw
courtesy of Enbridge Gas.

18
high, and programs that promote
sustainability should be voluntary
– not prescriptive – and should not
endorse brands.”
These types of municipal programs
must be flexible and easily altered to
include new options as the technology
becomes available, Laronga stressed.
Unfortunately, as municipal
requirements grow more onerous over
time, they are adding to approval time
lines, which has a compounding effect.
Longer Timelines
“More paperwork, more challenges,
more scrutiny, [thereby] creating
longer timelines to get permits,”
Laronga explains.
He says that as approvals take
longer, he has subdivisions sitting in
municipal planning departments for
years while customers are lining up to
buy these houses. Small wonder there’s
a housing shortage.
“What I don’t like is that munici
palities try to force their agendas,”
he says. Laronga suggests that
municipalities have builders who
desperately want their subdivisions
approved “by the balls” because
they’re an “easy target.”
Amazingly, this has gone past
municipalities simply asking for above-
Building Code enhancements related
to energy or water, Laronga says.
In Caledon, for instance, they have
a concern about aging in place because
they claim that a lot of their older
population moves away. As a result,
the municipality is asking builders for
the company in the industry and
– most importantly – to embrace
sustainability.
A couple of years after the
East Gwillimbury SDIP situation,
Rose
haven ran up against the
same thing in Oakville, where
the municipality was mandating
ENERGY STAR. Thankfully in
this instance, the subdivision
agreement had yet to be finalized,
so Rosehaven was able to talk to
the city representatives in advance
and convince them to change
their language; in fact, Laronga
wound up writing it for them.
A Tissue or a Kleenex?
The same situation occurred in
Caledon as well, and Laronga says
it didn’t surprise him because, at
the time, everyone was gravitating
towards ENERGY STAR. In fact, he
thinks it almost became a generic
term in the way people ask for a
Kleenex when they really want a
tissue. “They didn’t understand
that actually was a brand versus a
method,” he explains.
So the challenge here was multi-
fold, Laronga stressed.
While municipalities have created
their own green building standards,
they’ve done so without third-party
consultation (for instance, working
with a company such as Clearsphere)
and, in some cases, municipal
planning departments have
unintentionally used prescriptive
language in these standards, perhaps
not recognizing that there were
alternative methods within the
Building Code that could be applied
to achieve the same goal.
“I believe in responsible municipal
leadership,” he says. “Our Building
Code minimum standard is already
Rosehaven Homes (a veteran of using the
HERS label to rate homes) took it upon itself
to convince East Gwillimbury that there
was a better, less prescriptive manner to
achieve what the municipality was seeking.
Marco Guglietti (left), East Gwillimbury Mayor Virginia Hackson,
and Bruce Manwaring of Enbridge (background).

“universal design,” which is focused
on helping people age in place in
their homes. This means blocking for
future grab bars, lower light switches,
higher floor plugs, larger doorways
and even some homes with elevators
– all designed to allow the house to be
easily retrofitted.
Beyond the interior requirements,
Caledon has imposed urban design
guidelines that mandate Gothic
design on one of the three elevations
Rosehaven is building there.
It’s Not the 1800s Anymore
“They’re trying to hang onto the
character,” Laronga says. “Sure,
Caledon in the 1800s had some
Victorian feel to it, but it’s 2022.”
Oakville, Caledon, Vaughan –
everybody’s doing it, he says, and a lot
of it’s non-negotiable. “You shouldn’t
be dictating design; the market doesn’t
want that. I’ve tried to tell them that,
many times.” Laronga says some
municipalities have also asked them
to catch rainwater into barrels so that
water can be used for watering plants.
Given the cost and time involved
with increased municipal demands,
“all of this has contributed to the
problems we’re having now in terms
of availability and affordability.”
To Caledon’s credit, town staff
engaged Laronga and other builders
to get their feedback. The result is
a checklist that offers more choices
for water conservation and energy
performance labelling programs.
Looking forward, Laronga
envisions municipal demands
heading towards battery storage,
electricity/gas/battery combination
systems, plus greywater reuse and
water conservation.
These last two issues are near and
dear to the heart of Greyter Systems,
manufacturer of greywater recycling
systems capable of reducing home
water usage by 20% to 25%, and one
of the companies that partnered with
Rosehaven to help create the Total
Water Solution featured in the East
Gwillimbury discovery home.
Awareness Shift
Greyter co-founder and chief
commercial officer John Bell has seen
a major awareness shift over the last
decade related to the importance of
water conservation. “In the last 10
years we’re just talking about water
now and how valuable it is, how
important a resource it is,” he says.
Thanks to climate change, drought,
access, scarcity, population growth
and the pressures on agriculture, water
has become more top of mind than at
any time he’s ever seen.
The result? A much greater need for
water efficiency – especially in growing
communities that are further away
from traditional water sources.
While we’ve seen this manifest
itself much more in the United States
(which is where Greyter is mostly
focused now, including California,
Arizona, Colorado and Florida, among
other places), Canada is not immune,
and the situation will only grow more
prolific in time, Bell predicts.
Certain Ontario municipalities
have sanitary capacity challenges or
concerns to meet growth. For example,
Toronto has had well-documented
challenges with storm water, and any
municipality with combined storm-
water and sanitary infrastructure will
have a massive issue with stormwater
“because it seems with climate change
we have a 100-year storm every four
months,” he says.
Homebuilders who are already
dealing with the challenges of going
above Code to make homes even
more energy efficient will soon need
to have water on their radar, if they
don’t already.
Deal With It
“I think now every land developer and
every builder that’s looking to secure
19
Looking forward, Laronga envisions
municipal demands heading towards
battery storage, electricity/gas/battery
combination systems, plus greywater
reuse and water conservation.
John Bell, Greyter Systems

20
lots moving forward has to deal with
water in some capacity,” Bell suggests.
Given the costs associated with
retrofitting a greywater recycling
system in an existing home, it’s a
much more viable option for the new
home market. Unfortunately, unlike
in the U.S., the incentives to add such
a system within Ontario are mostly
targeted at homeowners as opposed to
builders. “That incentive really needs
to go to the developer,” Bell maintains.
Greyter’s HERSH2O WaterSense
pilot should help seed the market. It
involves a variety of builders installing
the Total Water Solution (see “Go with
the Flow, Saving Water Makes Sense”
in the spring 2020 issue) in 10 homes
followed by a year of monitoring.
Unfortunately, the pilot is in a holding
pattern because of supply chain
issues with the system’s flow leakage
detection component, he explains.
Still, there’s no stopping the truism
that water’s importance will only
grow as it relates to land development
requirements, Bell says.
When Greyter was incorporated
in 2012, very few people understood
the concept of greywater. A decade
ago – even five years ago – it just wasn’t
on the radar, but especially in the last
two years, the awareness level has shot
through the roof, he says.
Greywater Interest Is
Increasing
“Today, it’s not far from a stretch [to
say] that I receive at least one email
every day from someone in North
America inquiring about a greywater
recycling system,” he says.
Given that you can’t squeeze much
more efficiency out of fixtures – toilets
are as low as they can go; showerheads
are about as low as anyone wants
them to go; and faucets, dishwashers
and laundry machines are all high
efficiency – Bell explains that leaves
one logical avenue. “The only way to
really make a difference now is to start
reusing that water.”
This is vital for builders to under
stand. “I think it’s the future. Of all
building technologies that builders
have at their disposal, water is going
to be their biggest trump card going
forward,” he says.
Bell explains that a high-efficiency
furnace won’t get you much in terms
of negotiating with municipalities,
but reducing water and sanitary
consumption will get their attention,
because municipalities either already
are or are soon going to be faced
with significant water shortages and
infrastructure costs.
Advice to Builders
So his advice is that builders take on
this knowledge and bring it with them
when it comes time to have those
discussions. Find out what could be
on the table and what leverage you
may have – especially in cases where
municipalities have challenges on their
water side, whether sanitary or supply.
When you’re seeking subdivision
approvals, this may be the ace up
your sleeve to help alleviate all those
frustrations, because if you can show
a fussy municipality that you can help
solve their challenges, that’s going to
go a long way towards ensuring your
success. Instead of resistance, builders
can present a future-proofing solution
to maintain housing affordability. BB
Rob Blackstien is a
Toronto-based freelance
writer. Pen-Ultimate.ca
519-489-2541
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industryexpert / MARC HUMINILOW YCZ
I
t all started over 10 years ago in
Richmond Hill, when Heathwood
Homes partnered with Ryerson
University to build an eco-house
– known as the Green Home – that
would demonstrate to homeowners
the many benefits of efficient
building and compare that home to
Heathwood’s standard specifications
at the time.
Packed with a long list of green
features, Heathwood’s Green Home
included solar panels, superior
insulation, greywater recycling, a
high-efficiency gas furnace, a heat
recovery ventilator, LED lighting
(expensive at the time), PET carpets,
enhanced exterior water drainage,
zero VOC paints and more.
“We were building to ENERGY
STAR at the time but decided to adopt
our Green Home philosophy to add
other sustainability features to our
homes,” says Bob Finnigan. Finnigan
is the past President of both the
Canadian Home Builders’ Association
and the Ontario Home Builders’
Association and has been a valuable
part of Heathwood Homes since 1988.
He led the demonstration project
and is now President of Heathwood.
“These two occupied homes [the
ENERGY STAR home and the Green
Home] were monitored by a third
party for the usage of water and gas
[furnace, hot water] over six months.
Two engineering grad students from
Ryerson provided the detailed analysis
of all the monitoring, and the results
of the additional money spent on
sustainability were very well worth it –
with 20% to 30% in energy savings” for
the green home.
In 1992, Heathwood Homes was
created when Herity (Heathwood’s
parent company) joined forces
with the Daniels Financial Group.
Their first major project was a 650-
unit residential development in
Mississauga. Since then, the company
has completed over 30 successful
projects in the province.
Heathwood has continually added
sustainability elements into its homes
since that time. Opting to venture
beyond the strict labelling restrictions
of ENERGY STAR, the company
decided to adopt the Better Than
Code approach to homebuilding,
Home at Last
Heathwood Homes continues its
commitment to sustainability
21
“We were building to
ENERGY STAR at the
time but decided to
adopt our Green Home
philosophy to add
other sustainability
features to our homes.”
A model kitchen for Heathwood
Homes’ The Trails of Country
Lane in Whitby, Ontario.

22
which provides homebuyers with
a certified HERS (Home Energy
Rating System) report on energy
performance – typically at least 20%
better than Building Code. On its
website, Heathwood showcases its
Green Home Energy Program, which
lists all the details of its homes’
sustainability features under three
headings: energy conservation, water
conservation and the environment.
In its early demonstration
home, Heathwood emphasized the
importance of water conservation.
Heathwood is currently building in
Kitchener, a municipality with a very
strong regard for its water supply.
“Kitchener has a five-point wish
list for sustainability, and with the
components we will be putting in
our next phase of homes, we will be
hitting all the buttons,” says Finnigan.
As an example, Heathwood
installs an infiltration gallery under
the sod and topsoil in each backyard
– a structure made of gravel and rock
that acts like a horizontal drain that
allows natural drainage to get back
into the native groundwater faster
and more efficiently. Combined with
low-flow toilets and faucets, ENERGY
STAR dishwashers and washing
machines, drain heat recovery
and roughed-in greywater systems,
Heathwood’s commitment to reduce
water consumption is a big priority.
“We keep building better, more
sustainable homes. But it’s a challenge
communicating to homebuyers all the
wonderful benefits of what we put into
them – such as superior construction,
energy savings, conservation and
carbon reduction,” says Finnigan. “We
can design and build a better box, but
we need to educate people about it.”
To educate consumers about
all the advanced features of its
homes, Heathwood introduced its
proprietary TOTALHOME+ branding,
which is described on its website
as “future-proofed homes that are
technologically integrated, use less
energy, are more cost-efficient, and
offer homeowners total confidence,
security, and peace of mind.”
Included in the TOTALHOME+
web content is a complete list of home
features under five categories – water
conservation, energy conservation,
the environment, the smart home
and energy savings – listing the
specific details and benefits of each.
For its Kitchener project, Heathwood
provides a homeowners’ package
containing a Better Than Code label
(indicating the home’s HERS score
and percentage rating above Code), a
water conservation feature checklist,
a HERSH2O water efficiency rating
certificate and a glossary of terms for
homeowner awareness.
Because technology is ever-
changing in the homebuilding
industry, Finnigan believes that two-
way communication with consumers
is vital to the success of his company’s
TOTALHOME+ branding. “Residents
need to understand how much they’re
saving, the smart details of their home,
and the better mechanicals, insulation
and construction tech
niques that go
into them,” he says.
As to the future of sustainable
building, Finnigan believes the next
step for Heathwood and other builders
is looking at the carbon footprint of the
homes they build. “When you look at
things like triple-glazed windows and
under-floor insulation, for example,
you need to consider the carbon cost
of the energy and materials needed
for their manufacture,” he says. “It’s
all about learning, listening and
adopting. Everything we hear from
the good builders is exactly what we’re
talking about. We all need to rise to the
challenge.” 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.
Bob Finnigan

24
G
lenview Homes, a successful
family-run business opened in
1966, has earned a reputation
as one of Ottawa’s most established
and respected builders and managers
of commercial and residential
real estate. Today, guided by its
“homeowner first” philosophy, the
company builds 100 to 125 homes per
year in many of the National Capital
Region’s most desirable communities.
The key to the success of Glenview
Homes is the company’s unique
approach to building and marketing.
Glenview calls it Start With More –
listening to homebuyers, catering to
the way that people want to live, and
being unique among competitors by
offering premium standard features
and finishes that other builders
typically offer as upgrades.
Patrick Daniels, residential
construction manager at Glenview
Homes, began his homebuilding
career as an architectural technician
24 years ago. Working with various
companies in different roles, including
project management and land
development, he possesses a wealth of
knowledge and experience in virtually
every aspect of new home building.
In addition to his role at Glenview,
Daniels is currently vice president of
the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’
Association (GOHBA) and will be
taking on the position of president of
the association in 2023.
In his dual role with Glenview
and the GOHBA, Daniels, like other
Ottawa homebuilders, is planning and
preparing for a significant change in
the way new homes are to be built in
his market. While Ontario’s Building
Code has the distinction of being one
of the most energy efficient in North
industryexpert / MARC HUMINILOW YCZ
Gearing Up for Greening
As the City of Ottawa prepares to adopt a High-Performance Development Standard
in its new Official Plan, local homebuilders and the regional homebuilders’ association
ponder the best route to meeting the city’s green building goals.
While Ontario’s
Building Code has
the distinction of
being one of the most
energy efficient in
North America, the
City of Ottawa, like
other municipalities
in Ontario, has
embarked on a plan
to make its new
homes even greener.
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45
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America, the City of Ottawa, like
other municipalities in Ontario, has
embarked on a plan to make its new
homes even greener.
The High Performance Develop
ment Standard (HPDS) was adopted
by Ottawa as a tool to reach its climate
change target of net zero emissions by
2050. According to the City, buildings
in Ottawa represent one of the largest
sources of greenhouse gas emissions
(46% in 2020). The goal of the HPDS
is “building capacity in the building
industry to advance sustainability
and resiliency in new developments.”
In order to give local builders
time to adopt and adapt to the new
standards, Ottawa’s HPDS is being
set up as a phased approach, with
a Tier 1 metric scheduled to take
effect as a municipal bylaw on June
1 of this year. It will apply to all new
development applications requiring a
site plan and plan of subdivision but
will not include smaller infill or low-
to mid-rise projects, or development
projects already in pre-consultation
regarding planning applications with
the City.
The Tier 1 Community Energy
Plan, a key component in the design
of new communities, will use
quantitative analysis to develop
targeted strategies that reduce energy
consumption and carbon emissions.
With respect to new buildings in a
development, specific Tier 1 metrics
include building energy efficiency
(including energy modelling), fresh
air intake, sustainable roofing (green
roofs, solar-ready design) and electric
vehicle parking.
An action requirement of the HPDS
building energy efficiency metric is for
builders to design their homes to meet
one of three energy criteria:
1) total energy use intensity (TEUI)
and greenhouse gas emission
intensity (GHGI);
2) 25% carbon reduction above the
Ontario Building Code;
3) a commitment to pursue a
certification program such as
ENERGY STAR for Multi-Use
Residential Buildings or LEED
(Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design).
The latter detail of Ottawa’s plan
has Glenview Homes’ Patrick Daniels
concerned. Having been a participant
in several Net Zero and ENERGY
STAR home projects over his career
(which he describes as a “tremendous
educational experience”), he is no
stranger to energy-efficient building.
27
“The problem with labelling programs
like ENERGY STAR is twofold: they
are not well known or established
in Ontario, and they are more about
meeting goals and numbers and less
about an important aspect of the home
– occupant comfort,” says Daniels.
Rather than adhering to the strin
gent standards of existing labelling
programs, Daniels would like to see
other options, such as Better Than
Code, that would better serve Ottawa
homebuilders and homeowners
alike. “As a builder’s organization,
GOHBA and its builder members are
all part of the City’s HPDS plan,” he
says. “We want to look at different
ways of meeting the targets, not
just through a labelling program.
Technology is undergoing huge
changes and continually introducing
new products. It’s a learning curve
for us. We need to bridge the gap
between the City and its constituents.”
“If you want to force builders
into building better than the Build-
ing Code, you need to allow them
to achieve the directed goals with-
out handcuffing them to labelling
programs or any sort of prescribed
methods,” says Daniels. “There needs
to be competition, fair pricing, prod-
uct development and a process that
can be achieved by having options.
Patrick Daniels, Glenview Homes
In order to give local
builders time to adopt
and adapt to the new
standards, Ottawa’s
HPDS is being set up as
a phased approach.
“We want to look
at different ways of
meeting the targets,
not just through a
labelling program,”
says Patrick Daniels.

28
Every builder will need to achieve a
certain goal with the HPDS. Let them
choose how they want to get there.”
As for how his company plans to go
greener, Daniels says that Glenview
Homes is looking into building better
than code on an upcoming project
to prepare for what is to come. “We
have already been planning for this,
as we know that the Building Code
was already heading towards a more
aggressive green direction,” he says.
At the time of this writing, Daniels
says that builders will need to present
certain requirements once the HPDS
is passed into law on June 1. He is
concerned about how the City will
be able to handle the information,
claiming that the process is still
evolving, as there are several issues
with the program and how it will be
utilized. 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.
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Glenview Homes is
looking into building
better than code on
an upcoming project.
“We have already
been planning for
this, as we know
that the Building
Code was already
heading towards
a more aggressive
green direction.”

30
fromthegroundup / DOUG TARRY
The Code specifies three areas
where you must install radon mitiga-
tion/soil gas measures. It also states
that, in regions of Ontario where
radon is known to be a problem, you
need to install radon mitigation/soil
gas measures unless you can demon-
strate that it is not required (Supple-
mentary Standard SB-9). To date, the
Code has remained silent on how to
test for radon. It is because of this
that the “logical” conclusion many
builders are reaching is “radon is not
an issue in my area, so I don't require
soil gas control.” That is the logic trap
– it gets you to the wrong answer and
exposes you to potential liability.
Let’s look at it another way. Radon
is a naturally occurring, radioactive
noble gas. It’s a soil gas that is present
everywhere, including in every home
at some level, be it acceptable or
problematic. The only way you can
test for high levels versus safe levels
within a home is by using a long-term,
90-day test after the home has been
closed in. The trouble is that testing
is not part of the Ontario Building
Code, but it is part of the Health
Canada guidelines1. Therefore, you
cannot demonstrate that radon is not
a problem during construction, or
even before permit, which means that
soil gas controls are [actually] required
under Section 9.13.4.2.(2) of the OBC.
The remainder of Canada has
varying degrees of radon detailing
requirements based on the National
Building Code (NBC). Ontario has not
yet harmonized with the NBC radon
requirements, or taken any further
action on the matter, so builders and
municipalities have had to make their
own decisions on how to deal with
this liability.
For the purposes of this article, I am
going with the assumption that builders
are already installing a soil gas barrier.
So, the question is: if you are already
incurring the material and labour
expense of installing a soil gas barrier,
can you get it to do double duty?
What’s the Benefit?
The answer here is simple: installing
subslab insulation that doubles
as a soil gas barrier will result in a
drier, warmer floor. This will reduce
comfort complaints, especially as
we see an increase in the number of
homeowners finishing basement space
to improve the home’s affordability.
By reallocating the soil gas barrier
costs to an insulated foam detail, we
increase homeowner comfort while
maintaining occupant safety. Of
course, it is still advisable to have the
homeowner test their home for radon,
and to include a soil gas collector loop
underneath the soil gas layer (if radon
is present, it can be remediated more
quickly and cost effectively than if the
loop is not present).
Remember, if vapour can get
through, so can radon. That is why
continuity of the air barrier/soil gas
barrier is critical for an effective
deterrent to radon entering the home.
Bleeding Edge Learning
Outcomes
At Doug Tarry Homes, we have experi
mented with numerous soil gas barrier
options over a number of years. We
realized we had to have a detail that
was easy and quick to install, durable
enough to hold together until the
concrete could be poured and effective
in providing us with our desired results
(low incidence of radon intrusion and a
warm, dry basement floor).
We tried poly on its own and got
a dry floor, but it was not warm. We
tried laying sheets of rigid insulation
and taping them together, but it was
susceptible to cracking (at the time,
we were only using one inch of rigid
insulation board). We even had one
of our building inspectors bring his
own roll of tape to fix the cracks that
occurred when he walked on it. While
his efforts were appreciated, we knew
we had to do better.
The Radon Logic Trap
An excerpt from Bleeding Edge to Leading Edge:
A Builder’s Guide to Net Zero Homes by Doug Tarry
1 canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/radiation/radon/government-canada-radon-guideline.html
T
here is a fair amount of confusion around radon in the province of Ontario
– specifically, where it is and if we need to deal with it during construction.
Part of that confusion comes from what I consider to be the “radon logic
trap” contained within the Ontario Building Code (OBC) that we, as builders,
follow when constructing our homes.

Finally, during the planning for our Project
Hope build, we worked with our insulation
contractor, Great Northern Insulation, on how
we could deal with the soil gas and improve the
basement floor performance. We ultimately
decided to use a two-pound closed cell foam (BASF
Walltite), which we found gave far better overall
results for our customers and was less work in the
overall construction schedule. The one downside
was that we needed to wait until the floor deck was
on before we could spray the floor and pour the
concrete. Closed basement slab pours are more
of a challenge than open pours, but the overall
results are worth it.
Even with good detailing of all the penetrations
under the slab, there was one other issue we
noticed. After you have dealt with the obvious
penetrations, you must also detail any sleeves used
around the penetrations. Our plumber used to put
cardboard around the shower pipe rough-in for the
basement bath so that he could adjust it slightly,
without busting up the floor.
31
This picture shows the sleeve around the water
service pipe. It is there to protect the pipe from
the concrete finisher’s equipment. In this case,
it ended up being the source of the radon
entering into a home that tested at 651 Bq/m3 —
over three times the acceptable limit in Canada.
Once we filled in the hole, we would have
solved the problem, but it was found during the
remediation of the home, resulting in $3,000 in
remediation versus $10 of bathroom caulking!

This work has evolved into our
current radon mitigation detail,
which is shown in Figure 1 (above).
Here are the basic steps we follow
to ensure an effective soil gas detail
installation:
1. Install continuous rigid wall
insulation from top of foundation
to top of footing.
2. Install a Big ‘O’ loop with a
capped vertical rough-in pipe
as the soil gas collector. Allow
approximately 16 feet of lineal
feet of Big ‘O’ for every 500 square
feet of total basement floor
area. Ensure the capped pipe is
labelled as a soil gas collection
pipe, not a plumbing stack.
3. Install continuous soil gas layer
across entire foundation.
4. Caulk or tape around any
penetrations of the soil gas layer
prior to pouring the concrete floor.
5. To avoid a thermal bridge at the
footing, the subslab insulation
needs to extend over the footing to
connect with the continuous rigid
wall insulation.
What Now?
Work with your energy advisor and
your insulation provider to determine
the best course of action to deal
with soil gas and add the insulation
requirements for above-Code
construction, such as the ENERGY
STAR or Net Zero energy programs.
Depending on the type of continuous
insulation your foundation wall system
utilizes, you may have to do additional
detailing to connect the subslab foam
to the foundation wall air barrier
system. As noted, the continuity of the
air barrier/soil gas barrier is critical.
The overall challenge is one of
detailing in the field and getting trades
on board. It does no good to put in
a soil gas barrier if you permit your
concrete finisher to go on site with a
pitchfork. Yep, that’s right, a pitchfork.
A soil gas barrier changes the concrete
from bi-directional drying to one-
directional drying. That slows down
the trades. When they get annoyed with
the added time, the pitchfork comes
out, the holes go in the soil gas barrier,
and excess water can drain into the
aggregate. But now, you have lost the
continuity of your soil gas barrier. So,
getting your concrete finisher on board
with why this is important is critical.
You also want to limit the amount of
accelerant they use, as this can result
in excess cracking and surface pops,
which are destined to be a pain in the
warranty department. BB
Doug Tarry Jr is director
of marketing at Doug
Tarry Homes in St.
Thomas, Ontario.
32
Figure 1: SB-9 RADON COMPLIANT SECTION DETAIL

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Sr. Advisor Residential New
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Developers and Toronto Builders
905-717-6261
michelle.vestergaard@enbridge.com
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Sr. Analyst Residential New
Construction, Ontario-based
Community Expansion;
Kawartha Lakes and Peterborough
& the Kawarthas Builders
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Garrett Fell
343-997-1509
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Eastern Ontario
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and Cornwall
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437-223-2349
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GTA East & Eastern Ontario (to Frontenac County)
Durham, Frontenac, Hastings, Kingston, Lennox/Addington,
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Better Builder Magazine, Issue 41 / Spring 2022

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Better Builder Magazine, Issue 41 / Spring 2022