Building a New House or Buying a New House? Ask the Builder if They Used the "Prescriptive Path" or the "Performance Path" to Build

November 18, 2016

Today, when it comes to energy efficiency, most national building codes prescribe two paths for compliance. And while it's true that many project managers will typically follow the "prescriptive path", there are many project managers who have discovered that the "performance...

Investing in Home Energy Improvements is Wise

November 15, 2016

Making improvements to the energy efficiency of a home does two things right off: it makes the home much more comfortable, and it reduces energy bills from season to season right around the year. The idea is to make the improvements that make the most sense. Essentially, a house is a system, and it...

Energy Benchmarking - Understanding the Basics

October 31, 2016

For commercial and institutional buildings, it's absolutely vital to understand how much energy a building uses, and how better to manage that usage. And while managing energy consumption can be a challenge for various reasons, there is much to be said for planning and implementing an Energy...

Insulate Your Home. Get a Rebate From the Government!

October 30, 2016

The Ontario Government has recently updated and enhanced the Home Reno Rebate Program for residential homeowners. The HRRP provides rebates of up to $5,000 for homeowners who are doing upgrades or renovations designed to improve energy efficiency. It's an excellent incentive to better insulate...

The Ins and Outs of Continuous Insulation

October 28, 2016

Whether it's building code compliant or not, continuous insulation is far less understood than it should be - even among insulation professionals, building contractors, and home renovators. The fact is, thermal bridging reduces insulation performance significantly - up to 20% in wood frame...

Understanding Carbon Pricing For the Average Homeowner

October 27, 2016

By any description, the concept of carbon pricing is difficult to grasp, particularly for an average homeowner or driver. Essentially, carbon pricing is the approach most favoured by economists worldwide for reducing the negative effects of global warming. Simply put, whoever discharges carbon...

The Shortfalls of Thermal Bridging in a Building Structure

October 26, 2016

A thermal bridge is a surface area (mostly in a building structure), which has a higher potential for "heat transfer" than adjacent materials. Thermal bridges contribute to the overall reduction of insulation performance, oftentimes throughout the entire building structure. Often referred...

The Importance of Insulating Your Cottage

October 24, 2016

Traditional summer cottages have little or no insulation, because in most climates, there's just no need. Warm summer temperatures don't promote much indoor moisture accumulation, and for the most part, everything is dry. For those who plan to insulate their cottage, and to use it during the...

The Difference Between Nominal R-Values and Effective R-Values

October 19, 2016

The concept of "consumers beware" takes on new relevancy when it comes to home insulation. And that relevancy becomes acute with respect to R-Values - the industry measure that defines insulation performance. It's not that much different than any other consumer product - like that new...

What Are Building Codes? Why Are They So Important?

September 29, 2016

Every residential home is different - built in a different era; with different specifications; and with different building materials. As such, Building Codes allow for standardization and consistency in building practices. This would apply to everything from a newly constructed home, to a basement...