Guidelines designed to help builders meet Ontario Building Code energy efficiency targets for new buildings have been released, according to The Daily Commercial News.
The guidelines are from The Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Changes to the Ontario Building Code instituted last year mandate that large buildings constructed beginning this year must be 13 percent more efficient than a 2012 baseline. Small buildings are must beat their baseline by 15 percent.
The guidelines are aimed at supporting Standard SB-12 for smaller buildings and Standard SB-10 for larger buildings. The story says that SB-10 is not prescriptive: It provides a result that must be achieve and, in essence, leaves it up to designers, architects and engineers to figure out how to reach it. SB-12 is more prescriptive: It touches on exterior insulation values, continuous insulation, window, door and skylight efficiency and space heating and water heater efficiency, the story says.
Alberta also is working on energy efficiency. The province has rolled out a program that will cover LEDs, low-flow showerheads, smart thermostats, insulation and other elements, according to the CBC. The program is funded at $645 million and will be paid for by the province’s carbon tax, the story says.
