Media
- An Introduction To EnviroHome
- The Canadian Home Builders' Association
- TD Canada Trust
- The Technology Behind EnviroHome: Energy Performance
An Introduction To EnviroHome
Canada is a world leader in residential construction technology. Builders and housing experts from around the world come to our country to learn new approaches to housing design and construction. EnviroHome projects demonstrate why this is the case.
The EnviroHome designation is given to new home projects that meet demanding technical and environmental standards. Across Canada, only about 10 projects earn this distinction each year. EnviroHome builders are among the “best of the best”—highly skilled professionals who know how to build homes that are more comfortable, healthier to live in and friendly to the environment.
EnviroHome projects feature careful design, appropriate selection of products and materials, and advanced construction techniques resulting in a home that is “good for you, good for your community and good for the environment.” And every EnviroHome must be certified to the R-2000 Standard.
These environmentally improved homes are affordable and available today—using only proven, “here and now” products and innovations that provide a healthy and comfortable living space, at little additional cost.
EnviroHome is sponsored nationally by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA), TD Canada Trust and receives support from the Government of Canada. EnviroHome shows that advances in the way homes are built benefit consumers and also protect the environment. Each EnviroHome project is headed by an experienced home builder working with industry partners and others within their community.
The Canadian Home Builders' Association
The Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) represents more than 7,500 member-firms in the residential construction industry—from builders and renovators to tradespeople and product manufacturers.
A safe and healthy environment is fundamental to developing communities where people want to live and raise their families. Home builders and renovators typically run small- and medium-sized businesses, with deep roots in their communities. The CHBA has taken an active role in environmental matters for many years, working with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Natural Resources Canada to develop more energy-efficient and environmentally-sound approaches to home design and construction.
Through its involvement in the R-2000 Initiative, Healthy Housing and many other activities, CHBA has helped to direct Canada’s housing research and move new ideas into the marketplace. Extensive professional development within the industry ensures that CHBA builders have the opportunity to stay informed on the latest ideas on housing design and construction.
EnviroHome projects present the results of these efforts—new homes that offer customers improved environmental performance, unparalleled comfort and great design at a price that is affordable to most home buyers. In partnership with TD Canada Trust and with support from the Government of Canada, the CHBA is proud to be a national sponsor of EnviroHome projects, bringing good news about today’s environmentally oriented homes to consumers across Canada. The CHBA also recognizes the important support that the EnviroHome Initiative receives from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.
For additional information on the Canadian Home Builders’ Association and its involvement in the EnviroHome initiative, contact Gary Sharp, EnviroHome Coordinator, Canadian Home Builders’ Association, (613) 230-3060
TD Canada Trust provides a full range of personal banking, trust, mutual fund and investment management services, and is considered one of the strongest financial institutions in Canada. The company serves more than two million Canadian households and is a leading source of mortgage funding for homebuyers and homeowners. Within the financial community, TD Canada Trust has established a leading role in the environmental area, and its sponsorship of EnviroHome reflects this commitment.
Among TD Canada Trust’s environmental initiatives is the Friends of the Environment Foundation. Since it began in 1990, the TD Friends of the Environment Foundation has proudly supported the efforts of Canadians who are dedicated to the well-being of our environment. The Foundation funds local environmental projects, which range from recycling and composting programs to wildlife preservation and tree planting. The Friends of the Environment Foundation’s approach is straightforward – local funding, for local initiatives, under local direction.
Sponsorship of EnviroHome further illustrates TD Canada Trust’s commitment to community-based environmental action. EnviroHome is a good example of how TD Canada Trust looks at its own products and marketing to help encourage environmentally sound practices in the communities it serves.
The Technology Behind EnviroHome: Energy Performance
Over the last two decades, Canadian homes have become much more energy efficient. EnviroHome projects, built to the R-2000 Standard, goes a step further and use far less energy than a conventional house built today.
Energy-efficient homes deliver benefits that go beyond low heating bills—benefits like increased comfort, better control over indoor air quality and reduced impact on the natural environment.
EnviroHome builders achieve high levels of energy efficiency in the most cost-effective way. This involves careful balancing of all aspects of the house using HOT-2000, a computer simulation program that predicts the overall thermal performance of the house design. Some of the more important products that the builder can use in order to meet energy efficiency targets are described below.
Windows - Window technology has changed rapidly during the last few years. Today, the most advanced windows are more energy efficient than a well-insulated wall, if located where they will receive adequate sunlight. Some of the features that reduce heat loss in windows include:
- special heat reflective coatings
- inert gasses, such as argon, in the space between the layers of glass
- insulating spacers between glass layers
- triple glazing in colder areas of the country
- improved frame design and framing materials
Heating Systems - Space heating accounts for almost three quarters of the energy use in a typical Canadian home, so it is important to produce that heat as efficiently as possible. Both natural gas and oil furnaces can now deliver efficiencies above 90%; this is a 50% improvement on equipment typically used 10 to 15 years ago. Electric heating offers heat pump systems that can actually deliver more energy than they consume.
Insulation - Today’s energy-efficient homes are insulated from top to bottom. In each area of the house, specific insulation products with the right performance characteristics are used. There are many types of insulation on the market ranging from rigid-board types and batts, to loose fills and blown-in products. All work well, and the builder will often choose a number of different products for particular applications in each home.
Air Sealing - In older homes, air leakage through small cracks and seams in the house exterior can account for up to half of all heat loss. EnviroHomes are carefully sealed to prevent such uncontrolled air leakage.
Heat Recovery Ventilation - Once air leakage has been stopped, a whole-house ventilation system is added to ensure clean, fresh indoor air. To control energy costs, a heat recovery device “scavenges” the heat in the exhaust air to preheat the incoming fresh air.
