Presented Live, July 2019  - March 2020
The Step Code is about to launch us on a race to Net Zero for all new B.C. Homes over the next decade. There has been quite a buzz about building the bones of these new homes and it is becoming evident that Builders will need to perfect dramatically new construction methods to achieve the thermal blanket and over-all airtightness. This is only part of the solution, however. The way we power these Net Zero Homes; the way we heat them and cool them and ventilate them in a safe and comfortable and efficient way is an equal challenge to building the good bones of insulation and airtightness. This presentation focuses on renewable energy and high efficiency Heating, Ventilation, & Air Conditioning.
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Session 1: The Basics of Air | 3.5 Hours
Mechanical systems distribute air for ventilation and some heating and cooling systems also convect air.  At the heart and soul of forced air systems and modern ventilation systems is the ducting and builders have often not paid enough attention to how ducting should be designed and installed.  Worse still, many workers and sub-trades take drastic steps when trying to complete ducting installations into structures that have not been designed or constructed to provide effective and efficient ducting layout.  It is no longer acceptable to just notch, cut, and nibble through the complex structure and building envelope, and it is also no longer acceptable to simply hope that air circulation will result in comfortable and safe living environments.  This session looks specifically about the affects of duct size, run lengths, duct shape, duct sealing, field modification of ducting to work around the rest of the building.  No conversation about the HVAC system can be beneficial until the basics of air are understood.

Session 2: Ventilation - Why and How | 3.5 Hours
With the basics of ducting and airflow understood, the next challenge in mechanical design is effecting ventilation and as we move forward with high energy efficiency we must also begin to examine the importance of air circulation and energy recovery from the exhaust air as fresh air is brought into the home for comfort, safety, and the protection of the building structure and sensitive contents and finishes.  Session 2 focuses on various code-conforming ventilation strategies and energy recovery strategies while introducing advanced controls and air circulation options that can also be factored into homes.  Heat recovery ventilators, energy recovery ventilators, central recirculating systems and basic supply/exhaust options will be included.  An exploration of ventilation strategies that can evolve with the home as energy costs and code requirements evolve will supplement the examination of emerging ventilation technologies that may become code referenced in the future as well as minimalistic approaches for small homes in milder climate locations.

Session 3: Heating and Cooling - From Hearth to Heat Pump | 3.5 Hours
Mis-sized and overly-costly heating and cooling choices do not benefit anyone.  They often cost more to install, can result in extraordinary maintenance and renewals costs, and may still fall short of delivering 12 month comfort for residents..Understanding the heat-loss calculation for a home is the foundation of Heating and Cooling design and will be summarized in this session.  Building on right-sizing choices, this session goes a bit outside of the box to fully explain (in simple but revealing ways) the concepts of operation including challenges and opportunities that will help attendees to make the best choice of systems for the builder and the occupant.  Forced Air, Heat Pumps, Radiant Systems and even passive systems and the good old fashion wood burner will be discussed and the best systems moving forward may be very different that what has been typically chosen in the past.

Session 4: Plugging the Holes - Inviting In Free Energy, and Trapping Escaping Energy | 3.5 Hours
Interestingly, it has become evident that traditional thinking about mechanical systems and their role in more energy efficient homes begins to fall apart when we look at Net Zero homes and beyond.  There are passive solutions to energy recovery of ventilation air,  there is great reduction in heating and cooling devices (both capital and operating costs) as the building enclosure gets tighter and more thermally resistive.  Where is the balance between more costly mechanical and more effort in the design and construction of the building envelope?  Why does falling snow stick to the ground last over the manhole covers in the streets?  Can power controlled louvre windows be used to naturally ventilate the home while providing stack cooling and even night purging of heat?  The answers lie in knowledge and in undertaking careful design that can bring passive comfort and ventilation into the home with little or no energy requirement.

Session 5: Getting Into Hot Water | 3.5 Hours
Domestic hot water can amount to as much as 30% or more of the energy consumption in a home.  We have lived with lagging temperature when we turn on the hot water tap for decades but new demand (tankless) hot water solutions offer a different but lagging service.  All summer long we produce hot water and yet if we change to a heat pump for the hot water, we can throw “free” cold air back into the home.  Electric vs. gas vs. heat pump will be examined.  Tankless systems will be explained along with newer technologies such as air over water heat pump.  Is there a future for Solar Thermal systems or is it just too costly/complicated?  Even the very future of hot water tanks will be explored.  The cost of housing presents huge challenges to mechanical rooms in basements and on living floors, and changes in the building form and even aging-in-place might make attics the last logical choice for all major mechanical and storing water overhead is not always a good idea.

Session 6: Free Clean Power - Renewable Energy Sources in Homes | 3.5 Hours
The state of the art in Photovoltaic is evolving quickly.  When the choice to add PV to a home is made, the next 25 years of power is being purchased, in essence, “up front”,  With technology getting better every year and the cost per kWh dropping and energy costs rising, when does it make sense to jump in?  This session looks at the practical requirements for PV installations, some recent costing data, a review of PV in real world BC installations and the technology options for both grid-tied and off-grid systems.  A discussion about ramping the value of renewable energy installations with other high efficiency choices will highlight the complexity of over-all energy efficient design and construction.  This session will even peak into alternate renewables such as wind, solar thermal, passive solar heating, and run-of-river.  For now, it looks like PV is king but the future may hold some new truths and surprises as the public’s opinions evolve.  What are truly the lowest environmental impact design choices and is energy efficiency actually an assurance of environmentally positive benefits or is energy efficiency truly driven by economic factors?

Why Take This Series?

Our team constantly seeks out information and testing from around the world.  We work closely with some of the biggest research projects in Building Science and our reputation as the Guardians of Part 9 is growing throughout North America.

The engineering and architectural communities drive much of the research on performance and construction methods.  The work done in the research completed by the professions around the world weaves in and out of universities and private practice yielding some great examples of technology transfer.  The biggest hurdle in our industry (in our opinion) is that the driving research is often completed for large, complex, Part 3 buildings designed under the watchful direction of professionals and is not necessarily responsive to the prescriptive code approach for small structures under Part 9.

This session is a strong example of very important research being directed specifically at technology transfer for Part 9 homes. Attending this session will provide clear direction on what the code intends for small structures and how ramping up energy efficiency along with the practical challenges of residential construction can proceed with confidence in the final code compliance and the long term efficiency and durability of the home.

This research yielded results that have not been previously studied and applying these results will result in better homes.
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