Category: Uncategorised

Here are some ideas that Paul Lowes would like you to examine when it comes to the future of residential home building.

The impact of climate change has reached a point where it can no longer be ignored. Federal and Provincial governments have implemented rebates and taxes, to incentivize industry and citizens to do their part to address climate change. Most companies in North America have implemented strategies and targets to mitigate their impact on the environment. Companies express these efforts in Environmental Social Governance (ESG) policies and reporting. Nowhere is this movement more profound than the construction industry.

Builders, manufacturers, and governing bodies all recognize the significance of their part in helping to reduce the carbon footprint of the residential and commercial construction industries.  These organizations work towards implementing building codes that are designed to build homes with lower energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Manufacturers are tasked with producing products with lower Global Warming Potential (GWP). Builders must meet the evolving regulatory requirements of the municipalities in which they build; The Low Carbon Home Builder Coalition (LCHC) constructs homes that reduce operational energy and water consumption with products that have a low GWP.

If you are interested in learning more about your company’s carbon footprint, Environmental Social Governance (ESG) and the Low Carbon Home Builder Coalition, please think about joining us for a Sustainable Housing Foundation Fall dinner meeting, Tuesday September 26th 2023 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club. Please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sustainable-housing-foundation-dinner-tickets-673167912347?aff=oddtdtcreator and be sure to include your meal choice. Attendance is limited, please sign up no later than September 12^th 2023.

Building a Sustainable Housing Industry

Affordability, or the lack thereof, has been front of mind for a long time.  Our industry has been screaming it from the rooftops for many years.  We’ve seen the tsunami coming, and the current Ontario government has finally decided to make some welcomed changes with Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022.  Increasing supply will help with affordability.

One factor limiting the supply of new homes is a shortage of skilled labour in the GTA. The Honourable Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development, announced April 24, 2023.  This funding will provide in-demand residential construction training to a new cohort of unemployed and underemployed job seekers to shrink the skilled trades gap in the province. The Job Ready Program provides builders with prescreened prospects and the necessary on the job training with support for a paid placement for a three-month test drive. For future employees, it starts with a one-hour info session and candidate interviews as a resource for builders.  The program design is to mitigate risk for both parties.

If you are interested in learning more about the Job Ready Program, please think about joining us for a Sustainable Housing Foundation Fall dinner meeting, Tuesday September 26th 2023 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club. Please register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sustainable-housing-foundation-dinner-tickets-673167912347?aff=oddtdtcreator and be sure to include your meal choice. Attendance is limited, please sign up no later than September 13^th 2023.

Introducing the Low Carbon Home Builder’s Coalition

Here’s a question worth asking. In Ontario, we have a surplus of off-peak electricity and challenges with fresh water supply and waste treatment capacity. What could be the best way to manage our energy and water needs and reduce CO₂ emissions? For the answer, let’s look to the Low Carbon Home Builder Coalition (LCHC).

The idea behind the LCHC is to annually benchmark as many homes as possible to see how progress in new home construction is stacking up against federal commitments — a type of report card for residential builders. In 2023, the coalition effectively got 527 cars off the road and saved their home buyers 1.6 million dollars in energy costs annually. With respect to local green building standards, the coalition is working to preserve a builders choice on how they meet local requirements. For example with Pickering’s Green Building Standards, HERS energy ratings and HERS H2O labels are mentioned directly. Please think about joining the coalition for a Fall dinner meeting, Tuesday September 26^th 2023 from 5:30pm – 8:30pm at Thornhill Golf and Country Club to find out more. It’s on us!

Topics will include:

• The HERS carbon rating system
• The Hybrid House Approach
• Navigating Code Harmonization
• Green Building Standards

SHF LCHC dinner 2023 presentation summary

What makes good leadership? We know that poor leadership usually consists of simplistic thinking or fundamentalism. In contrast, balancing pros and cons — and preserving balance and choice — is key to effective leadership.

In training sessions, I usually ask the participants “yes” or “no” questions — but I rarely get commitment to either response. Maybe people are afraid of suffering the disapproval of the group. There’s nothing wrong with not knowing the answer, but asking yourself the question is what’s most important. Good leadership is about constantly asking good questions.

Here’s a question worth asking. In Ontario, we have a surplus of off-peak electricity and challenges with fresh water supply and waste treatment capacity. What could be the best way to manage our energy and water needs and reduce CO₂ emissions? For the answer, let’s look to the Low Carbon Home Builder Coalition (LCHC).

The idea behind the LCHC is to annually benchmark as many homes as possible to see how progress in new home construction is stacking up against federal commitments — a type of report card for residential builders. In 2023, the coalition effectively got 527 cars off the road and saved their home buyers 1.6 million dollars in energy costs annually. With respect to local green building standards, the coalition is working to preserve a builders choice on how they meet local requirements. For example with Pickering’s Green Building Standards, HERS energy ratings and HERS H2O labels are mentioned directly. Please think about joining the coalition for a Fall dinner meeting, Tuesday September 19^th 2023 at Thornhill Golf and Country Club to find out more.

Hi,

Here are some thoughts that Paul De Berardis would like you to consider when it comes to the residential building sector.

There are always two sides to every story, but the general consensus is that individuals working within the residential new home industry feel they are doing their part to address climate change, whereas external organizations always feel more can and should be done.

While there is merit to both sides of the argument, this must also be viewed from the lens that homes are ultimately sold to consumers, who are typically constrained by financial budgets, especially considering the rising trend in mortgage interest rates, so more may not always be better for everyone. There also needs to be consideration for constructability and embodied carbon, as homes become more complex to construct through increasing regulatory requirements, and they take more time and resources to build. Government policies are pushing home builders to ramp up operations and build more homes than ever to address housing affordability, yet there is a declining workforce of skilled trades, and building regulations are only getting more onerous, counterintuitive to say the least.

Please join us for our virtual seminar, “The Low Carbon Builder Coalition” being held on March 22nd 2023 from 10:30 am – 12:00 pm for more information on this. 

The members of the Sustainable Housing Foundation held a webinar to “Fill the Gap” in meeting carbon reduction in the home building industry. The virtual webinar was hosted via Zoom on March 22, 2023 from 10:30am to 12:00pm.

• Low carbon definition: both operational and embodied carbon
• The hybrid house wisely using primary natural gas combo system
• Measuring CO2 reductions using HERS ratings and ANSI/RESNET/ICC 301-2019
• GTA low carbon builders taking credit for exceeding current federal government’s mandates
• Creating realistic definitions for zero rated houses

A copy of the presentation is attached below.

John and Frank – Diminishing Marginal Returns and Future Fuels – March 22 2023

June 22, 2023 12 Noon to 5 PM

Flemingdon Golf Course, Toronto

The annual Green Builder Challenge Golf Tournament, hosted  by the Sustainable Housing Foundation’s President John Godden, is happening on Thursday June 22nd in the afternoon and you are invited to attend. Lunch and beverages will be provided before the first T-off time at 1 PM so come early and enjoy a relaxing lunch on the patio and great networking opportunity with your colleagues from the sustainable building industry in Toronto.

The price to play is $150 with all proceeds going toward supporting the educational training that the Foundation undertakes every year.  You can book for just yourself and we will place you in a foursome, or book your own foursome and reward your staff or clients to  a great afternoon of golf and comradery. Space is limited to 40 golfers so please book early. Please note that the game played will be best ball with T-offs scheduled every 10 minutes or so starting at 1 PM. The course is a nine hole course so only takes a couple of hours to play.  No mechanical carts are allowed but you will be provided with a pull handle. Golf clubs can be rented directly from the golf course if pre-arranged with them. Registration details to come. Hope to see you there!