Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/687429
— Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator J UNE 2016 | 43 Sustainable Design Strategies I Sustainable design strategies provide payback now and in the future by GODFREY BUDD In the business world, money, especially when it is called return on investment (ROI), usually talks the loudest. At a recent Canadian apartment investors con- ference, one of the REIT's noted that they have a check- list of building upgrades considered likely to produce a quick ROI. The list included lighting retrofits, low-flow plumbing fixtures, a new boiler and an HVAC overhaul, or at least some fine-tuning. Many such HVAC upgrades have paybacks within one to three years, says Duncan Rowe, an associ- ate and building envelope specialist at Read Jones Christoffersen Ltd. (RJC): "Everyone was on board with a quick return," he says. Regrettably, though, more substantive retrofits, with payback in the 10 to 20 range, drew much less interest from the crowd at the conference. "We need to take a longer viewpoint, but it's great that quick fixes are being done. With an envelope retrofit, you get improvements in individual comfort, thermal per- formance, acoustic improvements, increased mois- ture resistance, lower maintenance and lower energy costs," Rowe says. Well-planned, "deep" retrofits of existing build- ings will bring them a lot closer to the goal of net zero energy consumption, he says, adding, "A carbon tax would help with both quick fixes and energy retrofits. And if you get to net zero, you essentially don't have to pay the tax anymore." Not all market conditions, however, are inimical to major upgrades, especially for quality and heritage buildings. Low vacancy rates can help, says Rowe, who is based in Toronto. "Some commercial and office mid-rises in the five-to-10-storey range are undertak- ing large interior retrofits, including adding insulation and upgrading HVAC, better thermal performance, but retaining the heritage cladding to maintain their role within the neighbourhood." Life cycle assessments (LCA) are assuming a more prominent role these days, a trend that Rowe regards as promising. In October this year, LEED v4 replaces LEED 2009. Under the new rules, an LCA will encompass a time horizon of 60 years. "LCAs encourage durability, prod- ucts with a smaller footprint, and weighing durabil- ity versus the footprint. They provide an agreed-upon method and industry standards for evaluations," he says. A simple but powerful-sounding concept involves labelling buildings with their respective energy usage intensity (EUI) per square metre. It should be easy to implement, Rowe says, as owners would simply be required to disclose one number, or category grade, for the EUI, when selling a building. "This could drive competition in a positive way," adds Rowe. Keeping things simple can sometimes be the most important principle to follow when aiming at sustain- ability. "Some complex systems are almost impossi- ble to operate and in the end can result in higher costs for energy," says George Steeves, director of Sterling Cooper NDY. In this context, he says, the Passivhaus approach applied well can be both simple and effective. "In a cool or cold climate, have windows facing south, if possible, with a deciduous tree in front. Shade in summer, sun in winter." Sterling Cooper recently merged with NDY, "where their standard of design must allow for water short- ages and also very high energy costs – $0.23 per kilo- watt hour," Steeves says. A current challenge in North America, however, has been the slow pace of some manufacturers to switch from making PSC motors for fans to electronically commutated motors (ECM). "PSC motors use 80 watts, while ECM uses 30 watts to do the same job. There's still great resistance from some of the equipment sup- pliers to using these more energy conserving motors. They should be used for all projects. Once factories switch to ECM manufacturing, the cost will be compa- rable. About 25 per cent of them are on board now, but in two years it will likely be 75 per cent," Steeves says. As codes tighten and become more stringent, espe- cially the parts related to energy consumption and thermal performance, even the tweaking of systems can be important, if a building's operational metrics are to hit those spec'd out in the design. "When operat- ing a building, you need to continue to sustain the ini- tial design features so that the building operates to the green specs," says Ali Syed, an energy modelling spe- cialist with WSP Canada Inc. in Edmonton. Existing buildings, even those built in the last 10 years, can benefit from a process that Syed calls ongo- ing commissioning. Installing a software-based mon- itoring system enables an owner to find out exactly what is happening with respect to real-time energy use. Among other things, this type of monitoring can examine occupancy, heating, lighting and other schedules, and determine if the building's operational settings are optimal. "Installation of a free cooling system, aka an economiser cycle, can be a manageable and cost-effective retrofit to implement into an exist- ing HVAC," Syed says. Some measures, like harnessing more rain and grey water, likely won't happen without some government incentives, Syed says. But, he notes, a simple option for buildings with underground parking in cold climates is to add sensors for moisture as well as temperature The KISS Principle Businesses have the opportunity to take advantage of a cost-effective approach to reduce energy consumption and improve their bottom line over the long-term through making energy-efficient decisions. " " to snow melt systems for exterior ramps. If the system, whether for a hospital's helipad or parking ramp, relies only on thermal sensors and ignores moisture, it stays on too long, and uses power needlessly. Although LEED remains the dominant rating sys- tem, interest in Passivhaus (Passive House) seems to be picking up in some regions. "We're seeing more RFPs asking the consultant to reference Passivhaus, espe- cially in residential," says Dan Lee, branch manager at the Abbotsford office of Williams Engineering Canada. Another trend that is emerging in the B.C. Lower Mainland is demand for heating and cooling, instead of heating only, typically with electric baseboards, on high-rise projects. "Developers are asking for heating and cooling. This is perhaps driven by out-of-country buyers," Lee says. Other factors are also spuming increased availabil- ity of cooling with multi-residential HVAC systems.