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DECEMBER 2017 | 21 Green Building Design PHOTOGRAPHY iSTOCK ➔ Game Changing T his past year has seen great strides being made in the world of green building design. Partially due to changing codes, regulations and greater incentives, but in the most part it is down to greater education and aware- ness of what it actually takes to design a green building. "Studies like the Canada Green Building Council's new A Roadmap for Retrofits in Canada have been a real game changer. The paper talks to sustainable building solutions that vary dramatically from province to province. The key message is, depending on what market you are in and what area, building renewal has more value depending on the region of Canada you are in," explains Jeff Rabinovitch, principal at RJC Engineers. The paper Rabinovitch is referring to details four different initiatives that the building industry needs to look at across the country to maximize green building design: recommissioning – the optimization of the performance and operation of an existing building's system, which includes upgrading lighting, improving indoor air quality and replacing boilers; deep retrofits that involve major system and equip- ment replacement or upgrades; renewable energy; and fuel switching actions. "For instance, in B.C. it says that aside from the reduction in usage of grid energy, which is dollars in a consumer's pocket, solar isn't very effective in reducing greenhouse gas and carbon emissions because electricity is predominantly from hydro. While in Alberta, our energy comes from carbon based fuel sources, so we need to move away from carbon based sources and use clean energy," says Rabinovitch. Indeed, Rabinovitch believes that in Alberta solar energy systems should be installed wherever possible and he has already seen an uptick in demand for rooftop solar installations as a result of government mandates and grants. Incidentally, the Government of Alberta has a series of energy efficiency and solar rebate programs available for commercial use, offering a grant of up to $500,000 for installation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system for commercial and non-profit organizations. Curtis Loblick, sustainability team lead at Williams Engineering agrees, having also seen increasing interest being paid in solar installations for greening a building. "Photovoltaics are really starting to take off in Alberta and Saskatchewan because the amount of sun they get makes it a viable option," he says. The challenge, however, has always been the price point, but as demand increases that price is com- ing down. "It wasn't long ago that you'd look at a solar panel and it had a 25 year life, and a 25 year payback, but now we are at the point where the return on investment [ROI] can be less than 10 years." A shift in thinking proves green building design doesn't have to cost more by NATALIE BRUCKNER-MENCHELLI

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