Energy efficiency, green construction, increased insulation, net-zero—all these terms imply the same expectation: to improve the performance of buildings and minimize their impact on the environment by reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, conserving natural resources, and maximizing the service life of all building systems—all while maintaining comfortable and functional buildings.
With an increased focus on careful stewardship of resources and rapidly rising utility costs, it is now mandatory for new and remediated buildings to be more energy-efficient. This tends to be easier said than done. There are numerous challenges that must be addressed during the design and construction phases of such a project.
Insulation manufacturers have devised numerous ways to improve the thermal performance of their products, from adding specialized particles to polystyrene to refining vacuum insulated panels (VIPs) and phase-change materials to aerogels. Unfortunately, none of this matters when these high-performance products are installed ineffectively.
The 2015 National Building Code of Canada (NBC) brought about multiple changes. One of the most important from an insulation standpoint is the treatment of the language concerning RSI values. (Although most in the construction industry are more familiar with the term ‘R-value,’ this article will use the metric values RSI for insulation.)
Buildings are energy hogs. Nearly half the total energy consumption of commercial and industrial buildings in Canada is used for heating and cooling spaces, which contributes to 42.9 per cent of the sectors’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
When designers are deciding which insulation products to specify for a given project, two questions come to mind: ‘What is the R-value?’ and ‘What is the permeance?’ The answer to both these queries is, ‘It is all relative.’
In Canada, products approved for use as a thermal barrier for foamed plastic must pass either CAN4-S124-M, Standard Method of Test for the Evaluation of Protective Coverings for Foamed Plastics, or CAN/ULC-S101, Standard Methods of Fire Endurance Tests of Building Construction and Materials, to comply with the National Building Code of Canada (NBC).
Interest in energy-efficient buildings is alive and well in Canada. A majority of building professionals surveyed (56 per cent) report that more than 30 per cent of their current projects are considered by them to be ‘green,’ according to the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC).
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