Building 'green' momentum in Canada

2007-10-19

Given the figures put out by the Canadian Green Building Council, it is not surprising that many people are starting to see buildings as an ideal place to focus their conservation concerns. The Council reports that buildings, both residential and industrial, make up about 38 per cent of Canada’s secondary energy use, and produce about 30 per cent of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

Green buildings are those that incorporate construction principles that reduce the negative impact of buildings on the environment and on the people who use them. For a building to be considered green, it must be designed so as to: expend less energy and water; apply alternative sources of energy, and materials that can be reused or recycled, and feature better indoor air quality. Building in an area that isn’t particularly ecologically sensitive, and protecting water sources are also considered green principles.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has long been involved in the movement towards building green. Among the international technical committees working on related topics is one (ISO/TC59) dedicated exclusively to building construction. Standards developed by that committee include one that outlines building sustainability indicators (ISO/TS 21929-1:2006), and another that outlines what aspects should be used when determining the level of a building’s environmental sustainability (ISO/TS 21931:2006).

The latter was developed to be used alongside ISO’s environmental management systems standards (the ISO 14000 series). These standards are geared towards helping organizations reduce their negative effect on the environment.

Canadian Michel Bourassa is the convenor of an adhoc group under ISO's Technical Management Board, which is developing terms of reference for a potential strategic advisory group on the topic of sustainability. He says there are also various committees working on individual building-related standards that include environmental provisions.

One such committee (ISO/TC205) is developing a standard to address the design of new buildings, and the retrofit of existing buildings for energy conservation, efficiency and acceptable indoor environment.

Another (ISO/TC163), of which Canada is a participating member, is looking at thermal performance, and energy use in buildings. It is developing tools that can be used to design and construct or retrofit buildings to reduce their energy consumption.

Energy conservation is part of the scope of yet another technical committee’s work on doors and windows (ISO/TC162).

The committee that is working to develop international standards on refrigeration and airconditioning (ISO/TC86) also supports the green building movement. Its mandate includes limiting energy consumption and refrigerant release.

“All of these are contributing their significant bit to sustainability,” says Bourassa. “And every little bit helps.”

The fact that most standards are geared towards energy efficiency doesn’t come as a surprise to those who work in the building industry.

“The biggest shift we’ve seen in sustainable building practices come from the desire to make buildings more energy-efficient,” Morrison says. “There are more energy-efficient technologies being used in the designs.”

For example, he says, instead of 60-watt lightbulbs, builders are using more compact fluorescent lights to save energy, and using energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems.

Morrison says as new technology becomes available, he’s seeing the introduction of more ways to reduce reliance on fossil-fuel energy sources built into structures, such as building-specific wind- and solar-energy converters.

“There’s just been an explosion of interest in technologies that will help buildings use less power,” Morrison says.

Peter Love, the Chief Energy Conservation Officer of the Ontario Power Authority, says standards play a valuable part in the green building movement. He explains that as concerns over climate change and energy supplies grow, governments are paying more attention to lowering their energy use and greenhouse-gas emissions. Many governments—such as those in Ontario, New Brunswick, Quebec and Manitoba—have already included mandates for sustainable building practices for public structures in their energy policies.

Love says governments are able to do this because existing standards have shown it is possible to reduce energy use in buildings.

“Regulatory programs are possible because of the standards,” Love says. “It’s possible for governments to say they are going to have buildings that meet certain energy-efficiency levels because they know that thousands of buildings have already been built to those standards.”

There are still some challenges facing builders when it comes to constructing structures with a green theme. One key challenge, says Love, is the cost of building a green structure.

“It’s more expensive, there’s no doubt about it,” says Love. “But with reduced operating costs, the lifetime costs of the house are much lower.”

He says developers typically want to build as cost-efficiently as possible, and to create as much physical space as they can with whatever funding is available. The developer then passes the operating expenses, including what it costs to heat the structure and keep it lit, on to the building’s occupant. However, he expects this to change as the momentum of the green building movement grows.

“Nobody wants to be at the back of the pack,” he says. “And as more companies start building energy-efficiency into their designs, more people will start jumping on board.”

For Manitoba Hydro, a proponent of reduced power consumption, its green headquarters is a matter of practicing what it preaches.

“Our new building will be a world-class model of energy-efficiency and sustainability,” says Bill Henderson, the company’s senior communications advisor. “It’s a practical demonstration of our commitment to those principles.

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This article first appeared in Volume 34 of CONSENSUS Magazine, 2007.  The information it contains was accurate at the time of publication but has not been updated or revised since, and may not reflect the latest updates on the topic.  If you have specific questions or concerns about the content, please contact the Standards Council of Canada.

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