As the days grow shorter and temperatures drop, many of Ontario’s best home builders are learning more about energy efficiency in EnerQuality’s training sessions.
The information packed half-day sessions delivered by subject matter experts are focused on “SB-12,” the Ontario Building Code (OBC) provision requiring all newly built homes, starting in January 2017, to be more energy efficient, an EnerQuality news release says.
“EnerQuality is widely regarded as the #1 certifier of energy efficient homes in Canada,” EnerQuality president Corey McBurney said in a statement. “These sessions are part of our commitment to ensure Ontario home builders have the best training and information. Any EnerQuality-registered builder taking the course have future-proofed their business by ensuring they are compliant with the new Code changes and technical advances.”
The SB-12 curriculum, developed in conjunction with Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA), Ontario Building Officials’ Association (OBOA) and some of the country’s leading building science consultants, outlines critical energy and non-energy changes to OBC SB-12.
It also details cost-effective technology pathways and allowable code trade-offs and discusses compliance strategies. Workshop instructors include leading building scientists Andy Oding (Senior Building Science Associate at Building Knowledge Canada), Doug Tarry (SB-12 Working Group Chair), Ross Elliott (Homesol Building Solutions) with contributions from Dave Potter (Ontario Building Officials Assoc.).
Already this Fall, well-attended EnerQuality SB-12 sessions have trained more than 400 building professionals, in Toronto, London, Ottawa, Waterloo, Niagara, Orangeville and Napanee. The success of the early sessions has resulted in newly-announced training being scheduled for Hamilton (Nov. 30) and Stratford (Nov. 23).
In addition to the SB-12 training, EnerQuality will be visit Windsor (Nov 22), Owen Sound (Nov 23) and Sudbury (Dec 13) for the Green Streets ENERGY STAR Initiative. Green Streets is an opportunity for home builders to learn how Canada’s most successful green building program, ENERGY STAR for New Homes (ESNH), can play a positive role in ensuring the future of their business. Green Streets will also include a primer on SB-12 training, and for builders seeking additional training on SB-12, EnerQuality will host “Part 2 SB-12 Masters’ Class” in all three Green Streets cities later the same day.
“Each participating builder will come away with industry-leading knowledge on how to comply with the new high performance energy efficiency standard of the Ontario Building Code,” McBurney said. “This will mean better-built homes that benefit consumers for many years to come. The EnerQuality training sessions translate into new home buyers getting both a quality home and piece-of-mind with an independent, third-party verification of their homes’ performance.”
EnerQuality says the SB-12 training sessions are endorsed by the OHBA and the OBOA. Workshop sponsors are Dettson, Eddy Home and JELD-WEN, with additional sponsorship from Union Gas. EnerQuality partners are Enbridge, Owens Corning and Union Gas.
The EQ Housing Innovation Forum and Awards, on Feb. 23, 2017 at the Universal Event Space in Vaughan, is a day-long celebration of innovation in high-performance home building for Ontarians, culminating in a gala and awards ceremony recognizing the best of the industry province-wide. For more information or registration details, go to enerquality.ca/training.