Radiant in floor uses the thermal mass of a concrete floor or a lightweight concrete topping to provide even heating throughout the home without any cold spots. As it uses thermal mass like a heat sink it evenly distributes the heat energy and once the...
Basement Insulation Solutions Changes to the Ontario Building Code (Supplementary Bulletin SB-12), became effective January 1 2017. These codes call for an increase in thermal insulation to improve the overall energy efficiency of residential homes. There are various options to achieve these new thermal values several...
I've been having an interesting convo with a colleague on Linkedin recently, the subject: dimensional stability of Expanded polystyrene. To see the original post, please click this link: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6418502244446007296/?commentUrn=urn%3Ali%3Acomment%3A(activity%3A6418502244446007296%2C6418665654492205056) I wished to respond directly on Linkedin, but as we are limited to a certain number of...
I apparently participated in a study on sustainability innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) conducted by the University of Waterloo in 2017. Here are the results of that survey: https://uwaterloo.ca/sustainability-policy-research-on-urban-transformations-lab/gate-survey-report How important is sustainability and innovation in the workplace to you? Please leave a comment!...
As an insulation distributor, it was only a matter of time before I started getting requests for Rockboard, a rigid mineral wool insulation made by Rockwool. Rockboard is a " Fire-resistant, non-combustible product with a melting point of approximately 2150°F (1177°C)". It's a pretty neat product...
Greening up Existing Buildings This article appears in the February 2011 edition of Florida Investor. By Paul E. Beers Sustainable design has been defined as buildings that are accessible, secure, healthy, and productive while minimizing their impact on the environment. A related issue is building resiliency. Building resiliency is the...
What the heck is a Heated Frost Protected Shallow Foundation System you ask? ( or maybe not, but I'm going to tell you anyway..!) HFPFS are pretty simple: a concrete slab on grade, reinforced with steel to make it a structural load bearing surface upon which...
New report urges private sector to take leadership role with government to fight climate change and create new jobs for Canadians OTTAWA, ON – February 26, 2018 – A new report published by the Canada Green Building Council (CaGBC) today sets out a series of comprehensive...
Want to see what all the fuss is about? Want to know how to design a new home under Part 9 in the building code to meet the new standard? The following link and the document it leads to addresses the needs for better building...
Most people understand that the higher the R-value, the greater the insulating power of an insulation. However, many people do not understand that the R-value of polyiso and XPS is lost over the lifetime of the product. EPS ( expanded polystyrene) has a permanent lifetime R...