Launch of CHBA Knowledge Center  

CHBA is excited to announce the launch of the Member Knowledge Center. This is a valuable tool that will provide CHBA members with access to a wealth of information. Each year, CHBA staff spend hundreds of hours attending codes meetings. Members can now find post-meeting briefs for significant codes meetings on this centralized resource. CHBA will also use the Knowledge Centre to provide information on how to attend code meetings, how to write and submit a code change request, and to post CHBA positions and backgrounders. Visit the Member Knowledge Center now or contact Alex Bols for more information.

Resilient Homes Call for Applications: Deadline Extended to Dec 9!  

The Resilient Homes Task Force – a joint initiative of the CHBA and the Institute for Catastrophic loss Reduction (ICLR) – is now seeking applications to conduct field trials with new home builders that meet the eligibility criteria. For builders who are already looking to adopt resiliency measures into their new builds, this field trial project offers the opportunity to work with consultants and industry experts to select and implement the most effective measures. The field trials will be used to evaluate the implementation of selected climate resilience measures in terms of cost effectiveness, constructability, and other barriers for implementation (such as supply chain issues, and homebuyer uptake/interest). The learnings will be used to create resources and guides for the residential construction industry and homeowners, outlining voluntary risk reduction initiatives for Canadian homes. Learn more about this opportunity here, and email your completed application form to Sonja Winkelmann by 9 am ET on December 9.

CSA Publishes Updates to Residential HVAC Design Standards 

CSA Group recently published three critical standards for residential HVAC design, which have been significantly updated. CHBA staff and members participated on respective committees to make sure industry issues were resolved, helping the committees recognize the realities of tighter homes and larger exhaust fans.

• CSA F326:23, Residential Mechanical Ventilation Systems sets out performance requirements for ventilation systems and has been proposed for the 2025 National Building Code.
• CSA F280:12 (R2021), Determining the Required Capacity of Residential Space Heating and Cooling Appliances introduces a software verification testing procedure.
• CSA F300:22, Residential Depressurization now addresses both existing and new homes, and is a potential replacement for CGSB 51.71 Depressurization Test in the National Building Code.

The standards are offered for sale on the CSA store. No-fee viewing access may be available for some standards, and CHBA continues to advocate that all standards called up by the National Building Code should be free. Subscribe to the CSA Newsletter to stay up-to-date with residential HVAC design standards, latest industry guidelines and best practices. For any questions, please contact Jack Mantyla.

Two Important Code Changes to be Re-submitted to Public Review After CHBA Input 

The fall 2024 public review for 2025 code changes is now live and will end on December 19, 2024. Seven proposed changes are available for review on the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) website. CHBA’s review focuses on two proposed change forms (PCFs) being resubmitted to a second public review because of significant revisions stemming from earlier public reviews comments – including many from CHBA:  

• PCF 1823 proposes limits for solar heat gain through windows – CHBA staff and members identified the need for this change as early as 2019 to address unintended consequences of overheating when complying with the 2020 tiered energy codes. The change reduces the risk of overheating in high-performance homes. This second revision provides more granularity by setting a maximum Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) for windows based on the Fenestration and Door to Wall Ratio (FDWR) of the home and based on the climate zone of the project, and
• PCF 2026 proposes prescriptive requirements for operational greenhouse gas emissions – CHBA staff and members fought hard for having a prescriptive solution in the 2025 code rather than waiting another code cycle to get a simple compliance path. The revised PCF now better aligns with the point trade-off system for energy efficiency, but also introduces more stringency than the performance compliance path for operational greenhouse gases

Visit CHBA’s webinar page to learn more about these two changes. For more information, or if you want CHBA staff to include your comments in our submission, please contact Frank Lohmann or Alex Bols.

Changes Proposed for Rough Opening and Window Installation Details 

CHBA staff have long argued for applying the house-as-a-system concept to the tiered energy codes where wall assemblies with more insulation may cause water ingress at the window/wall interface. CHBA worked with building science experts and the fenestration sector to get these proposed changes right. The second of two significant proposed change forms (PCF 1950) is currently available on the Canadian Board for Harmonized Construction Codes (CBHCC) website. It deals with the rough opening sills for windows and doors and clarifies that the rough opening is part of the second plane of protection when it comes to protecting the window-wall interface from rainwater ingress. The first of these two proposed change was introduced earlier  (PCF 1951), which was submitted to the spring 2024 public review. It proposed to exclude the sill from the requirement to insulate around windows and doors to allow for water drainage. A detailed presentation given to CHBA’s Technical Research Committee by Darrell Paul during the 2024 Home Building Week provides an in-depth review of the change – members can find it on CHBA’s Member Resource Hub. For more information, please contact Jack Mantyla.

Updated CGSB Radon Standards Respond to CHBA Concerns 

The Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) recently published two updated radon mitigation standards for new and existing buildings, with major changes thanks to CHBA engagement. Like all other CGSB standards, the two radon standards are available for free:

• CAN/CGSB 149.12-Radon mitigation options for existing buildings
• CAN/CGSB 149.11- Radon control options for new buildings

The process for updating both standards focused on addressing CHBA’s concerns and recommendations flagged to Health Canada’s Minster in 2017.  The issues identified by CHBA were part of the official terms of reference for the CGSB technical committee and all parties involved ensured that all of the issues were resolved prior to the standards’ publication.  The Chair of the CGSB Radon Committee presented the standard updates to CHBA’s Technical Research Committee during the fall meetings. For any questions, please contact Jack Mantyla.

Reminder for Recall on Heat Recovery and Energy Recovery Ventilators (HRV/ERVs) due to Fire Hazard 

The Consumer Product Safety Branch has issued a reminder for a recall issued in 2019 for 207,000 air exchangers sold in Canada under brands like Carrier, Bryant, and Venmar. It involves units manufactured between January 2002 and July 2009, which may not shut off during overheating and catch fire. Consumers are advised to turn off their air exchangers and contact the manufacturer for a free safety upgrade (an online enrolment form can be found here). Over 32 fire incidents have been reported in Canada, luckily without injuries. For more information and to find out if an HRV or ERV that you may have installed in one of your homes is on the list of affected products, visit the Consumer Product Safety Branch’s Recall page. For more information, please contact Frank Lohmann or Jack Mantyla.