CEEA - Best befalling in a decade to accomplish home architecture allotment of Ontario’s “Culture of Conservation” says Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance (CEEA)

Public analysis of Ontario Building Code (OBC) accompanying to activity ability
and attention ends March 27, 2006


(Toronto, March 10, 2006) The Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) is acquisition ascribe on proposed changes to the Ontario Building Code (OBC) until March 27, 2006. Consultation abstracts are accessible online at www.obc.mah.gov.on.ca .

Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance (CEEA) President & CEO Ken Elsey said, “This adventure is important; the 80,000 new homes to be complete in Ontario this year have to be acrimonious and cooled for the next 80 years. Increased activity ability of anniversary home will accept huge accumulative benefits, for both the new home applicant and the province’s activity attention objectives.

“The Provincial government has approved able abutment for activity ability and conservation. The Minister of Energy, Donna Cansfield, is to be acclaimed for her plan on the Energy Conservation Responsibility Act (ECRA). The advance on the ECRA and adjustment of Peter Love, the above Executive Director of CEEA, as Chief Energy Conservation Officer signals the accent of Energy Efficiency to this government. However, the proposed changes to the activity ability basic of the OBC by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing assume to downplay activity ability as a antecedence of the accepted government. Much added can be done with the OBC.”

The ascendancy for assured added from the accepted OBC angle is taken by MPP Brad Duguid's (Minister Gerretsen’s Parliamentary Assistant) account of endure year: “Current bigoted codes and standards are anachronous and should authorization stricter activity ability and conservation.”

CEEA supports the absorbed of avant-garde account such as activity ability labeling on homes, blooming roofs, and accoutrement fabricated for accumulation addition heating and cooling technology.

A cogent blank in the OBC angle is the abridgement of activity ability standards for renovations (Part 11). The advance area is huge, with over $10 billion spent annually. The befalling to retrofit earlier homes and save activity is too important to miss. This is abnormally important in earlier cities and towns with a ample banal of earlier buildings.

“Yes, humans accept to be able to acquiesce to buy homes, but they aswell charge to be able to acquiesce the activity bills,” said Elsey. He acclaimed that, “Reputable builders authenticate circadian that affordable activity able homes can be complete in any allotment of the Province, abounding already far beat the standards put advanced in this package.

“Energy ability is not an amount – it is an investment, with big returns. Upgrading activity able standards in a new home will acceptable add $25 a ages to your mortgage payment, a amount of $300 a year. But at the accepted activity rates, that will save you over $700 a year. And with activity amount acceptable to acceleration in the future, the allowances to the new home applicant continues to grow.”

Elsey stated, “CEEA would like to see a revised OBC that reflects EnerGuide 80 standards. Homes complete to this accepted absorb 25 to 40% beneath activity than those complete to accepted OBC minimum standards.”

Elsey observed, “Increased acquaintance of the allowances and a charge to activity attention by consumers and politicians allows me to anticipate that if accustomed by the McGuinty government these new standards should serve as a archetypal for the blow of Canada.”

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For added information, contact:
Ken Elsey, President & CEO, CEEA at (416) 558-8735