A Look At What 2016 Brings

Here it is. A brand new crystal ball, just out of the package. It’s been dusted off, wound up, plugged in, dunked in water, or whatever one does to get a crystal ball working. This isn’t your cheap, no-frills model. No way! We splurged on this one, so let’s see if it delivers. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Crystal Ball Time in Canada.

We’ve come off a very exciting and productive 2015 with several initiatives in place to carry on into 2016.
National Energy Code for Buildings 2015

By the time you read this article, the latest version of NECB-2015 will be in the marketplace. From our perspective, the minimum pipe insulation thicknesses have been increased by, in some cases, as much as 50 percent. If specifications aren’t currently reflecting this change, they soon will be.

TIAC’s Best Practices Guide is referenced in NECB-2015 and there are clarifications:

• The specified thickness where flexible blanket is permitted (e.g. fittings and ducts) is the installed thickness.
• Should a calculation show an insulation value falling between standard manufactured insulation thicknesses, the greater thickness shall be installed.
• Insulation will have to be installed in the full thickness specified; no cutting out of material.

British Columbia and Ontario

The respective building codes for both provinces have ASHRAE 90.1-2010 already in place with minimum pipe insulation thicknesses aligned with NECB-2015.
The Ontario Building Code (OBC) calls for a maximum surface temperature (ST) of 70 degrees C for health and safety reasons. According to ASTM C1055-03 (2014), the maximum ST should be 40 degrees C. Touching a surface at 70 degrees C will cause a severe burn. We submitted a position paper as to why the ST should be lowered. If they agree, this change will contribute to a safer workplace environment. The implication for mechanical insulation (MI) is that insulation thicknesses would have to be increased. We did a similar exercise for the National Building Code of Canada (NBC). We anticipate hearing back sometime in 2016 that these changes have been made.

Alberta

We have been working directly and indirectly with the NDP government and other interested parties:

• Updating Alberta Infrastructure Master Specifications to be in line with BC, ON, and NECB-2015.
• Providing the legislative framework to have upgraded MI requirements in place in 2016 without having to wait for the next building code cycle.
• Benchmarking heavy industrial sites with the legislative requirement that these sites establish a baseline for GHG emissions and then move towards reducing these emissions. In parallel, we are promoting MI as part of the story to help industrial facilities achieve their respective goals.
• We have requested the highest regarded insulation specifications currently used in the Alberta oil and gas industry. The intent is to use this document as a base upon which to develop a “gold standard” specification applicable to all participants in that market.
• We are promoting the BCICA Quality Assurance Program as part of the Government of Alberta Master Specification for MI.

Other Provinces and Territories

NECB-2011 adaption is underway to varying degrees. This is encouraging because with NECB-2011in place, the eventual future adaption of NECB-2015 is assured.

Canadian Healthcare Engineering Society (CHES)

We will continue to participate in CHES’ national and provincial trade shows with a TIAC booth. As we have been doing this over the years, we are continually generating quality leads. These leads are turned over to the TIAC members who have volunteered to help out in the booth. We have confirmations that these leads have resulted in business for participating members. This is found business that would not likely have otherwise been undertaken.

I participate on the CHES Advisory Panel, a representation of industry members advising the CHESboard of directors on what is important to this group. The plan for 2016 is to develop a cross-Canada program aimed at hospital administrators and discussing how member industries can help achieve certain goals. The presentations would be generic in nature, avoiding a captured audience sales pitch scenario.

Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA)

Canadian universities and colleges are members of APPA. We participate in trade shows whenever these become available in Canada. The Ontario APPA (OAPPA) is large enough to have a yearly trade show. For 2016 the event will occur in Kingston at Queen’s University and TIAC will be there with a booth. We hope to be able to replicate this exposure in BC, AB, and QC (QC hospital participants do attend the Ontario and US events) should chapters start up in these areas.

Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance (CEEA) and Alberta Energy Efficiency Alliance (AEEA)

TIAC is a member of both associations, and as such, we have benefitted and will continue to benefit from our memberships. CEEA and AEEA have given us exposure in areas in which it would have been very difficult for us to communicate on our own. In addition, we benefit from the credibility both organizations bring to the table.

Department of National Defense (DND)

I have reported in the past on what DND’s plans are to address energy efficiency (EE) deficiencies in approximately 21,000 buildings located across Canada. At a recent DND presentation in Ottawa, I learned the program remains very much in play with the first of many upgrades coming out for tender the latter part of 2016. DND will be specifying to LEED Silver and incorporate ASHRAE 90.1-2010 as well as NECB-2011 (later to be replaced by NECB-2015 when this version is legislated). The DND objectives represent tremendous potential business for TIAC members.

ASHRAE

An initiative underway for the past year or so tasks each chapter to set up a Grassroots Government Activity Committee (GGAC) for the purpose of promoting ASHRAE Standards and EE programs at municipal and provincial levels. I am the GGAC Chair for the ASHRAE Toronto Chapter. This GGAC has two initiatives in play directed at the City of Toronto:

• Benchmarking municipal buildings using ASHRAE’s Building Energy Quotient (bEQ) in conjunction with what is already in place with Energy Star and RETScreen.
• Introducing a building code official training program to include inspection of EE requirements legislated in the OBC. So far, Calgary and Vancouver are moving ahead in this area. If we’re successful with Toronto, we hope to have a national rollout.

We have a project for TIAC-attended trade shows, and that is to buy a professionally designed booth with first-rate graphics. We are done with those limp, pathetic, and poorly lit banners. They did serve us well, but quite frankly overstayed their visit. We anticipate the new booth’s visual impact will further cement in attendees’ minds that TIAC and our story about MI is established and continuing to move forward.

Steve Clayman
Director of Energy Initiatives
416-606-1512