New homes in Ontario will have to meet the highest energy-efficiency standards in Canada under building-code provisions released yesterday that require improvements in insulation levels, windows and furnace efficiency.
The requirements will come into force in stages between now and the end of 2011. When fully implemented, the changes will increase the cost of a typical 2,000-square-foot gas-heated home in the Toronto area by up to $6,600, while cutting energy use about 35 per cent from current construction standards.
Other new provisions will set higher accessibility standards for people with disabilities and the elderly by having public corridors wide enough for modern wheelchairs and having 10 per cent of the units in new apartments or hotels equipped with accessible features.
The changes were lauded by Energy Minister Dwight Duncan, who said the construction of more efficient homes will help the province reduce its power use, a prime goal in Ontario where electricity shortages are a threat during periods of high air-conditioning use.
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"Conservation is a fundamental and key component of our energy plan for Ontario," Mr. Duncan said, adding that the new code will allow homeowners "to enjoy long-term energy savings and at the same time reduce Ontario's overall energy use."
The changes largely reverse steps taken by the previous Conservative government in 1997. The Tories eliminated requirements, such as having full basement insulation, to allow builders to offer cheaper homes, although these actions saddled homeowners with higher long-term energy costs.
Over the next eight years, the new measures will save the equivalent of enough energy to run about 380,000 homes and cut greenhouse-gas emissions by about the same amount as taking 250,000 cars off the road, according to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, which is responsible for the building regulations.
Under the changes, all new homes built in 2012 and later will have to meet EnerGuide 80 standards, which call for high levels of insulation and ventilation efficiency to achieve a 35-per-cent energy reduction. Ontario says it is the first jurisdiction in the country to require homes to meet this standard.
Construction groups have expressed concern about the cost of meeting the new provisions, but the NDP criticized the long period before the highest standards come into place because it will allow about 400,000 homes to be built without the best efficiency measures.
"This represents a huge blow to the province's conservation efforts and will result in billions of dollars of unnecessary expenditures on new or refurbished power supply, most of it nuclear," NDP Leader Howard Hampton said.
This comment was echoed by Ken Elsey, president of the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, who said he was disappointed that the changes will not be fully in place for another five years. He said he expects other provinces to "be far ahead of Ontario before we see this program fully implemented."
Starting next year, the code will require some improvements, including windows that are 67 per cent more energy efficient, higher insulation levels, and efficiency ratings of at least 90 per cent for new propane and gas furnaces.
These changes will increase the cost of a home by about $1,600, but pay for themselves through reduced energy bills within three years.
New homes built under permits applied for in 2009 will have to have near-full-height basement insulation. The province has also put into place immediate changes to encourage the use of solar cells to generate electricity, solar hot-water systems, rooftop storm-water retention systems and grey water use.
