Maximizing energy efficiency starts with design.  Savings by Design is a green building initiative brought to you by Enbridge Gas Inc. — created to help builders design and construct buildings with higher energy performance, helping occupants/owners save on their energy costs. This comprehensive program offers support and financial incentives during the design and construction stages of building and housing projects and they are still accepting applications for 2021.

EVNA Engineering has been involved with this program for years as the delivery agent for the energy analysis.  Based on expert recommendations our role is to engage in the Integrated Design Process by helping design teams prioritize key energy performance requirements and opportunities.  This year, we helped the program develop the energy modelling guide, thus setting the best practices for our peer group of energy modelling, mechanical engineering, and engineering design and build firms.

As of January 28, 2021, Enbridge has adopted two new stretch targets for all new applicants pursuing Commercial or Affordable Housing incentives:

1. For projects located in the City of Toronto, the minimum performance threshold is 20%.
2. A 5% stretch target is applied when the Baseline Building demonstrates an energy performance greater than the minimum performance threshold applicable to the project during the workshop.

Please refer to EVNA Engineering’s resource page to download your Savings by Design Application Workbook for more details.

Have you heard the news?  Ottawa is launching a High Performance Design Standard for Buildings expected to go live in 2022!  We can expect that the metrics and tiered nature of targets will be similar to the Toronto Green Standard.  This means that the standard will look to measure building performance against Total Energy Use Intensity (TEUI), Thermal Energy Demand Intensity (TEDI), and Greenhouse Gas Intensity (GHGI).

This exciting change offers great opportunity for design teams in Ottawa to consider new Energy Conservation configurations and innovative design and construction practices.  EVNA Engineering is excited to serve the market as these new performance requirements will create new market opportunities to work together!  If you or your team are concerned about these new pending standards – reach out!  We are always happy to discuss how this may or may not affect your growth plans and existing portfolio.

Building codes and energy performance standards are key drivers in our business, and so EVNA Engineering is keeping on top of the TGS V4 expected to be released in 2022.  We can expect that V4 will be in line with V3-Tier 2 targets.  This is to say that the absolute targets to qualify for Tier 2 today will become the mandatory Tier 1 performance requirements under version 4.  The table below summarizes the changes we can expect to see for Total Energy Use Intensity (TEUI), Thermal Energy Demand Intensity (TEDI), and Greenhouse Gas Intensity (GHGI):

Stay tuned as Building Commissioning and Air Tightness are becoming a greater priority.  At EVNA Engineering, we work with innovative design teams and industry leaders to offer these services.  We see the value in delivering these services and are excited to watch the market evolve and grow in this area.

Also, note that projects applying for Development Charge Refund need to retain a registered TGS Project Evaluator.  The project evaluator must be retained on the project by 50 percent construction documentation stage. Verification is a two-stage process that includes: a review of the construction drawings and specifications and a site inspection at Occupancy stage. The Verification Report is submitted to the satisfaction of City Planning, preferably with 3 to 6 months of occupancy and within 5 years from the date that DCs were payable to the City. If the report is deemed satisfactory, the applicable development charge refund will be issued.

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