Elizabeth White is an environmental consultant from Salt Spring Island with 25 years of hands-on experience in energy efficient housing design and construction. On April 3rd Elizabeth led an informative workshop about home energy and how to fit/refit your house for maximum conservation effectiveness. She brought a lot of good ideas about planning your home, construction and building materials, ventilation and heating.

As an EnerGuide for Houses advisor, Elizabeth can give you a detailed report on how to economically improve your home's airtightness, comfort and energy use, explain how to spend your money wisely by planning renovations so that they pay for themselves and how to save money by fine-tuning specifications on a blueprint.

We will be taking the energy-saving information Elizabeth presented into consideration for the new construction of the GoTofino.com office.

Elizabeth White answers the many questions we had for her about making homes energy wise.	There is lots of literature to get you started.
	The energy workshop was well attended by home owners, builders and people planning new homes in Tofino.

My notes from Elizabeth White's Energy Efficient Housing Workshop:
(These are my brief notes and are my own interpretation of Elizabeth's presentation. Please consult with Elizabeth for clarification and detailed explanation.)

Why make your house/work space energy effective?
Reduce pollution, reduce the effects of global climate change, improve air quality and save money. Existing houses can improve 30-40% or more, new houses can improve 50-90% or more.

Principles of Energy Efficiency
Location: Look at your location with respect to total energy use including transportation and food delivery energy costs. Consider the solar access to your building.
Design: Simple, small, passive solar. The smaller one keeps the thermal envelope (outside area) of a building, the more energy efficient.
Construction: The required building code is the minimal standard, there are many more improvements one can make to make your building energy-smart. Build to keep water out.

1. Foundation

Drain water away from the building, put a moisture barrier on footings, floor and foundation walls. Insulate foundation walls. Plant ground cover to prevent backsplash.

Insulation should be R20+. Have a rainscreen between siding and wall. Incorporate a continuous air barrier.

Use sealed windows with low E argon, insulated spacers and frames. Large windows are better than many small windows. Hinged windows have a better seal when closed than sliding windows due to the compression. Make sure that windows are installed correctly.

Insulation should be R40. Eaves should be a minimum of 2 feet. For larger eaves incorporate glazing to let in light. Limit the number of skylights and insulate the skylight wells where they are used. Install a continuous air barrier (idea: do ceiling first, then build internal walls).

a) You need to breathe. Opening windows is not enough, mechanical ventilation is necessary. Install a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV) in new homes, add a good exhaust fan to refits.

b) Combustion Air. Needed for wood burning, propane and oil systems.

c) The house must breathe. House materials must be able to dry out.

Use high-efficency heating/cooling appliances. Wood burning is perhaps not the best choice due to it's emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOC) and particulate matter (PM). Use a low-emission wood combustion system and dry wood. Electricity is 90% hydro in BC. Electric baseboards are a good choice for small buildings and an air source heat pump will be a good option for larger buildings. Ground source heat pumps work well for larger commercial projects. Currently electricity is cheaper than propane fossil fuel. Solar hot water systems work well in summer and you may wish to consider one for your location. (author's note: air source heat pumps may also have hot water heating capabilities). Insulating jackets on hot water tanks are always a good idea. Think your hot water tank doesn't need one - put your hand on it and if the tank is warm, that's heat leaving your tank.

The Energy Efficient Housing Workshop with Elizabeth White was a great add-on the information I picked up while attending GLOBE 2004. "Over the past decade, the GLOBE™ Series has emerged as one of the most well-known and prestigious business and environment events in the world. Senior business executives and government officials from over 75 nations meet every two years at this exciting forum to exchange ideas, cultivate partnerships and do business."

What an array of different businesses! Showcasing everything from Coop Wind Farms, heat pumps, biodegradable take out food containers made from sugar cane, hybrid and electric vehicles, fuel cell technologies, a enviro-prototype condo, carpet (from Ray Anderson's Interface), sustainable construction materials and technologies and government initiatives for environmental business change, the event was well-attended and showed just how many companies are realizing the future is in sustainable energies, materials and technologies. Doing the right thing is good for the planet, it's citizens and the bottom line.

"An international crossroads and marketplace, the GLOBE™ Series, focused on developing the business of the environment, serves as an important global platform for Canada to showcase its capabilities in environmental management and technology. First launched in 1990, GLOBE biennial events each generate more than $425 million in business and host nearly 10,000 participants." The next GLOBE™ Series will be March 29-31, 2006.

Quotations from the GLOBE 2004 website - read more here.