Webcast: advancing sustainable and affordable housing in Canada

{VISUAL: Title appears on the screen: Advancing Sustainable and Affordable Housing in Canada. A photograph fades in of the “Green Dream” CMHC EQuilibrium™ demonstration home: an energy-efficient single-family home with solar panels and large windows.}

{TEXT ON SCREEN: Demonstrating the path to sustainable affordable housing projects in Canada through the lessons learned from CMHC’s EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative}

Welcome to the CMHC webcast on “Advancing Sustainable and Affordable Housing in Canada.” This webcast provides an overview of CMHC’s current knowledge on tactics for sustainable housing that can help the residential construction sector to become more aware of, and adopt, practices and technologies that can improve the performance of housing.

{VISUAL: The title, text and photograph fade out. A bullet list of topics fades in, followed by a photograph of the open, well-lit living area of the “Harmony House” EQuilibrium™ demonstration home.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Topics Covered in this Webcast
Bullet 1: Tactics for sustainable housing
Bullet 2: Indicators of sustainable housing projects
Bullet 3: Technologies and practices
Bullet 4: Performance
Bullet 5: Knowledge gained and lessons learned
Bullet 6: Home occupant experience

We will cover six topics:

• An overview of the general approach for achieving sustainable housing;
• Indicators of sustainable housing;
• Technologies and practices;
• Performance;
• The knowledge gained and lessons learned over the course of CMHC’s EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration Initiative; and
• Occupants’ experiences of their homes.

{VISUAL: The photograph and bullet list fade out, and are replaced by a new bullet list set against a white screen.}

{TEXT ON SCREEN: General Tactics for Affordable Sustainable Housing Projects}
Bullet 1: Identify objectives
Bullet 2: Engage in an integrated design process
Bullet 3: Reduce energy demands
Bullet 4: Apply Renewable energy generation
Bullet 5: Use healthy materials, products
Bullet 6: Include mechanical heat recovery ventilation
Bullet 7: Water efficient fixtures, water re-use
{Bullet 8: Seek opportunities to reduce environmental impacts}
Bullet 9: Conserve resources in each step above

The tactics shown here can be applied to any project regardless of budget and size. They can help make a housing project more affordable to build and operate, and demonstrate an integrated approach to sustainable housing.

{VISUAL: A photograph of the exterior of the “Urban Ecology” EQuilibrium™ demonstration home fades in beside the bullet list.}

For instance, with identified objectives, it is possible to maintain focus during the design and construction of a project. An integrated design process can help the project team to assess the benefits of increasing the capital budget to pay for more insulation or higher-performing heating systems in terms of lower operating costs over the life of the project.

By designing and constructing buildings that use healthy materials and include controlled mechanical ventilation, homes are healthier to live in. Within the context of affordable housing projects, this can contribute to the well-being of the occupants and reduce costly tenant turn-over.

Let’s take a look at each of the tactics and explore how they might be applied to affordable housing projects.

{VISUAL: The text and photograph fade out, and are replaced by a series of five bullet lists outlining the objectives of affordable sustainable housing, along with a photograph of the “Riverdale NetZero” EQuilibrium™ townhouse project, complete with solar roof panels and attractive landscaping.}

{TEXT ON SCREEN: Identifying Objectives: What is “Affordable Sustainable” Housing?}
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Generation
Bullet 1: Energy conservation and efficiency
Bullet 2: Renewable energy
Bullet 3: Peak electricity demand
Bullet 4: Embodied energy strategy

Healthy Indoor Environment
Bullet 1: Indoor air quality
Bullet 2: Day lighting
Bullet 3: Noise control
Bullet 4: Water quality

Environmental Impacts
Bullet 1: Land use planning
Bullet 2: Sediment and erosion control
Bullet 3: Storm water management
Bullet 4: Waste water management
Bullet 5: Solid waste management
Bullet 6: Site air pollution emissions

Resource Conservation
Bullet 1: Sustainable materials
Bullet 2: Design for durability
Bullet 3: Materials efficiency
Bullet 4: Water conservation

Affordability
Bullet 1: Financing
Bullet 2: Marketing
Bullet 3: Adaptability/flexibility/accessibility

Identifying objectives. Sustainable means many things to different people. CMHC defines sustainability in terms of:

• Energy efficiency and renewable energy generation;
• Healthy indoor environments;
• Environmental impacts;
• Resource conservation; and
• Perhaps most importantly, affordability.

Within each of these areas, performance indicators help define objectives or areas of interest. For any sustainable housing project, it’s important to pick indicators that reflect the objectives of the owners of the building, and the design intent and goals of the project.

Once indicators are selected, it is useful to identify targets or established performance benchmarks, to which the performance of the building can be compared as the design evolves.

{VISUAL: The image and bullet lists fade out. Two photographs fade in showing people meeting to discuss design options, followed by a diagram that outlines the potential members of an Integrated Design Team, including: Building Owner; Building Operator; Building Users; Project Manager; Mechanical Engineer; Landscape Architect and Site Planner; Architect; Interior Designer; Electrical Engineer; Energy Consultant; Commissioning Agent; and Construction Contractor and Inspector.}

{TEXT ON SCREEN: The First Step – An Integrated Design Process}

Having chosen the objectives, the next step is to bring together a committed team of professionals into what is known as an integrated design process.

An integrated design process provides an opportunity for the design team, the owners, occupants, sustainable housing experts, performance modellers, and other stakeholders to work together to optimize the design and construction of the project to achieve the targets set for each of the selected performance indicators. The integrated design process may seem like an extra step and cost, but the time taken early on in the project development process can lead to capital cost savings and a higher-performing building with lower operating costs.

{VISUAL: The photographs and diagram fade out. A new bullet list fades in, along with photographs of an energy utility room and a series of power lines in a wheat field.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Reducing Energy Demands
Bullet 1: Lowers environmental impact
Bullet 2: Reduces operating costs
{Bullet 3: Improves construction quality and building performance}

Reducing energy demands is one of the most important objectives of affordable sustainable housing. Energy consumption is linked to significant environmental impacts associated with the extraction, processing, transportation, storage and consumption of energy.

Reducing energy demands also reduces operating costs. Energy costs are one of the more variable, and potentially volatile, operating costs associated with running a building project. High energy costs can undermine the affordability of housing – particularly for those most vulnerable.

Energy efficient housing is often better-built housing, as achieving energy efficiency requires higher quality materials and practices. Better-built housing lasts longer and can have less maintenance and repair costs than more conventional housing projects.

Let’s look at strategies to reduce the energy demands of housing projects.

{VISUAL: The photographs and bullet list fade out. A new bullet list fades in, along with photographs of a concrete house under construction, an external door that has been newly-installed in a home, and a cross-section of the wall of a house with extra insulation and airtight construction.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Building Envelope
Highly insulate:
Bullet 1: Roof
Bullet 2: Exterior Walls
Bullet 3: Foundation
Bullet 4: Doors
Bullet 5: Windows
and Make the whole house AIRTIGHT

It is time to consider how best to hold the heat in during the winter and out during the summer. Computerized energy consumption analysis offers a way to assess the incremental costs of adding insulation against the operating cost savings.

In new construction, add as much insulation to the attic, exterior walls and foundation as you can afford, as it’s the last chance to cost-effectively do so.

Making the building airtight not only holds in the heat in the winter, cool in the summer, it prevents drafts and keeps occupants comfortable. It also reduces outside noise penetration into the building.
An airtight building envelope prevents warm moist indoor air from finding its way into the roof and exterior wall assemblies where it can cause moisture damage that can require costly repairs.

{VISUAL: The photographs and bullet list fade out. A bar graph fades in showing the insulation R-Values for the windows, basement floor, basement walls, upper walls and roof for 11 of the CMHC EQuilibrium™ demonstration homes.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Building Envelope Thermal Values

How much insulation is needed?

Newer low-rise wood-frame homes constructed today may have insulation levels in the range of R-40 to R-50 for the attic, R-20 to R-25 for exterior walls. The eleven homes constructed under CMHC’s EQuilibrium™ Sustainable Housing Demonstration initiative ranged from R-60 to R-100+ in the attic, exterior wall insulation ranged from R-40 to over R-60, and insulation under the basement slab ranged from R-7.5 to R-32. Triple pane windows were common, and some projects used quadruple.

The main point to consider here is that all of the builder teams evaluated and then chose to invest heavily in insulation and air sealing as one of the more cost-effective ways to move their projects towards net zero annual energy consumption targets.

{VISUAL: The bar graph fades out. A new bar graph fades in showing the Airtightness Levels (measured in air changes per hour at 50 pascals) for each of the CMHC EQuilibrium™ demonstration homes. The graph shows that most of the EQuilibrium™ homes averaged between 0.4 and 1.5 air changes per hour.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Airtightness Levels

It is possible to achieve very high levels of airtightness to reduce heat losses in the winter and heat gains in the summer. While new code-built woodframe homes can have airtightness levels over three air changes per hour at 50 Pascals, R-2000 houses (the benchmark for energy efficiency in Canada) achieve 1.5 or less. The EQuilibrium™ housing projects achieved even higher levels of airtightness through careful air barrier installation planning, detailing and quality control measures. Results ranged from 0.4 air changes per hour to 1.5 air changes per hour for the new build projects.

The fact that the builder teams were able to achieve very low levels of air leakage demonstrates the value of paying attention to the design, including inspections and testing, of the air barrier system to ensure its continuity. It also shows the value of the quality control measures that the teams used to ensure the integrity of the air barrier system was achieved, and maintained, while the projects were constructed.

{VISUAL: The bar graph fades out. A series of photographs fade in showing the construction of nine of the EQuilibrium™ demonstration projects, with some of the building envelope options used in the homes.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Building Envelope Options
Photo 1: Now House®: Exterior truss spray foam
Photo 2: Green Dream: Insulated concrete forms
Photo 3: Avalon: Structural insulated panels
Photo 4: Laebon CHESS: Structural insulated panels
Photo 5: EchoHaven: Pre-fab walls
Photo 6: ÉcoTerra™: Pre-fab module
Photo 7: Riverdale NetZero: Deep wall construction
Photo 8: Abondance le Soleil: Spray foam
Photo 9: Harmony House: Vacuum insulation panels

There are a wide diversity of products and systems available to construct energy-efficient building envelopes. Exterior insulation systems, insulating concrete forms, pre-fabricated structural insulated panels and engineered factory built housing modules were applied in the construction of the EQuilibrium™ Housing projects. Loose fill insulation required deep wall and roof assemblies to accommodate the depth of insulation needed to reach the required insulation levels.

Extruded, expanded and spray-applied foam insulation has a higher insulating value per unit depth – an important consideration where space is at a premium. Revolutionary vacuum insulation panels that achieve an insulating value approximately 10 times higher than conventional insulation products were used in one project.

The selection of a system for any given project is a function of the knowledge and experience of the design and construction team, availability and cost of products, familiarity of local contractors with the system, local codes and regulations, and performance targets.

{VISUAL: The photographs fade out. Three new photographs fade in, showing the exterior of a home oriented to maximize sunlight, the interior of a home with large windows and abundant natural light, and a window with the blinds drawn to protect from overheating.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Passive Solar Design
Photo 1: Location Orientation
Photo 2: Windows
Photo 3: Shading

Once the performance of the building envelope is maximized within the available budget, the next step is to optimize the available benefits of passive solar design principles. Key elements of this design approach include:

• Location and orientation of the home on the site to maximize solar access to the home;
• Floor plan design and window locations to maximize natural daylighting, provide passive solar heat gains and reduced heat losses;
• Building-integrated exterior window shading to protect the home from overheating;
• Protection of the building from prevailing winds that can increase air leakage and space conditioning costs, and undermine comfort.

These considerations will have an enduring impact on the space conditioning costs of the building for as long as it stands, so it is important to get it right.

{VISUAL: The photographs and text fade out. Three new photographs fade in, showing a space heating and cooling unit, a residential hot water tank and a kitchen with ample lighting. The ENERGY STAR logo appears above the photos.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Energy Efficiency in the Home

Once all has been done to reduce heat losses from the building, it’s time to move inside to find opportunities to reduce interior energy use by space heating and cooling systems, water heating systems, appliances, lighting, equipment and plug loads.

The ENERGY STAR and EnerGuide labelling systems help identify the higher-performing products in many categories, including furnaces, boilers, air conditioners, appliances, lighting and consumer electronics.

Next, opportunities to recover energy that would otherwise be wasted are considered. Heat recovery ventilators and drain water heat recovery systems are reliable ways to reduce costly energy losses from the building.

Controls can be installed to operate energy-consuming equipment as needed. Dashboards are available that allow occupants to monitor their energy use, so they are aware of how and when energy is being used – a first step toward an energy conservation lifestyle.

{VISUAL: The photographs, text and logo fade out. Four new images fade in showing different types of residential roof-mounted photovoltaic (or “solar energy”) systems.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Integrate Renewable Energy Systems

Once the energy needs of the house have been reduced as far as possible, if your goal is to move toward a net-zero energy home or building, then it is time to consider renewable energy systems to help offset the remaining energy demands – in part or in whole.

By reducing energy demands first, smaller and less costly renewable energy systems can be installed. For the EQuilibrium™ Housing projects, electricity-producing photovoltaic (PV) systems were installed that ranged up to 10 kilowatts in generating capacity.

PV systems are typically mounted on racks attached to the roof, but many other products were demonstrated, including shingle-integrated PV, steel roof-integrated PV and balcony-mounted PV.

Solar hot water heating systems can be used to pre-heat water entering the hot water tank and reduce water energy needs. They must be carefully designed, installed and maintained to achieve their performance targets.

{VISUAL: The images fade out. A bullet list fades in, followed by photographs of a heat recovery ventilator, an open kitchen with a staircase leading to a second level, and the living room of a stylish home with high ceilings and ample natural light.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Achieving Healthy Indoor Environments
Bullet 1: Balanced heat recovery ventilation
Bullet 2: High efficiency air filtration
{Bullet 3: Low pollutant emitting materials, products, finishes}
Bullet 4: Natural ventilation and lighting

A key element of sustainable housing is a healthy indoor living environment. Equipping homes with heat recovery ventilators exchanges stale, indoor air with fresh, filtered outside air, while helping to control indoor moisture levels and eliminate odours and contaminants.

It is also possible to reduce the amount of pollutants that emit from building products, materials and finishes. Most of the EQuilibrium™ project teams had no trouble finding cost-effective, low- or no-pollutant emission alternatives to conventional products.

{VISUAL: The bullet list and photographs fade out. A new bullet list fades in, along with photographs of the interior of a home with a recovered-wood flooring and accents, and a modular factory-built home being lowered into place on a wooded site by a small crane.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Resource Conservation
{Bullet 1: Recycled materials – finger-jointed studs, cellulose insulation}
{Bullet 2: Repurposed/recovered materials – doors, flooring, finishes}
{Bullet 3: Locally produced materials and products to reduce embodied energy}
Bullet 4: Engineered factory built housing modules

Small, efficient homes use less material and resources and can cost less. Resource conservation efforts help to reduce the impact of construction on the environment associated with material extraction, production, transport and installation.

Many construction products are available today that contain recycled materials to reduce the need to extract raw resources. Using recycled materials also reduces the amount of material sent to municipal landfills. High quality, healthy modular homes are constructed in controlled climates and offer a cost-effective, environmentally friendly way of building. Factory-built housing modules reduce construction waste in energy and materials, and have a shorter construction time.

{VISUAL: The bullet list and photographs fade out. Four new photographs fade in, showing a water meter, an outdoor rainwater collector tank, a water-efficient washer and dryer, and a modern bathroom with low-flow faucets and a low-flush toilet.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Saving Water – Saving Costs

Saving water not only reduces water bills, it also reduces the energy use and costs associated with providing hot water. Saving water also reduces the strain on municipal potable and waste water infrastructure. This, in turn, helps to extend the life of existing systems and reduce municipal tax and fee burdens.

Low-flush toilets, low-flow showerheads and faucets, and water-efficient appliances, including washing machines and dishwashers, contribute to savings in potable water use. Some EQuilibrium™ Housing projects also used rainwater for site irrigation and toilet flushing. These adaptations, along with changes in user habits, lead to water consumption levels lower than the Canadian average of 251 litres per person per day.

{VISUAL: The photographs fade out. A bar graph fades in, which compares average energy consumption in Canada with the net-energy consumption of the CMHC EQuilibrium™ demonstration homes, including both energy consumed and energy generated. The EQuilibrium™ homes achieved a net-energy balance of between 171.5 to 13,887 kilowatt-hours per year, compared to the Canadian average of more than 30,000 kilowatt-hours per year.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Annual Net Energy Consumption

Reducing energy demands can have a significant impact on household energy consumption. This graph shows the Canadian annual average energy consumption, and the EQuilibrium™ Housing projects after taking into account both the energy consumed and the renewable energy generated on-site.

The red bar shows total energy consumption. Renewable energy production is shown in green, and net energy consumption is shown in blue. Although none of the projects actually achieved net zero energy during the monitoring period, some projects came very close.

Harmony House, for instance, had a net energy consumption of only 171.5 kilowatt-hours per year. Overall, when renewable energy production is taken into account, the net energy consumption of all EQuilibrium™ Housing projects was significantly reduced.

This chart also contains an important thing to remember about sustainable, net-zero energy housing projects: they all consume energy. Claims of “zero energy bills” are not really possible, as energy will be consumed and utility costs will be incurred in grid-connected projects. However, renewable energy production can help offset utility costs – as the green bar demonstrates.

It’s important to remember that the energy saving benefits are not only enjoyed for the first year post-occupancy. They continue to payback for the life of the project.

{VISUAL: The bar graph fades out. A new bar graph fades in, comparing the amount of potable water consumed at each of the CMHC EQuilibrium™ demonstration homes with the Canadian average. The EQuilibrium™ homes ranged from 50 to 320 litres of water consumed per person per day, with all but one of the EQuilibrium™ homes under the Canadian average of 251 litres.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Potable Water Consumption

The water-saving features installed in the EQuilibrium™ projects also yielded benefits. As this chart shows, most of the homes were below the Canadian average potable water consumption. For instance, the EchoHaven project achieved an 80-percent reduction in potable water consumption.

The chart also demonstrates that water consumption is highly variable, as it depends on the lifestyles and choices of the occupants.

{VISUAL: The bar graph fades out. A bullet list fades in, along with a photograph of the exterior of the Avalon Discovery 3 EQuilibrium™ demonstration home.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Performance Achievements in Sustainable Homes
Bullet 1: Very airtight building envelopes
{Bullet 2: Significant reductions in overall energy consumption}
{Bullet 3: Less energy used for space heating than for appliances and lighting}
{Bullet 4: Several projects approached net zero energy consumption}
{Bullet 5: Water consumption for most projects well below Canadian average}
Bullet 6: Improved indoor air quality and comfort

The true test of sustainability comes with real-world performance monitoring to verify the performance of a project in regard to energy consumption, water consumption, indoor environmental quality and renewable energy production. Performance monitoring from the EQuilibrium™ Housing projects showed the following results:

• Very airtight building envelopes.
• Significant reductions in overall energy consumption.
• Less energy used for space heating than for appliances and lighting in most cases.
• Several projects approached net zero energy consumption.
• Water consumption for most projects well below Canadian average.
• Improved indoor air quality and comfort.

{VISUAL: The bullet list and photographs fade out. A series of photographs of happy families fade in and out, along with testimonial quotes from the occupants of some of the EQuilibrium™ demonstration homes.}

{TEXT ON SCREEN: Quotes from occupants show high levels of satisfaction with their homes}
{Quote 1: “One of the beauties about the environment on the inside is that the temperature is constant and comfortable wherever you are in the house.”}
{Quote 2: “Once we started living here and we were getting our bills for electricity… and talking to neighbours who have the same size homes, we could not believe how low our bills were compared to theirs.”}
{Quote 3: “We are more energy conscious now… We are conscious about turning the lights out and turning off the TV.”}
{Quote 4: “I don’t think I could live any other way now. If I moved, it would have to be moving into a sustainable home. Because I cannot see myself living in any other type of home.”}

Interviews with EQuilibrium™ Housing occupants one year or more after they took possession of their homes found that they were pleased with the indoor living environment, as well as the reduced energy costs and the unique features of their homes, which even encouraged them to change their living habits to further lower their impact on the environment.

Many indicated that it would be difficult for them to return to a more conventional house if they had to move. A key point revealed by the survey is that the occupants were not only impressed with the very low energy aspect of their homes. The quality of the indoor environment, natural lighting and soundproofing were highly valued by all.

{VISUAL: The quotes and photographs fade out. A bullet list fades in along with a photograph of the exterior of the Harmony House EQuilibrium™ home, complete with roof-mounted photovoltaic panels.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Knowledge Gained and Lessons Learned
{Bullet 1: Focus on energy conservation and efficiency first}
Bullet 2: Integrate renewable energy systems after
Bullet 3: Minimize complexity of systems
{Bullet 4: Decreased operating energy consumption reduces life cycle environmental impacts}
{Bullet 5: Occupant lifestyle and choices impact building performance}
{Bullet 6: Progressive building regulations, financing options and warranties are needed for wider adoption of sustainable housing}
{Bullet 7: Integrated design processes and building performance modelling software are useful investments}
{Bullet 8: Occupants appreciated: Low energy bills; Indoor living environment}

The experience gained through the EQuilibrium™ Housing is applicable to other housing projects. They demonstrated that energy consumption can be greatly reduced by taking advantage of passive solar energy and incorporating airtight, high-performance building envelopes and high-efficiency mechanical systems and other energy-efficiency measures into the house design. The projects also demonstrated that the addition of on-site renewable energy generating capacity has the potential to create near- and net-zero energy housing in a range of climatic conditions across the country.

The key findings include the following:

• Affordable sustainable housing design should focus on energy conservation and efficiency measures first, to reduce energy needs as far as practically possible. The building envelope provides the best investment value.
• Add renewable energy systems after efficiency targets have been reached.
• The house design should minimize the number and complexity of energy systems in the home. Complex systems can lead to errors and oversights, and homeowners are less likely to be familiar with how to operate and maintain them.
• The construction of sustainable, net zero energy housing is more energy and material intensive than conventional construction, but the life cycle environmental impact declines over time due to reduced operating energy demands.
• Sustainable housing is not just about technology. It is also about lifestyle and choices, as occupant-related energy use is a much larger percentage of overall household energy use in low-energy homes.
• Sustainable housing initiatives can benefit from progressive building regulations, financing options and home warranty programs.
• The integrated design process coupled with the use of building energy performance modelling software offer a cost-effective way to guide the design of sustainable housing to reach targets.
• While occupants anticipated the lower energy bills, they were all surprised by the higher quality of the indoor living environment.

{VISUAL: The bullet list and photograph fade out. Screenshots of four CMHC EQuilibrium™ information products fade in, including Project Profiles of the homes and Housing InSight reports.}

TEXT ON SCREEN: Additional Resources

Since its launch, the EQuilibrium™ Housing Initiative has generated considerable interest in sustainable housing. In response, CMHC has developed a number of products and outreach activities to share information and knowledge with as broad an audience as possible.

The CMHC website has a wide range of resources available for viewing and download. Project profiles summarizing the main features and technical highlights of each project are available, as well as more in-depth EQuilibrium™ Housing InSights describing specific design strategies and technologies implemented in the projects.

{VISUAL: The images fade out, and a screenshot of the online virtual tour of the Inspiration: Minto Ecohome EQuilibrium™ demonstration home fades in.}

{TEXT ON SCREEN: Additional Resources: EQuilibrium™ Housing Virtual Tours and Video Interviews}

Virtual tours of several homes are posted on the website, to allow viewers to fully explore the EQuilibrium™ Housing projects and their sustainable features. The tours provide high-quality, panoramic views of each of the rooms and the exterior of the home in an easily accessible, user-controlled format.

We have also developed YouTube videos featuring interviews with the homebuilders and home occupants. Viewers can hear lessons learned directly from the builder, and find out what it is like to live in such low-energy, sustainable homes from the occupants.

VISUAL: The CMHC website address fades in below the screenshot.

For more information on the full range of CMHC’s on-line resources, please visit cmhc.ca

{VISUAL: The screen fades to white. The bilingual CMHC logo and “Home to Canadians” tagline appear on the screen.}

{TEXT ON SCREEN: The information in this publication is a result of current research and knowledge. It is not intended for the content to be relied upon as professional or expert advice or opinions. Readers should evaluate the information, materials and techniques cautiously for themselves and consult appropriate professional resources to see if the information, materials and techniques apply to them. The images and text are guides only. Project and site-specific factors (climate, cost, aesthetics) must also be considered.}

{VISUAL: The screen fades to white as the Canada Wordmark fades in. The Canada Wordmark fades out, and the icons for Flickr, Twitter and YouTube appear on the screen, along with the CMHC website address: cmhc.ca}

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