While the Ontario Building Code is a constantly moving target, the latest adjustments require builders to be detail oriented to stay on top of things.
“Yes, the new code has some 20,000 changes from the 2006 version. However, there are only some 500 technical changes,” notes Mike Seiling, president of the Ontario Building Officials Association (OBOA).
Although it’s still a daunting number, all the changes are not hitting builders at once. In announcing O. Reg. 332/12 in November 2012, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing formed the new Ontario Building Code 2012, which came into force January 1, 2014. Some energy efficiency provisions will come into effect January 1, 2015, with additional adjustments scheduled for January 1, 2017. As well, builders should be prepared for certain changes related to onsite sewage systems, which take effect on December 31, 2016.
According to the Ministry, this phase-in period gives the industry adequate time to learn about the new changes and prepare for their implementation. “The 2012 Ontario Building Code applies for all permit applications filed after December 31, 2013,” explains Seiling of the revised OBC, which will increase Ontario’s consistency with other codes across the country, enabling businesses to better sell their products and services nationwide. According to the Ministry, the new OBC improves the competitiveness of Ontario’s building sector through new and updated standards. It will allow for the use of new products, the recognition of best practices, more flexible requirements and maintaining Ontario’s harmonization with National Building Code requirements in areas such as structural design.
Designed to better protect property and health, including structural design and fire protection, the Code has an environmental focus, putting in place measures that reduce greenhouse gases, protect air, water and soil, and conserve energy. As a result of the Code’s evolution, new houses constructed in 2017 will, according to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, consume 50% less energy than homes built before 2006, and large buildings will only consume 65% of what they did before 2006. It will additionally place Ontario among North America’s leaders in water conservation.
Three Pillars
According to Seiling, the updated OBC can be broken down into three pillars of change: fire and life safety, energy efficiency and accessibility.
David Potter, chief building official with the Town of Newmarket, and a member of the Ministry’s Building Code Conservation Advisory Council, notes that the 2012 Code’s Division B, Part 12 represents “the most significant changes to the Building Code in the past few years”—specifically in the area of energy efficiency. “Builders now have both the prescriptive and performance compliance path options, as well as a number of available trade-off provisions,” says Potter.
Seiling, who is also the director of the City of Kitchener’s building division, provides a Top 10 list of changes to the OBC as they apply to the home building industry. Potter and Doug Tarry, director of marketing at Doug Tarry Homes in St. Thomas and past president of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association, offer insight on each change.
1. Smoke alarms required in every bedroom and requirements of temporal patterns for smoke alarms (and in addition to be interconnected and must have battery back-ups)
The 2012 Building Code contains specific requirements in order to enhance fire protection of large and small buildings, including: requiring hard-wired smoke alarms with battery back-up in each sleeping room for houses and large buildings, and requiring integrated sprinkler and fire alarm systems in multi-unit residential buildings.
“The change to smoke alarm requirements is one that OHBA advocated for,” says Tarry. “By having the smoke detectors in each bedroom, there is a better chance that residents will hear and respond to an alarm, rather than having it adjacent to the bedroom. This change provides for even greater occupant safety into what was already a very safe built environment and is relatively easy for builders to implement.
“The interconnection is important, as it enables all occupants to have the opportunity to hear the alarm,” adds Tarry. “Battery back-ups are also critically important in the case of a power outage and even more so in older homes that are not hardwired.”
2. Water efficiency requirements for toilets/shower- heads increased (i.e. toilets 4.8L per flush or dual
4.1/6.0 LPF)
The 2012 Building Code promotes the conservation of Ontario’s water by requiring newly installed toilets and urinals in residential occupancies to be high-efficiency and requiring high-efficiency showerheads in residential occupancies.
“A number of changes were introduced to further help in the area of water conservation,” says Potter. “In addition to expanded uses for harvested rainwater (lawn irrigation and clothes washing), flow rates for plumbing fixtures (water closets and showerheads) have been further reduced. This should not impact the industry too much, provided product is available. Unfortunately, we have little control over the consumer, particularly when it comes to switching out showerheads after occupancy.”
Adds Tarry: “This measure is to help reduce strain on municipal infrastructure services for water treatment. The electrical costs of treating water is now commonly the largest electrical cost that municipalities are faced with, and with electrical costs rising, conservation will become even more critical. This is a very easy measure for builders to implement, as there are many Water Sense products that are currently available in the marketplace that are cost-competitive and work quite well.
“However, at the same time as the move has been made to reduce fixture volumes, there was an unintended consequence with a Code change around water supply pipe—both inside the home and from the street to the home. In many cases, supply lines that were ¾ in. will now increase to 1 in. This goes against the conservation goals established by the Provincial Government and will need to be addressed. OHBA is working with our partners at the OBOA and Large Municipalities Chief Building Officials (LMCBO), along with Glen Pleasance, Water Efficiency Coordinator, Region of Durham, and Bill Gauley, water conservation consultant, to raise this issue with the Ministry in an attempt to get clarification of this issue.”
3. Requirement for programmable thermostats in homes (support energy efficiency, turn down heat when sleeping or when home is unoccupied)
“Low initial cost, the availability of a variety of products and the potential payback in terms of energy efficiency made this a good change. It is also one which is relatively easy to enforce,” says Potter, who points out that in January 2015, all furnaces will require an ECM (Electronically Commutated Motor).
“Programmable thermostats will enable occupants to have greater control of their living environment and help reduce their energy usage and costs,” says Tarry. “There are many cost-effective options available on the market; however, homeowners are increasingly looking to the use of their smartphones to run wifi-controlled thermostat devices such as the EcoBee and the Nest thermostats. This enables the homeowner to remotely manage their home’s HVAC system, so if you are coming home sooner than expected, you can start the home’s cool-down to match your early arrival."
4. Increase in backfill height against foundation wall for taller ceiling heights. The table for backfill height/height of foundation wall has changed. For example, for a 12 in. wall, the previous maximum backfill height was 7 ft. 7 in. Now it is 9 ft. 4 in.
Other thicknesses have also changed, but now there is no need for an engineered design for a reinforced 9-ft. foundation wall.
“This will make taller basement walls more affordable for purchasers and will provide greater design options for creative basement design,” explains Tarry.
5. Changed rise/run for public stairs (reduced rise and increased tread), and new green-coloured pictogram
exit signs
“The change to rise and run (wider treads) provides for stairs that are more easily accessible/climbable for individuals with disabilities who are still able to walk,” Tarry notes. “The coloured exit signs brings the code in line with international standards and provides more recognizable pictures to users, regardless of language.”
6. Requirement for locating septic system distribution piping via tracer wire or iron bars around perimeter
“Given the changes to septic installation and the need for oversight, this change makes sense and is probably long overdue,” says Tarry.
7. Laundry sanitary pipe: change from 1 ½ in. to 2 in. diameter for riser and trap or washer box, and a trap for washing machine discharge
“This change provides greater drainage capacity for water discharge and is not excessively expensive,” says Tarry.
8. New insulation requirement for waterlines (hot only), with an 8 ft. downstream for the hot water tank (min. R 3.5)
“Domestic hot water storage tanks now require heat traps to minimize heat loss when the system is not in use,” explains Potter. “Most tanks in the marketplace have been including an integral heat trap for some time. There is also a new requirement to insulate the hot water lines at the hot water storage tank.”
“This will have an impact on plumbing design, as installers will want to ensure that there is an 8 ft. line before any hot supplies are taken off the main hot water supply,” adds Tarry. “If individual lines are taken off before the 8 ft., they would then also need to be insulated, which will increase costs. There may be some design challenges for two-storey and townhome projects.”
9. Requirement for taping of transverse joints for HVAC ducts
“This is a very important step in HVAC performance,” Tarry explains. “At a cost of only a few hundred dollars per home, the performance improvement is significant.
The supply side is the critical control area, as it is imperative to be able to push air to where you want it. In this manner you can balance the home to ensure greater occupant comfort. “But you can’t balance the air flow if there is excessive leakage,” adds Tarry.
Taping the transverse joints is an important step to improved performance and is low-hanging fruit, but it is only a first step, especially with the CSA F280 guidelines resulting in smaller furnace sizing requirements next January.”
10. Code changes create challenges
With any change comes challenge, and the new Ontario Building Code will force builders to take a closer look at their practices, according to Seiling. “Builders build houses throughout the year, so they have to remember on every permit—or on every project—which set of building code requirements apply: the 2006 Code or the 2012 Code?
“Another challenge is that they need to educate their subtrades,” says Seiling. “And a third challenge is that when the Code changes, you have to make sure there are products available that can be installed and that have been approved.”
Seiling warns that if there are any discrepancies uncovered by a building official, occupancy could be delayed. But Potter feels with the way the new 2012 Building Code has staggered its changes from 2014 to 2017, getting up to speed on requirements allows for more time in familiarizing oneself with the new Code requirements, and that the 500 technical changes to the new 2012 Ontario Building Code have set the stage for Ontario to better its home building industry.
"A change would do you good," sang singer Sheryl Crow. Ontario home builders are counting on it.
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