Market Transformation for Residential Windows in Canada Stakeholder Workshop with Federal-Provincial-Territorial Governments

Transcription

1 Market Transformation for Residential Windows in Canada Stakeholder Workshop with Federal-Provincial-Territorial Governments Summary of Discussions March 29, Introductory Summary A stakeholder-government workshop was held on March 29, 2017 to discuss market transformation for residential windows 1, in support of federal, provincial and territorial government objectives to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. Stakeholders from across the spectrum participated, including manufacturers, utilities, industry associations and advocates (see Annex 1). The objectives of this workshop were to: Develop a common understanding of why market transformation for residential windows is important to deliver on national climate change objectives; Share federal-provincial-territorial governments aspirational goals for market transformation in residential windows; Discuss barriers and challenges associated with moving the market towards those aspirational goals; and Understand what stakeholders need from governments to overcome key barriers and maximize success in achieving the aspirational goals. This summary paper has been assembled from the presentation, comments raised during the workshop and side bar discussions. It is not intended to be a transcript of the discussions nor an interpretation of comments made. 2. Aspirational Goals (as presented at the workshop) Federal-provincial-territorial governments shared their short-, medium- and long-term aspirational goals to 2030 for this product category (Figure 1). These aspirational goals represent a common view among governments for ambitious, yet achievable performance levels, given technology on the market today. They are also in line with level of ambition in the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change for codes and standards. These goals cover residential windows, sliding glass doors and unit skylights in new construction and existing homes (i.e. retrofits), but excludes hinged doors systems at this time. Figure 1: Aspirational Goals for Residential Windows 2 in Canada Short term: By 2020, residential windows for sale in Canada meet an average U-factor of 1.6 W/m 2 (or ER 25) 1 Typically defined as factory built/glazed and intended for use in low-rise residential homes and buildings. The term window in this document also includes sliding glass doors and unit skylights. 2 Aspirational goals for unit skylights would be adapted from the values in Figure 1 to reflect the impact of sloped glazing on heat loss (relative to vertical glazing). 1

2 Medium term: By 2025, All residential windows for sale in Canada meet a U-factor of 1.2 W/m 2 Residential windows with a U-factor of 1.0 W/m 2 will be cost effective and commercially accessible for most end uses Long term: By 2030, all residential windows for sale in Canada meet a U-factor of 0.8 W/m 2 The short-term aspirational goal is a modest step increase from existing codes and standards in Canada and represents an achievable incremental increase in efficiency in the short-term without a major change in technology. The medium term aspirational goal would move windows to triple-glaze technology or equivalent, while the long-term aspirational goal would require investment in design and technology to make these windows more commercially acceptable. Windows have traditionally had different performance levels by climate zone; however, only one value was chosen since more stringent performance values narrows the range from low to high efficiency making the use of zones difficult. The U-factor metric was chosen because as you increase performance levels, ER becomes a less useful tool. The use of ER for high performance windows needs to be further studied and discussed before decision is taken on the optimal performance metric, in particular recognizing that some manufacturers have an interest in the ER compliance path 3. The metrics are based on Canadian and U.S. performance standards and should not be compared to metrics derived from the European Passive House standard or European window test procedures. The aspirational goals are directional targets to ensure all market players are working towards a common outcome in the long term; and a frame that allows for easy identification and organization of market barriers that must be overcome. The aspirational goals can only be achievable if the market barriers identified are overcome. 3. Barriers and Challenges Stakeholders identified the following barriers and measures by performance level (i.e. U-factor of 1.2 versus U-factor of 0.8), along with overarching challenges and consideration for market transformation in this product category (irrespective of technology). a) Overarching Challenges and Considerations Industry Confidence Manufacturers need to have confidence in the long-term performance targets for them to invest in product changes to meet higher levels of performance. If the industry does not have confidence in the government to provide long-term consistency then they won t make the investments. Unless there is adequate enforcement in the market place, there will be those that produce windows that do not meet the standards. Any mandated performance level must have adequate enforcement to 3 The ENERGY STAR window model database shows that of the 1.1 million certified models in Canada, only 16% complied with ER only and 72.6% with the U-Factor only. The remaining 11.4% complied with both metrics. Of the 84,000 sliding glass door models, 18.9% complying with ER only, 73.8% comply with U-factor only and 7.3% complying with both metrics. 9% of the certified window models are Most Efficient. 2

3 ensure a level playing field. Currently, the lack of enforcement is an issue in the market. The lack of labelling or of using a consistent labelling format is also another major issue. Measures: Education for builders and building inspectors (who have a lot to deal with and may see this as an incremental burden) and more enforcement action in the marketplace (e.g. recent enforcement action in Vancouver when manufacturers had to remove windows from the building). A national labelling scheme could support codes and compliance with regulation. b) U-Factor of 1.2 and 0.8 Availability and Accessibility No float-glass manufacturers in Canada, so need to ensure we do not create compatibility issues since the glass manufacturers serve the U.S. market, which has lower performance requirements. For windows that perform at a U-factor of 0.8, there are some limited options in the market, and technological changes are required to get to a U-factor of 0.8 for a broad market application. For example, Krypton is expensive and vacuum technology is not perfected. The goal would be to find a way to make a product that is simple, affordable and easy to transport and install. Patio or sliding glass doors and unit skylights may need to diverge at some point on performance requirements, as the levels of performance increase. Affordability Incremental costs of higher efficiency products can be an issue. While some consumers will pay more for high performance windows in retrofits (i.e. convincing value proposition); most builders typically look for lowest initial cost options even if triple-glazed products have a reasonable payback in new construction. The housing market in general is becoming less affordable and we need to be able to build a bigger house for equal dollars. If windows cost more, then the builder needs to find savings in another part of the home construction (note: incremental costs of higher performance windows can in some cases be offset by downsizing the HVAC system). Acceptance In new construction, high performance windows (with higher ER) may cause comfort issues if the higher performance levels were mainly achieved through higher solar gain. When houses are tighter and there are less air changes or leakage, high performance windows can create thermal discomfort. If comfort is reduced by overheating, efficiency gains may be lost if the home owner increases use of their air conditioner. Triple-glazed windows do resolve some of the comfort issues in addition to having less condensation than double-glazed products. They could also improve comfort in terms of improved temperature closer to the window. There is no consensus on whether comfort issues are a concern in retrofit scenarios but it is always a possibility depending on the design and orientation of the home. Home orientation is important in selecting windows attributes and can impact window performance. How do you reconcile with one performance standard, which cannot take orientation into effect? There may be consumer acceptance issues of high performance windows if the form, fit and function is different. For example, if the proposed performance levels eliminated slider windows from the market 3

4 some consumers may react negatively, and there could be code issues if hinged windows are not seen as sufficient to provide emergency egress. There is still demand for sliders, especially for those consumers that use window air conditioners. If triple-glazed technology leads to glass darker and less visible light entering the home, consumers may reject them. Need to ensure that durability is not impacted for high performance products. Some of the technological options could meet the performance standard but may not be as durable. More research may be needed. Measures: Education for builders and consumers about installing windows by orientation. Is this something that a new construction or retrofit code could address? Awareness New innovations in housing design will impact window installation. Installation in new construction, when using higher performance walls (e.g. foam), can make it difficult to hang heavy windows properly (i.e. triple-glazed). If installation is not done well the energy performance of the window may not be affected, but the homeowner will not be happy (e.g. if they are drafty). This can impact the attitudes of homeowners towards the window product, and become a critical problem if there is water leakage. Want to ensure that installation does not become the failing point in the system. This becomes increasingly important if triple-glazed windows are being installed given their weight. Measures: Installation guide, standards for window commissioning, training program to certify installers (funding required), education of building inspectors, consider having mortgage companies account for window quality/performance. Insurance companies could be involved as well. R&D funding: There are not sufficient R&D investments in Canada at the federal level to improve window technology and for new product development. Two factors contributing to this: (1) No glass manufacturing in Canada; glass is being imported from China and the U.S.; and (2) The main player in R&D is the U.S. Department of Energy; Canada provides little support or funding. Even when a technology exists, there is no R&D in bring the costs of it down. c) New Technologies Need a method of evaluating the performance of dynamic windows. Newer technologies show great promise but we need means of evaluating potential energy savings. PV windows still cost too much money Vacuum glazing and aerogel fillings show promise but still have issues No mechanism (e.g. R&D/incentives) to bring technology costs down 4. Parking Lot Issues Quality of light Larger windows in new constructions MURBS and codes 5. Next Steps 4

5 The next steps are to initiate a Canadian-wide market study on the fenestration industry and to find opportunities to engage a broader audience of windows stakeholders (e.g. through the NRCan Energy Efficient Fenestration Steering Committee (EEFSC) and attending industry meetings, like the Fenestration Canada annual general meeting). In fall 2017, Natural Resources Canada will re-engage with stakeholders to more concretely discuss how to overcome the market barriers identified in the meeting discussions. 5

6 Annex 1: Participants in the Market Transformation Workshop First Name Last Name Organization Jeff Baker WESTLab/Fenestration Canada Gilbert Lemay AVFQ Zana Gordon Fenestration BC Cindy Gareau Fenestration BC Margaret Webb Insulating Glass Manufacturer s Alliance Normand Bigras Hydro Quebec Elaine Cole Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro Corporation Wade Lucas Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro Corporation Diane Spencer Efficiency New Brunswick Harry Schroeder Manitoba Hydro Colleen Kuruluk Manitoba Hydro Al Jaugelis RDH Building Engineering Ltd. Amélie Kogovsek Maxam Marketing J.F. Kogovsek Maxam Marketing Phil Lewin Vinyl Window Designs Lisa Bergeron Jeld-Wen of Canada Gilbert Riopel CLEB Claudio Saciolotto Sunview Patio Doors Gary Hamer B.C. Hydro Michel Pepin Energy Fenestration Systems Debbie Scharf Equipment Division, NRCan Katherine Delves Equipment Division, NRCan Christopher McLellan Equipment Division, NRCan Steve Hopwood Equipment Division, NRCan Naoko Nakai Equipment Division, NRCan Leslie-Ann Robertson Housing Division, NRCan Julia Purdy Housing Division, NRCan Ekaterina Bellehumeur Housing Division, NRCan Alex Ferguson Housing Division, NRCan Meli Stylianou Housing Division, NRCan Jamie Glouchkow Local Energy Efficiency Partners, NRCan Anil Parekh CANMET Energy, NRCan Nathaniel Gosman British Columbia Senka Kriskapa Ontario Ali El-Sayed Ontario Jason Choy Ontario Jean-Philippe Gamache Quebec Ken Klassen Manitoba Karen Daniels Nova Scotia Andy Collier Prince Edward Island Tom Gross Artctic Energy Alliance Mihailo Mihailovic National Research Council Kirk Tyler Yukon 6

7 First Name Last Name Organization Alexis Allan Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance Jeff Harris Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance Gary Sharp Canadian Home Builders Association Tracy Nadiger All Weather Windows Jack Mantyla Canadian Home Builders Association Allan Doyle Global Windows Jack De Bucy Atlas Meridian 7