Alexandre Franco - ANO: LXXV – EDIÇÃO Nº 3906 - Post Milenio

Construction News
13 a 19 de Outubro de 2006 I
Construction News Suplemento - nº 145 - Outubro de 2006
Construction News Written Submission to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario Standing Committee on General Government
New Energy Efficiency Standards will Challenge Industry
Maintaining New Home Affordability will be the Challenge
There are over 700 changes to the 2007 Ontario
Building Code, including the new energy performance
standards for 2012 and the move to an objective-based format.
These represent a significant change for the new home
construction industry.
"As an association, we are always concerned with the
affordability of new homes for consumers. With escalating
new and resale house prices, rising interest rates, escalating
development charges and increased cost of materials, and
now the addition costs related to the implementation of the
new Ontario Building Code package, housing affordability
will continue to be a challenge for Ontarians," says Victor
Fiume, President of the Ontario Home Builders'
Association. Fiume added, "The energy efficiency targets
set out by the government for 2012 represent a monumental
shift for our industry. We estimate that additional costs
will be in the $10,000 to $15,000 dollar range. This will
seriously affect affordability of housing in the future."
OHBA has concerns regarding moisture and mould
issues as they relate to the 2009 requirement for near fullheight
basement insulation. "As home builders we are
exploring ways to resolve this potential issue through
improved building techniques. In the end, we have a
responsibility to consumers to build healthy and safe
homes," Fiume explained.
"Ontario home builders have always been industry leaders
in providing the best built homes in the world however,
the new Ontario Building Code's energy efficiency standards
represent a challenge. OHBA is committed to working
in partnership with the provincial government and other
agencies to meet the new requirements. We recognize we
have a responsibility like all Ontarians, to practice and promote
energy conservation," concluded Fiume.
The Ontario Home Builders' Association is the voice of
the residential construction industry in Ontario representing
4,000 member companies organized into 31 local associations
across the province. We contribute $35 billion dollars
to Ontario's economy, employing over 440,000 people
across the province. Our members build 80% of the new
housing in Ontario.
Is the sprinkler lobby all wet?
When it COMES TO RESIDENTIAL FIRE sprinklers,
people tend to fall into three different
camps: those who insist sprinklers must be made mandatory;
those who insist they shouldn't be; and those who really
don't know much about them at all. Frankly, the vast
majority of people fall into the third category.
The debate over whether or not residential sprinkler systems
should be made mandatory for all new home construction
is certainly not new. It has been going on for at least 20
years in Ontario alone. But is there really a demand for these
systems? Are consumers crying out to their builder to have
one installed? The simple answer is "no." Builders opposed
to making sprinklers mandatory say they are quite willing to
install sprinkler systems for any customer who requests one
and is willing to pay for it, but there has been no demand.
Supporters of mandatory sprinklers contend that consumers
simply have not been educated as to their effectiveness
and benefits.