Advantages of building performance optimization
As a building energy modeller, it can be difficult to know what combination of building upgrades to recommend for a particular building. Building performance optimization is a new method that helps modellers select a package of upgrades from a plethora of options....
read moreLow carbon heating solutions in Ontario
As noted previously, Arborus has been researching low carbon space heating strategies for the Ontario building market, and will soon present a white paper on the subject at the SBE 2016 Conference in Toronto on September 19th and 20th of this year. Arborus’ low carbon...
read moreCarbon intensity and the Ontario electrical grid
News broke this week that “the Ontario government plans to make the majority of the province’s buildings emissions-free by 2050 as part of a dramatic plan to meet its climate change goals.” The current version of the Ontario Building Code (OBC) has an energy...
read moreUnderstanding heating loads in commercial buildings
We recently encountered some head-scratching results in an energy analysis of an existing office building in downtown Ottawa. This is an old building with out-of-date, metal-framed, leaky windows and we wanted to know what would happen if we replaced the old windows...
read moreHow to maximize thermal performance in a wall assembly
Adding insulation to building walls and roofs is a simple and straightforward energy saving strategy. By resisting the flow of heat through the building envelope, insulation keeps buildings comfortable while reducing the energy required for heating and cooling....
read moreFrames matter
With thanks to Stephen Thwaites of Thermotech Fiberglass Fenestration. As discussed in our previous post, windows are one of the most important elements of a building envelope, but they tend to do a poor job of resisting the movement of heat and usually make up the...
read moreWindows matter
With thanks to Stephen Thwaites of Thermotech Fiberglass Fenestration. Windows are one of the most important elements of a building envelope. They provide views to the outdoors, and bring in sunlight while protecting the building interior from the elements....
read moreOvercoming design charrette challenges
This post was written by guest blogger Stephen F Pope, OAA, FRAIC of S.F. Pope Sustainability Consulting. Stephen has extensive experience working in Design Charrettes and has recently been working with Arborus in delivering Design Charrettes for Enbridge Gas...
read moreGates Foundation headquarters: cost effective thermal energy storage
The Winter 2014 issue of Higher Performing Buildings has a great article on the new Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Headquarters, built in Seattle in 2011. Since the Foundation intends to occupy the building for the long term, the major heating, ventilating and...
read moreArborus goes to eSim 2014
eSim is a biennial conference for building performance simulation put on by the Canadian chapter of the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA). This year we were fortunate to have the conference hosted in our home town of Ottawa by...
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