Academic literature on the topic 'Housing - Heating – Canada'

The single core Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV) used in this study is equipped with defrost control that recirculates the exhaust indoor air, while keeps the outdoor air intake damper closed. This defrost strategy has the disadvantage of reducing the outdoor air supplied to the house, which may affect the indoor air quality. First, this paper presents new correlation-based models of supply air temperature T2 after the energy recovery core during normal and defrost operation modes based on laboratory experimental data. A pre-heating coil heats the supply air from T2 to indoor air temperature. Second, a house in Montreal (4356 HDD) is simulated as a reference using TRNSYS program. Since the program cannot simulate the operation under defrost mode, the new models are connected in TRNSYS using equation boxes. The energy use of houses at three locations in northern Canada with HDD of 8798 (Inuvik), 8888 (Kuujjuaq) and 12208 (Resolute), are also simulated, without and with ERV unit. The seasonal energy used for heating the house and pre-heating the supply air is compared with results from Montreal. Compared to the case without heat recovery, the ERV unit leads to energy savings: 24% (Montreal), 26% (Inuvik), 27% (Kuujjuaq), and 27% (Resolute). Compared to the minimum standard requirements, the outdoor airflow rate due to defrost is reduced by 4.7% (223 hours) in Montreal, 19% (1043 hours) in Inuvik, 13% (701 hours) in Kuujjuaq, and 24% (1379 hours) in Resolute.

Both allergic and non-allergic asthma phenotypes are thought to vary by specific housing and other indoor environmental conditions. This study evaluated risk factors for allergic asthma phenotypes in First Nation children, an understudied Canadian population with recognized increased respiratory morbidity. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with a clinical component to assess the respiratory health of 351 school-age children living on two rural reserve communities. Asthma was defined as parental report of physician diagnosed asthma or a report of wheeze in the past 12 months. Atopy was determined by a ≥ 3-mm wheal response to any of six respiratory allergens upon skin prick testing (SPT). Important domestic and personal characteristics evaluated included damp housing conditions, household heating, respiratory infections and passive smoking exposure. Asthma and atopy prevalence were 17.4% and 17.1%, respectively. Of those with asthma, 21.1% were atopic. We performed multivariate multinomial logistic regression modelling with three outcomes: non-atopic asthma, atopic asthma and no asthma for 280 children who underwent SPT. After adjusting for potential confounders, children with atopic asthma were more likely to be obese and to live in homes with either damage due to dampness (p < 0.05) or signs of mildew/mold (p = 0.06). Both natural gas home heating and a history of respiratory related infections were associated with non-atopic asthma (p < 0.01). Domestic risk factors for asthma appear to vary by atopic status in First Nations children. Determining asthma phenotypes could be useful in environmental management of asthma in this population.

The presented research is aimed at defining the features of organizing the centralized heat provision of large localities in Ukraine and countries of the world. Within the terms of the set aim, the article considers the characteristics of the main heat supply organizations of large cities of Ukraine, the major regional and municipal programs that are effective in them, and the characteristic features of heat supply; the main problems of centralized heat supply in these localities. It is noted that Ukraine displays one of the world’s highest saturation of cities with heat networks: the total length of heat pipelines is approximately 47 thousand km in terms of two-pipe calculation. The share of centralized heating in the total structure of heat supply in Ukraine comprises about 42%. The centralized heat supply system is provided for approximately 60% of the total area, hot water supply – more than 40% of the total area of the country’s housing stock. On the basis of consideration of heat supply systems in several large cities of Ukraine, the general features of their district heating systems are identified. The experience of building a heat supply system in separated countries of the world (Russia, China, Denmark, Finland, USA, Canada, etc.) is analyzed. The scale of district heating systems in the researched world countries is considered. Modern trends in the development of district heating systems in Europe are studied and differences between Ukrainian district heating systems, including in terms of powers of local authorities in the field of heat supply, are determined. It is specified that local authorities in Ukraine are practically deprived of powers to regulate the development of CHP plants and capacities operating on renewable energy sources, which in developed countries is a priority for the development of centralized heat supply.

Summary In order to assess robustness for the reduction of harmful and potentially harmful constituent (HPHC) levels generated by the Tobacco Heating System 2.2 (THS 2.2), a heated tobacco product, we compared the aerosol of this product with mainstream smoke from the 3R4F reference cigarette under different conditions of temperature and humidity. The desired climatic conditions were achieved by using an air-conditioning system coupled with the smoking-machine housing. Two extreme climatic conditions were selected, representing a “Hot and Dry” climate (30 °C and 35% relative humidity RH) and a “Hot and Very Humid” climate (30 °C and 75% RH). In addition, aerosol and smoke were generated using the standard conditions recognized for smoking-machine analyses of tobacco products (22 °C and 60% RH), which were close to the climatic conditions defined for “Subtropical and Mediterranean” environments (25 °C and 60% RH). The experimental conditions were chosen to simulate the use of THS 2.2 and cigarettes under extreme conditions of temperature and humidity. HeatSticks and cigarettes taken from freshly opened packs were subjected to short-term conditioning from two to a few more days under the same experimental conditions. We analyzed 54 HPHCs in THS 2.2 aerosol and 3R4F cigarette smoke, generated in accordance with the Health Canada Intense (HCI) standard, using modified temperature and humidity conditions for sample conditioning and machine-smoking experiments. We used a volume-adjusted approach for comparing HPHC reductions across the different climatic conditions investigated. Although a single puffing regimen was used, the total puff volume recorded for the 3R4F cigarette smoke varied due to the influence of temperature and humidity on combustion rate, which justified the use of a volume-adjusted approach. Volume-adjusted yields were derived from HPHC yields expressed in mass-per-tobacco stick normalized per total puff volume. The results indicated that, regardless of the considered climatic conditions, the HPHC levels investigated in THS 2.2 aerosol were reduced by at least 90%, on average, when compared with the concentrations in 3R4F cigarette mainstream smoke. This confirmed the robustness in performance for THS 2.2 to deliver reduced levels of HPHCs under the extreme climatic conditions investigated in this study. In order to further characterize the robustness of these reductions, the lowest reduction performance achieved for individual HPHCs across all climatic conditions was used to define the threshold for a robust reduction. The majority of the 54 HPHCs investigated in THS 2.2 aerosol showed more than 90% reduction. Calculations derived from nicotine-adjusted yields also confirmed robust reductions for all investigated HPHCs. The small differences in absolute reduction between the volume- and nicotine-adjusted approaches were predominantly attributed to a combination of the differences in both nominal nicotine deliveries and total puff volumes between THS 2.2 and 3R4F cigarettes; however, this did not influence the determination of robustness. Our findings confirm the value of this approach for assessing the robustness of a product’s performance under different climatic conditions.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a clear understanding of the features that increase the probability of condos’ sale, with a focus on design-related features. Design/methodology/approach The present research uses survival analysis (SA) and the Cox proportional-hazards regression (CPHR) to analyze condo sales data provided by the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton (RAE) (Alberta, Canada). Findings The analysis of the provided data shows that the listed price, building age, appliances and condo fees have less effect on the time a condo spends on the market compared to the condo’s physical features, such as construction material, interior finishing and heating type and source. Research limitations/implications The data used in the present research comes from one geographical area (i.e. Edmonton, Canada). Furthermore, the data provided by the RAE does not include any real estate transactions not involving a realtor. Additionally, the present research, owing to its focus on design-related features, does not control features related to the external environment, such as community and transportation proximity. Practical implications The findings of the present research help construction practitioners (e.g. architects, builders and realtors) better understand the features that influence condo buyers’ decisions. This knowledge helps to develop designs and marketing strategies that increase the likelihood of selling and decrease the time listed condos spend on the market. Originality/value The present research expands our knowledge of the drivers influencing the purchasers’ decisions concerning the building’s physical features that can be controlled during the design stage. Also, analyzing the provided data by using SA and CPHR, as followed in this paper, facilitates the inclusion of records that are listed but not sold, which helps to overcome the survivorship bias and avoid the over-optimism that exists in the present literature.

Distributed cogeneration in single households may provide a vi-able alternative to the construction of new central power plants in thecoming years. A key issue in residential cogeneration is how to size andintegrate the required technologies to satisfy the total energy needs ofthe household, consisting of electricity, domestic hot water, space heatingand space cooling. An interesting pathway to a more sustainable futureinvolves the use of the earth surrounding the home as both a source anda sink for energy, especially if it enables the recycling of summertimewaste heat from the generator.This demonstration project was planned and implemented at theCanadian Centre for Housing Technology (CCHT) in 2006. The CCHT,located on the campus of the National Research Council in Ottawa,Ontario, Canada maintains two detached, single-family houses thathave the capacity to assess energy and building technologies with dailysimulated occupancy effects.This article describes the residential total energy system installedin one of the houses at the CCHT, consisting of two one-ton ground source heat pumps, an air handler for supplemental/backup heating, anatural-gas-fired hot water tank, an indirect domestic hot water tank anda multistage thermostat. The bore-field consists of three vertical wellsarranged to suit a typical suburban landscape. Two of the wells servethe heat pumps and the third well is arranged between the other two tosink the waste heat from a cogeneration unit scheduled to be installed inMay 2007. The heat pump system was sized to satisfy the cooling loadin Canada’s heating dominated climate, leaving room in the operationof the system to accept waste heat from the cogeneration unit, eitherdirectly or indirectly by recycling the heat through the ground to theheat pumps.Following an earlier paper that introduced the installation anddescribed initial ground thermal response testing, this paper presents,summarizes and discusses operational results of the heat pump systemin heating mode over a continuous 47-day period ending December 21,2006. The article will also describe the con figuration planned for therecovery of heat from the cogeneration system.

This paper outlines a demonstration project planned and implemented at the Canadian Centre for Housing Technology (CCHT) in 2006. The CCHT, located on the campus of the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada maintains two identical, detached, single-family houses that have the capacity to assess energy and building technologies in side by side comparisons with daily simulated occupancy effects. The paper describes the residential integrated total energy system being installed in one of the homes at the CCHT for this demonstration, consisting of two one-ton ground source heat pumps, an air handler with supplemental/back-up hydronic heating capability, a natural gas fired storage type water tank, an indirect domestic hot water storage tank and a multistage thermostat capable of controlling the system. There is also a description of the bore-field, consisting of three vertical wells arranged to suit a typical suburban landscape. Two of the wells serve the heat pumps; the third well is arranged between the other two to sink the waste heat from a cogeneration unit. The 6 kWe cogeneration unit to be installed in May 2007 is also described. The heat pump system was deliberately sized to satisfy the cooling load in Canada’s heat dominated climate, leaving room in the operation of the system to accept waste heat from the cogeneration unit, either directly or indirectly through recycling the heat through the ground to the heat pumps. This paper presents and discusses preliminary testing results during the fall of 2006 and modeling work of the ground heat exchanger component of the system and therefore sets the stage for performance modeling work that is currently underway at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan).

Solar heating systems are widely used in several European countries for domestic hot water heating, and in the past decade, an increasing number of solar combined space and hot water heating systems (typically referred to as “combisystems”) have begun to take precedence. In Canada, however, the majority of all residential solar thermal installations are for heating domestic hot water. To date, various combisystem configurations have been investigated under the auspices of the International Energy Agency, Task 26 and Task 32. Within these tasks, various system configurations were modelled and test procedures developed to allow standard performance evaluations to be conducted. This work, although extensive, has limited application within the North American context. At present, little research has been conducted on the applicability of these systems for residential housing. In particular, due to Canada’s more severe winters, larger solar collector arrays would be required to significantly contribute to the space heating load. This has drawbacks, as much of the solar capacity would not be utilized during the summer, leading to poor economic performance and possible overheating that could accelerate degradation or scald occupants. Therefore, there is a need to optimize the configuration of solar combisystems to avoid over-sizing while maximizing the utilization of solar energy in a safe and economic manner. This paper presents a review of the current literature on solar combined space and domestic hot water heating systems, with a particular emphasis on the work which has been conducted by the International Energy Agency. In addition, a review of combined space and domestic hot water systems currently installed in Canada are also discussed.

A detailed model of the Net Zero Energy Town House in Toronto is developed in TRNSYS, incorporating a ground source heat pump integrated with an in floor radiant heating system. In order to minimize the heating and cooling loads, the building envelope is well insulated with the exterior walls having an R-60 insulation value. Much of the work done previously on the use of thermal mass in buildings has been experimental in nature and has focussed mainly on conventional brick construction in hot climates such as Asia and Africa. This research will analyze the impact of using thermal mass with a building envelope that is highly insulated, and of a light construction, such as that used in Low Energy or Net Zero housing. Furthermore, this analysis would also evaluate the impact of using thermal mass in a cold climate such as that found in Canada. The simulations showed that, for colder climates, thermal mass can replace some of the insulation and still provide superior results. Also the impact of thermal mass was found to be more significant during the winter season than summer for Toronto.