Reducing the size of houses, simplifying construction, will go a long way to reducing energy dependency

Predictions about rising energy costs send shivers up the spines of motorists and homeowners.

And while Canadians are still enjoying some of the lowest heating and cooling rates in the world, it seems that situation won't last for long. We are rapidly closing ranks with other countries, primarily those in western Europe.

Some suggest the high cost of energy has a silver lining of sorts. It will force us to rethink home design and to make dwellings more sustainable.

We will not only reduce our energy consumption, but also the amount of lumber and other renewable and non-renewable resources currently used. The measures that are needed to be taken to curb resource consumption, energy included, are rudimentary and touch on the very basics of home design.

By changing unit dimensions, configurations and size, and by grouping homes, buyers and builders' material needs, energy requirements, costs and time can all be decreased.

This can be accomplished by increasing the ratio of floor area to perimeter, which not only reduces inherent heating costs, but leads to a simpler design that requires less corners, skin, and framing.

Corners above or below ground are often sources of energy leaks. When the structure has many such corners, it usually means that the roof is also complicated, leading to additional losses and time-consuming construction.

By designing for modular configurations based on sizes of building materials such as wall studs, floor joists, plywood, and drywall, waste from off-cuts is reduced.

Considerable amounts of energy can also be saved by building taller rather than wider. Since heat rises, warm air from lower floors is likely to contribute to heating the upper floors. In addition, attics can be reclaimed by using knee-type trusses or stick-built framing methods in the roof rather than leaving the roof space void.

Grouping and joining units promotes savings in both construction and energy, as building repetition reduces construction time and sheathing requirements. Heat loss is reduced by 21 per cent when two dwellings are attached and a further 26 per cent for a middle unit when three or more units are joined. The usable floor area can be increased without any exterior additions to the home by avoiding basements with slab-on-grade and crawlspace construction.

In addition, clustering spaces for pipe and duct requirements and utilizing an open plan that minimizes hallways and little-used circulation paths will more efficiently use the available, small at times, interior space.

In the past few decades, Canadians have become accustomed to living in large homes, while some builders have been wasteful of resources during construction.

We need to reconsider the ways of housing. Savings in construction materials can be achieved through efficient planning at the onset of the design process. Form simplification and stacking reduce waste, and can reduce environmental impact without significantly affecting the occupants' living comfort.

Avi Friedman teaches architecture at McGill University. He is the author of Sustainable Residential Development and can be reached at avi.friedman@mcgill.ca.

Source The Ottawa Citizen