Air Date: 10-23-2015| Episode: 388
Mr. Fugler is a Senior Researcher and Project Manager for the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC)…
Full Description:
Mr. Fugler is a Senior Researcher and Project Manager for the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC). Don has been a fixture at CMHC for going on 30 years and has been responsible for some of the most important energy, IAQ and building science research in the world. Join us to LEARN MORE about the gold mine of resources and research at your fingertips because of people like this weeks guest.
Z-Man’s Blog:
The Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation was created on January 1, 1946, to house returning war veterans and to lead Canada’s housing programs. Don Fugler, a mechanical engineer with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation was our guest on today’s broadcast of IAQradio. In a few weeks done will be retiring from CMHC after worker there for 25 years.
Nuggets mined from today’s show:
•CMHC has developed many creative solutions for energy savings, safety, Sensing indicators, alarms, fireplace pillows to block smoke odors when fireplace isn’t burning, etc.
•Don upholds the belief that homes and other buildings contribute to climate change and is passionate about zero energy houses, houses which produce the energy that they require. According to Don the goal for Equilibrium housing is to: constructing homes which use zero energy, that are environmentally sound, have good IAQ, are good places to live and are affordable to buy. Zero energy homes incorporate techniques such as: thorough insulation (R50-R60 walls, R80 attics, R20 foundations), active and passive solar, and photovoltaic roofing tiles. Zero energy houses are attached to the electrical grid and sell excess power to the utility company. Contractors are becoming more proficient and are with experience gained are learning to lower their construction costs.
•Combustion producing devices are often vented into chimneys, when the chimney fails to effectively evacuate the gases combustion spillage occurs. Dumping combustion gases and particulate into houses resulting in health problems. Powerful exhaust fans, down drafts can cause combustion spillage.
•The thermal mass of a home resistance to cold weather was proven when a CMHC researcher accompanied security teams into unoccupied houses after a severe winter storm in the dark triangle southeast of Montreal.
•Methods for removal of snow and ice dams from roofs include: snow blowers to remove snow on flat roofs, chain saws to cut ice, non corrosive salts, *portable deicing cables which can be positioned with poles to melt through ice dams, and spraying with hot water work best.
•Pressure neutral house where air pressure inside a house that is equal to the atmospheric pressure outside the house is a desirable condition.
•Straw bale houses? I was unaware of the utility and prevalence of houses constructed from straw bales. There are two types: load bearing straw bales and the non load bearing variety that rely upon post & beams. Most problems with the homes in North America have been caused by inexperienced owner builders. As a city boy, I didn’t know the difference between hay and straw.
•If Don had a career mulligan it would be making sure that more of CMHC’s research would have been peer reviewed so that it would be taken more seriously.
•Check out the website and find useful information at www.cmhc.ca
Today’s music: “O’ Canada” by DuBay Band
Z-Man signing off
