Summary
Single detached houses: Energy performance and breakdown of energy tier
- Energy Tiers: The majority of homes (73%) fall within the minimum Tier 1, code-level energy compliance, while 27% show increasing adoption of enhanced measures in Tiers 2–5.
Row Houses: Energy performance and breakdown of energy tier
- Energy Tiers: The vast majority of sampled row houses (91%) achieve only Tier 1, with only small proportions reaching Tier 2 (5%) and Tier 3 (approximately 4%).
Semi-detached houses: Energy performance and breakdown of energy tier
- Energy Tiers: Most projects achieve Tier 1 (81%), with a meaningful subset achieving Tier 2 (15%) and a small proportion reaching Tier 3 (3%); Tiers 4 and 5 are absent.
For all archetypes
The Tier achievement does not seem to be impacted by the building envelope in the lower Tiers. Improvements in energy efficiency primarily stemmed from active systems like the inclusion of HRVs, higher-efficiency furnaces, and domestic hot water systems, which accounted for the majority of the Tiered energy savings. Minor savings were also achieved through better roof insulation and window U-values. The mean effective R-values of the walls remained below reference values in the lower Tiers, and there was no improvement in air tightness.
