The Thermal Insulation Association of Canada is making itself heard in governmental circles these days as it pushes for a reference to its best practices manual on insulation standards in the National Building Code and it continues to lobby for energy efficiency standards in provincial building codes.

The first priority is getting a reference to its manual included in the 2010 version of the NBC. The association's proposal is straightforward enough. It calls for a "one-line inclusion" in Section Six of the NBC referring readers to TIAC's manual on national standards for mechanical insulation, explains Steve Clayman, a consultant retained by TIAC to help get the addition approved. "What we are proposing is not a major shift and it doesn't require a lot of approvals throughout the process [of updating the code]."

Weaving through the application process hasn't been without its challenges, but Clayman has reason to think that the NBC approvals committee will give it the green light. "These same national insulation standards are referenced in other federal government documents such as the Model National Energy Code for Buildings and the National Master Specification so there is precedence for it."

Furthermore, the approvals committee has much bigger issues on the table to deal with. "My thoughts are that they won't make any fuss about this," he says, noting that there is a good chance that the addition will be approved by next spring or summer in time for the 2010 publication. In the unlikelihood that the proposal is rejected by the code's approval authorities, there is no avenue of appeal for TIAC.

Clayman, of Toronto-based Nor-Rep Agencies Inc., has worked in the insulation industry for more than 30 years. Most recently he was employed with a Canadian branch of the Germany-based giant Knauf Insulation.

Recognition in the NBC would be significant step forward for TIAC. "It will give credence and legitimacy to any claims that the installation may be substandard," he points out. "We work under the assumption that the (insulation) contractors know what they are doing, but where the knowledge base fritters away is with consultants, architects, engineers and inspections officials. Right now, they don't necessarily know what to look for and they have no means of questioning whether the application [of insulation] by the contractor is appropriate. If the NBC refers them to the manual, they can determine [from it] if a particular installation meets these minimum requirements."

The NBC is prepared by the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Codes, (CCBFC) and is used as a model for legislated building codes at provincial and municipal levels.

Along with increasing the understanding of best installation practices among a wide swath of building professionals, the addition to the code also would heighten the awareness of the impact of mechanical insulation on energy conservation and greenhouse emissions. "It's one part of a broader approach to the insulation business."

That still leaves a big hole in building codes: any reference to energy efficiency. TIAC hopes to see energy efficiency standards included in the NBC, but that won't happen in the 2010 version. However, NAIMA (North American Insulation Standards Association) Canada is working with TIAC to make sure energy efficiency does make it into a future edition of the NBC and provincial codes.

Don't expect such standards in provincial building codes before 2017, says Steve Koch, NAIMA Canada's executive director. "That is the fastest that the Canadian code commission can move. If there is a log jam this adoption could take until 2020 or 2025."

The biggest hurdle has been with the CCBFC, the agency which develops and maintains six of Canada's model construction and fire codes and oversees the work of various committees and task groups. "For the last five years the commission has indicated it would not consider energy efficiency (in the code) because the majority of the provinces are not interested," Koch says.

However, a July meeting of the Council of the Federation (COF) suggests otherwise. The Council agreed to request that energy efficiency become the 5th core objective in the NBC. "That was a significant decision which opens up a lot of doors and makes the activity of TIAC a high priority." Made up of Canada's premiers, the COF was set up in 2003 to address common concerns among the provinces.

The CCBFC may now be convinced that energy efficiency standards are in demand, but codifying those standards won't happen overnight. "Their time frame to adopt or input new changes to the code is so archaic and so long and demanding that in a lot of cases by the time the change takes place at the provincial level it is all ready outdated," points out Koch.

The commission's mandate is to first acknowledge a process by which new objectives (such as energy efficiency) can be brought into the code. The next step is to adopt the new objectives. "Some of the time frames I've been told is a year to two years before they can adopt a new objective," says Koch. From there standards of accountability have to be developed for the objective.

The struggle to get energy efficiency codified has been a long one. Among other key groups and associations, the Canadian Home Builders' Association has downplayed its importance.

NAIMA Canada's objective includes making sure the base codes in Canada are in line with today's technology and that there are methods and incentives from government to ensure the process moves forward, says Koch.