March 28, 2007

Quality Control

Cutting corners can boost long-term costs

Peter Mitham

correspondent

Controlling construction costs shouldn’t mean cutting corners on subtrade contracts that promise long-term savings on building operations, but that’s what British Columbia insulation contractors face regularly.

When subtrade prices come in, the scope of insulation work requested is often the first thing that’s cut to reduce project costs, said Chris Ishkanian, a director of the B.C. Insulation Contractors Association and first vice-president of the Thermal Insulation Association of Canada.

Ishkanian said neither provincial building code requirements nor building inspectors have been able to counter the rise in the shortcuts, and many engineering firms typically don’t review shop drawings detailing the exact nature of the work to be done.

The practice means the insulation is often reduced or eliminated from projects altogether for the sake of a few hundred dollars in savings.

“Our services are continually being diminished,” Ishkanian said. “We’re very concerned at how developers and builders are able to chop (the insulation) part off.”

Cutting costs by reducing insulation is especially ironic for Ishkanian given the current interest in reducing energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and other so-called green building issues.

With buildings the biggest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in Greater Vancouver (according to Vancouver’s municipal sustainability office), Ishkanian said installing an adequate amount of insulation can contribute significantly to conserving energy.

Proper insulation of mechanical systems also ensures that building systems themselves operate more efficiently, compounding the savings.

Mark Holland, a principal of Holland Barrs Planning Group Inc. in Vancouver, said insulation is “critical” to a building’s performance.

Heating is the single largest component of a building’s energy consumption, so proper insulation of the structure and mechanical systems is likewise a major factor in reducing energy costs.

"Our services are continually being diminished

Chris Ishkanian

BCICA

A good insulation job can pay for itself within a year, said Mark Hartman, a project manager with Vancouver’s municipal climate protection program. Hartman expects revisions of the B.C. Building Code that reflect green building practices, set for 2010, will heighten insulation requirements and focus attention on these aspects of new construction.

In the meantime, Ishkanian said the BCICA is drafting plans for an inspection program it hopes to debut later this year.

The program, based on the association’s existing installation manual, would see BCICA members inspect insulation work and provide an additional two-year warranty on top of the standard one-year guarantee contractors typically give for such work.

Work that didn’t meet the association’s standard within the two years would be replaced free of charge.

The warranty would serve as an incentive to building owners, Ishkanian said, explaining that the intent was not to develop a warranty program but rather an inspection service that would assure building owners that insulation work was done properly.

The association cannot police the improper use of insulation or mandate its use, but Ishkanian said a certification and warranty program offers an incentive for builders to use insulation. He added that several engineering firms have welcomed the idea of the inspection program.

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