Grant: College and Community Innovation Program

Increasing the energy efficiency of buildings is not only a vital step in reducing energy costs, it also provideseconomic opportunities to increase jobs and productivity. 34% of Canada's construction workers, over300,000, are located in Ontario, the majority employed by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Access to proven technologies is a competitive advantage to SMEs; however, implementing new technologiesrequires evaluating, prototyping, and testing in laboratory and field settings before they can be brought tomarket. Also, although much research exists regarding the integration of technology into new buildings, littlestudy has focused on developing technologies for retrofitting existing buildings. George Brown College's(GBC) Green Homes initiative addresses this gap with an industry-focused applied research and innovationprogram tightly integrated with the training of highly qualified and skilled personnel in areas such as advancedconstruction systems, green energy integration and computer-enabled, efficient residential buildings. Theresearch will focus on two themes: (i) Development of Novel Building Retrofit Materials and Methods, and (ii)Development of ""Smart"" Building Automation, Sensor and Control System Technologies. These themesaddress the two most important issues facing industry in evolving the sector: an integrated, ""total building""approach to home construction, and renovation and retrofitting, from materials and processes to systemsintegration, that integrates the interior and exterior for energy efficient home building. GBC's leadership ofGreen Homes will not only help SMEs innovate and get new products to market faster, it will also deliver anew generation of highly skilled, technology savvy graduates ready to lead economic development in a vitalarea of the economy: the development of more energy efficient homes.