Last year HRAI’s furnace manufacturer members decided to prohibit the use of furnaces during the construction process. This position attracted criticism from homebuilders about the impact the change in policy would have on their construction costs and planning process. After some consideration of the concerns raised by homebuilders, the manufacturers agreed to postpone the implementation date from September 1, 2016, to May 1, 2017. They also agreed to some standardized wording that will be included in their manufacturers’ instructions. The wording selected, however, did not state precisely when the construction process in a home might be deemed to be sufficiently complete to permit furnace activation. Among other things, homebuilders raised legitimate concerns about the need to circulate air through the home once the home is insulated and sealed, in order to prevent mold development, and that this might need to occur well in advance of occupancy.
To come to some agreement on the question of when precisely to allow furnace activation, HRAI struck a small sub-committee of builders, manufacturers and contractors to discuss the matter further, with a goal of establishing some guidelines for interpreting installation instructions in the field. The sub-committee met on November 17th, and, as a follow-up, the homebuilders associations were invited to propose wording on when the construction period might be deemed complete from their perspective. No consensus was reached to change the wording, however, and the manufacturers at a meeting just before Christmas re-affirmed that their original proposed wording would be used.
On the matter of how the prohibition should be enforced in the field, HRAI took the position that this question should be answered by the proper authorities having jurisdiction in each province, since that is where enforcement practices are administered. In Ontario, the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) agreed to convene a meeting on March 3rd that included homebuilders, RNC HVAC contractors, the gas utilities, and HRAI. After extensive discussion, the group came to some agreement on the right timing of furnace activations, and some conditions that ought to be met before activation, but they did not settle on an appropriate verification and signoff process to ensure all conditions were met.
The committee will reconvene in the next few weeks with a goal of settling on an acceptable process. Once agreed, TSSA will generate a bulletin to guide industry on their expectations. This interpretation will also be shared with other provincial authorities via the Interprovincial Gas Advisory Council (IGAC).
For more information, contact Martin Luymes at 1-800-267-2231 ext. 235 or email mluymes@hrai.ca.