Future Proofing Our Society, Starting with Our Buildings
by Shane Wolffe

Are you frustrated with how the world has been going lately? Have you noticed that climate change is happening all around us, yet it is rarely, if ever mentioned in the mainstream media? Have you felt helpless thinking that there is little to nothing that you can do to be part of the solution? You are not alone. Thankfully, there are things that we can do that not only protect ourselves but add value to our greatest assets. The solution has to start with improving that which we already have control over. It has to start with future proofing our buildings, starting with our homes.

Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them.” If you live in the prairies, you’ve likely noticed that there has been a huge surge of construction occurring for the last several years. Unfortunately, this is adding to the problem because the majority of these structures are being built in a way that is quick, cheap, and pretty. While this is not always bad in itself, it becomes a problem if the long term isn’t accounted for while planning and constructing these buildings.

Thankfully, this long-term problem can be avoided if the owner understands from the beginning of the project what is in their best interests with regard to long-term costs. When one understands that the situation regarding energy is changing exponentially fast and that while some improvements may seem expensive now, implementing them now or planning for them in the near future is far cheaper than not being ready for them at all. Also consider that money will lose value over time—while assets gain value—and the cost of labour will continue to increase; it makes sense to plan for the future now. When you understand these points and remember that each and every building should last at least 50 years, it makes sense to future proof buildings right from the start. Why are these understandings an important part of the solution? Well, consider that

1. A home (or other building) built today will require energy throughout its lifetime. From both a financial and sustainability perspective, it makes the most sense to do things right from the start and greatly reduce the need for fossil fuel energy,
2. Construction is based on minimum standards (codes). Thankfully, one can always seek to do better than the minimum. However, most people will go with the minimum if they don’t understand how to cost effectively improve upon it and why this is a benefit to them,
3. There currently is no enforceable energy code in Canada with regard to buildings. There are intentions to resolve this problem with legislation, however there is a shortage of skilled and knowledgeable labour that is able to verify compliance to proposed legislation,
4. Buildings use the most energy and resources of any sector in North America, and yet,
5. A building is a system and can actually be designed and built to produce more energy than it uses over a year (ie. a net-zero building) and is therefore a part of the solution.

In case I haven’t spelled it out yet, we could be turning the problem into a solution. We should be future proofing our society by utilizing ingenuity and creating our infrastructure with energy efficiency, community, and intention, as opposed to sticking with our outdated mindsets and doing what is cheap (initially), easy, and appealing to the instant gratification mechanism within us. If we work together, we understand and we implement the principles of how to do this, then improving society becomes easier than it sounds. This is why I wrote my book and created FutureProofMyBuilding.com.

“But what if I already own a home and I can’t build it from scratch?” In this case you can still save money month to month and greatly improve the efficiency of your home; however, the choices can be more complicated. Thankfully, if you understand the principles of how to cost effectively save energy and understand how the world is changing, then these decisions become far easier.

Basically, it all comes down to three principles which tend to be most cost effectively applied in this order:

1. Reducing the need for energy in general.
2. Reusing energy and materials.
3. Generating or harvesting energy.

]Implementing these three principles will not only reduce your monthly costs and make your home more energy efficient, but it will make it more comfortable, more valuable, and even safer in the event of a winter emergency. Not only that, but by investing in improving our homes and businesses we are creating healthy local economies while helping to fight climate change and demonstrating leadership. You could say that implementing these solutions in your home make it truly Future Proof®.

Shane Wolffe is a professional engineer, accredited professional in LEED (leadership in energy and environmental design), certified energy auditor, and level one Thermographer. He is the author of How to Future Proof Your Home: A Guide to Building with Energy Intelligence in Cold Climates. To get involved, learn more, and get the first part of his book for free, visit www.FutureProofMyBuilding.com.