Dear Editor,
Thank you for the interesting background story on the old Kemptville town hall. As a frequent user of the public library, I saw the renovation work progressing on the structure. However, I was disappointed to see that the workplan did not attempt to bring the build up to modern energy efficient standards since buildings generate nearly 30% of all greenhouse gases. Progressive buildings, today, are having two‑thirds of the required insulation installed on the outside of the building shell. Think of it as wearing a parka or thick wool sweater during the coldest days of winter. This, coupled with extensive air sealing, is reducing heating and cooling costs for owners to a bare minimum, in some cases a few hundred dollars per season. This level of detail does cost a bit extra, but may be recuperated with time by the building occupants. I got involved in energy efficient building practices during university when a research comparison study was being done by a team of my engineering professors. For anyone interested in this aspect of building science, additional resources can be found at the passive house website: www.passivehousecanada.com, or from the Canadian Green Building Council at: www.cagbc.org.
Robert Bowden
