A reference covering vapour barriers, thermal bridging, high-performance windows, and heating systems suited to Canadian winters. Written for homeowners, builders, and renovators working in cold and very cold climate zones.
Polyethylene placement, perm ratings, and common installation errors that lead to condensation inside wall assemblies.
How structural members create cold pathways through insulated walls, and the continuous insulation strategies that interrupt them.
U-factor targets for Climate Zones 6–8, low-e coatings, warm-edge spacers, and what to expect from a triple-glazed unit.
Detailed technical breakdowns on insulation materials, moisture management, and heating efficiency for homes built or retrofitted in northern Canadian conditions.
A look at how 6 mil polyethylene performs in Canadian wall assemblies, where most installations go wrong, and what the National Building Code actually requires.
Wood framing can reduce the effective R-value of a wall assembly by 20–30%. Here's how continuous insulation changes the picture in a cold Canadian climate.
What U-0.20 actually means at –30°C, how argon fill affects long-term performance, and why the framing matters almost as much as the glass.
A wall labelled R-20 rarely performs at R-20 in practice. Framing members, air leakage paths, and installation voids can drop the whole-wall thermal resistance by a third or more — sometimes without any visible sign of the problem until condensation appears.
Read: Thermal Bridging
Cold-climate heat pumps rated to –25°C have changed the economics of electric heating in Ontario, Quebec, and BC. How they compare to high-efficiency gas furnaces at the extremes of a Canadian winter.
About This ResourceNBC 2020 Part 9 sets minimum effective thermal resistance for above-grade walls at RSI 3.52 (R-20) in Climate Zone 6 — but the compliance path matters as much as the number.
National Building Code of Canada →EnerGuide ratings for windows use U-factor (metric), not R-value. A U-factor of 1.0 W/m²·K is roughly equivalent to R-5.7 — understanding both scales helps when comparing products from different manufacturers.
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An Ottawa-based reference covering residential insulation and building envelope performance for Canadian cold climates.