Reliance will replace customer’s HVAC system

There are rules. And you can't install heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) units in homes without following them.

First the firm, or subcontractor if that's the case, doing the installation needs to take out a permit issued by the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA).


It needs to be licensed to work in Hamilton.

Provincial law requires that certified tradespeople be used.

In an email to Action Line, Lubo Hajny told a tangled tale that took some time to unfold.

"I thought I couldn't afford to purchase a new HVAC system," he said. "Leasing seemed like the way to go, so I entered into an agreement with Reliance Home Comfort (Reliance Comfort Limited Partnership) in October 2014. Upon refinancing my home in April, however, I found Reliance had put a lien on my house and I decided to pay it off. I paid $6,140 plus tax."

He said the HVAC system was installed by a subcontractor hired by Reliance.

"Two days later I had Reliance return, as the humidifier wasn't working. It turned out the humidifier and thermostat were wired incorrectly. I also had them seal the seams between the ductwork and furnace as more air was blowing into the furnace room than upstairs.

"Now comes the warmer weather and the A/C won't turn on. Reliance said there was no power connected to the A/C unit. They told me to call an electrician."

Later, he says he learned improper wiring had caused his fuses to blow. He called the ESA.


An inspector visited Hajny's home and issued a compliance order to Reliance's installer, BHI Heating and Air of Niagara Falls. The order identified numerous electrical wiring problems which needed to be corrected, including the "damaged fuse holder and panel fuse block holder."

No ESA permit was taken out, though one was required under the Ontario Electrical Safety Code and the Electricity Act.

A copy of the May 26 compliance order was supplied to Hajny after we asked ESA do so.

"We are continuing our investigation but are unable to comment further at this time," an ESA media officer told Action Line on May 28.

On June 4, the manager of media relations and communications for the Ontario College of Trades told Action Line the agency would also contact Hajny.

"A college inspector will be following up to verify compliance with provincial regulations," Jan O' Driscoll said. "I am unable to comment further until after the process runs its course."

Hajny also contacted the city to file a complaint.

In a June 9 reply to Action Line, Reliance spokesperson Brent Artemchuk maintained Reliance holds an HVAC master's licence to operate in Hamilton.

"As the sales contract was between the customer and Reliance, the installation was legally permitted and covered under Reliance licensing," Artemchuk stated.

"All our installers are licensed and comply with all industry trade regulations, including those of the ESA," he said. "We only engage subcontractors on the condition that all licensing and trade qualifications are met. This includes ESA permits."

But that didn't appear to happen in this case.

"The equipment installer produced his trade qualifications, but failed to apply for the electrical permit. ESA has completed an inspection of this installation and we're working to correct any deficiencies that may be identified," Artemchuk said.

On June 12, Hajny informed us a Reliance manager had visited his home and agreed to rip out his HVAC system.

"They're willing to do a full replacement of the system, correct the ductwork, relocate the water tank and make it all look more pleasant. They will have an electrician correct the fuse panel items. I am OK with this."

City of Hamilton media officer Ann Lamanes said there'd been some confusion regarding Reliance's licensing status.

"The information we had on file did not show Reliance as a licensed contractor," she said. "However, we do have information indicating there is a master's trade and contractor licence for Union Energy, which was the former name for Reliance. So technically they are licensed — they just need to contact the city to get the updated name registered."

Artemchuk told us Union Energy went through a "rebranding" and changed its name to Reliance in September 2007.

BHI owner Trevor Bertrand acknowledged that not obtaining an ESA permit was "an error/oversight on our part and we've since corrected that."

"When performing work for Reliance — (which) is licensed by the City of Hamilton — we're only required to have our trade qualifications. The Ontario College of Trades has audited us and our qualifications are in line and current."

Artemchuk, of Reliance, told us the crew working for BHI involved with this installation was terminated.

"Our ongoing relationship with this contractor is currently under review," he added.

Beware bogus furnace/air conditioner inspections

BRAMPTON — Ontario Power Authority (OPA) is warning there are “unauthorized salespeople” operating in Brampton who are going door-to-door asking to examine furnaces and air conditioners.

“We don’t go door-to-door and we don’t do any inspections of heating or cooling equipment,” said John Cannella, OPA spokesperson.

He said OPA does not charge a fee to participate in any of its saveONenergy for Home conservation programs.

A Brampton resident alerted OPA to a door-to-door sales call this week. The bogus salesperson showed the homeowner a document and said the OPA had authorized the inspection of their heating and cooling equipment.

The OPA does not have salespeople and does not call consumers to solicit participation in the energy conservation programs.

“We want residents in your area to know that the OPA takes very seriously the unauthorized use of its name, logos, brands and program information,” Cannella said.

SaveONenergy programs are designed to help manage electricity costs by providing incentives that encourage energy conservation. For more information, visit https://www.saveonenergy.ca/

For more on the Heating and Cooling Incentive Program, visit https://www.saveonenergy.ca/Consumer/Programs/HVAC-Rebates.aspx

The program is available for residents (and businesses with residential-type systems) in Ontario who have purchased and installed eligible replacement central heating or cooling equipment through a participating contractor. A directory of participating contractors is available here http://www.hraiheatingcoolingincentive.ca/pages/search.php

Encore Heating & Air Conditioning Ltd.

With 35 years of experience Encore Heating & Air Conditioning specializes in keeping your home at the right temperature, no matter the season.

When they’re not repairing your HVAC, the licensed technicians are spending time fixing something else; themselves! They’re constantly re-trained to adapt to the constant changes in technology. For as much as technology keeps changing, their reputation will always be present. Encore Heating & Air Conditioning is a member of the HRAI (Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning of Canada). Being a member means the trust is always there and you can count on them for high quality repairs, as well as best in class high quality brands and equipment you can count on; brands like Mitsubishi Electric, Napoleon, Frigidaire and Lennox.

Encore Heating & Air Conditioning staffs a wide variety of specialists with an eye on quality. There are no sub-contractors; everyone is selected by Encore for their skills. They have specialists ranging from gas technicians, plumbers, HVAC, electrical engineers and more. They stand by every inch of work they do and everything is fully guaranteed. Not only is all work fully guaranteed, they offer manufacturer warranties on parts and labour. If anything goes wrong, they want to know about it and your investment will always be protected.

There are three stages to what they offer. When you’re building a new home or simply upgrading to something more energy efficient, they can assist you with installation. If you need a quick tune-up before the season changes, maintenance is no problem. They pride themselves on solving your problem. If it’s making a sound you just can’t recognize, they’re there for you and will repair everything

Subway to be cooler this summer, with only the 'odd hot car,' TTC promises

The Toronto Transit Commission is not promising an end to all hot subway cars in Toronto but its boss says passengers can expect much a cooler ride when they take Line 2 this summer.

"We are pretty confident that this year there may be the odd hot car, but it certainly won't be the problem we had last year," TTC CEO Andy Byford told CBC's Metro Morning on Tuesday.

Byford said the TTC has repaired the air conditioning units on the majority of its hot subway cars. He said the "comfort of customers" on Line 2, the Bloor-Danforth line, will be greatly improved this summer now that the number of hot cars has been reduced.

"We have put a huge amount of effort since we had the problems last year. To be fair, we were already addressing the problems," Byford said.

"The problem was, we had so many hot days in a row, very hot days in a row, that we were overwhelmed. We could not fix the cars quickly enough and more cars failed than we could fix overnight."

At a news conference on Tuesday morning, the TTC conducted a stress test on a subway car to show reporters how one of its "newly overhauled" heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems withstood heat in a climate-controlled room built at Greenwood Yard.

Hot air was pumped into the room, which Byford called a "hot house." The subway car stayed cool inside despite it being more than 30 C outside.

Byford told reporters there were 35 days of high heat, many of which were consecutive, last summer and the TTC knew it was "failing " its customers. 

"Our guarantee to customers is we will not have the widespread problems that we faced last year. We are absolutely determined to give our customers on Line 2 a fabulous, cool, trouble free journey," he said at the news conference.

In the Metro Morning interview, Byford said the refurbishment of air conditioning units took place over the winter and spring and it involved hiring more engineers.

"We have recruited extra people and we have put a lot of resource onto completely renovating the air conditioning units on what are called T1 trains."

Byford said T1 trains, unlike the Toronto Rocket trains on Line 1, are older and each subway car has one air conditioning unit. The TTC has 370 T1 cars.

"You have to make sure those things are working. We have progressively worked through the fleet," he said.

Byford said the theme of his tenure has been "to get the basics right." Providing customers with a comfortable ride on hot days is part of that mandate, he said.

"We let our customers down. There was no question about it," he said.

TTC customer satisfaction scores dropped 10 points last summer, dropped from 80 to 70, but it's now back up to 79, he said. He attributed the drop in part to hot subway cars on Line 2. 

Byford said the TTC hopes to replace the older cars on Line 2 eventually.

Mike Palmer, TTC chief operating officer, told reporters at the news conference that the T1 cars are 15 years old and the TTC is spending $13.5 million over two years to bring their air conditioning units up to date.

On a September day last year, Toronto Mayor John Tory rode Line 2 from Kennedy to Kipling stations with TTC rider Bianca Spence, who issued a Twitter challenge to the mayor in July after enduring sweltering subway rides during her commute. 

Tory said at the time that his ride on a subway car without air conditioning was "a perfect storm" of challenges that gave him a sense of what a commute can be like for a TTC rider.

Last summer, the air conditioning on nearly 25 per cent of subway cars was either broken outright or not functioning at full capacity. The TTC had said the cars could not be taken out of service all at once because all of the cars were needed during peak service periods.

Energy benchmarking leads to energy-saving tech

According to a survey conducted in 2016 by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), facility managers in New York City that measure the energy performance of their buildings are investing in energy-saving technologies and operational improvements in order to increase their buildings’ energy efficiency.

The survey found that 84 per cent of facility managers who benchmarked their facilities’ energy use made a low- or no-cost operational change to improve their buildings’ performance, while 82 per cent invested in new equipment to improve energy performance. The most common energy-saving investments included lighting and lighting controls, heating and cooling upgrades, and energy management systems.

“This survey adds to the growing evidence that building energy benchmarking and transparency ordinances are prompting facility managers and building owners to make investments in energy-efficient equipment and low- or no-cost operational changes,” said Kyle Pitsor, vice president of government relations at NEMA, in a press release. “Other cities should consider adopting building energy benchmarking and transparency policies similar to New York City’s Local Law 84 to spur energy savings and to support the manufacturing and construction jobs that stem from building upgrades.”

Several U.S. cities are implementing building energy benchmarking and transparency ordinances that require large buildings to measure and disclose their energy use as a way to encourage energy efficiency improvements. These policies allow building owners and occupants to compare the energy performance of their buildings with similar buildings.

Studies have shown that commercial, multi-family and public buildings that benchmark their energy use per city benchmarking ordinances have reduced their energy use intensity and increased their Energy Star Portfolio Manager scores faster than buildings that are not held to similar ordinances. These findings help support the conclusion that implementing benchmarking laws can act as a catalyst to increase building efficiency.

Federal heating and cooling plants in Ottawa to undergo green makeover

Dozens of local companies will be able to tap into the federal government’s Ottawa-based district energy system when it is modernized by 2025 in an effort to boost efficiency, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“One of the goals that we have in the program is to make this a community asset,” said Don Grant, strategic advisor of engagement of the government’s energy services acquisition program.

That program is at the heart of a plan to transition Public Services and Procurement Canada’s properties to 100-per-cent clean power. It also includes updating five central heating and cooling plants at Confederation Heights, Tunney’s Pasture, the Cliff plant at 1 Fleet St., the National Research Council at 98 Sussex Dr., and the Canadian Government Printing Bureau at 45 Sacré-Coeur Blvd. in Gatineau.


“We currently have an antiquated, inefficient energy system that heats and cools more than 80 public and privately owned buildings in the National Capital Region, including the Parliament Buildings,” Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna said during a July 17 announcement at the Confederation Heights plant at 501 Heron Rd.

Some of the plants date back more than 100 years to 1916, while many others were built in the 1950s. They have come to the end of their life cycle and have become a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, McKenna said, flanked by Ottawa-Vanier MP Mona Fortier and Treasury Board President Scott Brison.

The overhaul will cost $2.1 billion over five years. More than half of that will go to the plant modernization.

An explosion at the Cliff plant in 2009 that caused the death of a worker did not spur the creation of the energy services acquisition program, confirmed Nicolas Boucher, department spokesperson.

Following the boiler blast, Public Works and Procurement Canada was fined $300,000 for health and safety violations, including staff training failures.

“The initiative was initiated prior to the explosion at the Cliff Plant,” Boucher said in an email. “The current infrastructure uses outdated steam technology that is increasingly costly to operate and maintain, and many components within the plants are well past their expected life spans.”

“The explosion is one of many factors that were considered in business plans from 2009 onward,” added department spokesperson Jean-François Létourneau.

Uponor takes pride in expanded headquarters

Consolidating three offices into one has done wonders for Uponor, a company specializing in a variety of plumbing, piping, and heating and cooling technologies.

On June 1, they celebrated the grand opening of a 48,000 square-foot facility in Mississauga that will serve as its Canadian headquarters and Eastern distribution centre.

Uponor’s warehouse from Brampton, sales office in Mississauga and design centre out of Regina were all amalgamated into one location and they’ve benefited with 30 per cent more space in the new warehouse.


“This is pretty ground breaking for Canada,” said general manager Charlie Harte. “It’s a pretty significant investment for the organization to have this much space. We have lots of room for expansion and we’re looking to add up to 40 designers.”

Uponor, a Finnish company, will be celebrating its 100th birthday next year. It currently employs more than 50 people in Canada, half of whom are based out of the new headquarters.

The consolidation also means senior management, designers, sales and warehouse staff work out of one location, providing easy access and communication for all parties involved.

“If there’s a problem, it comes up and it doesn’t fester. We can deal with it right away,” Harte said.

“Uponor’s a family-friendly company, so we have lots of functions over the course of the year to have everybody together, but having everybody in the same warehouse is part of it.”

Uponor considers itself a leader in the PEX piping market. The PEX-a piping it manufactures is guaranteed to be leak-proof for 25 years while the material it’s made out of is 100 per cent recyclable.

In addition to the expanded warehouse and office space, an Uponor Academy was added to headquarters so the company could train the next crop of designers. The classroom is capable of holding up to 50 people.

Alberta NDP reacts to reports of people breaking door-to-door utility sales ban

Alberta’s services minister says the government is investigating reports of people breaching a provincial ban on door-to-door energy sales, misrepresenting themselves to get into residents’ homes. The ban took effect last month.

“Since Jan. 1, we’ve received 18 complaints about sales people misrepresenting themselves to get into a consumer’s home,” said Services Minister Stephanie McLean at an Edmonton HVAC operation Tuesday afternoon. “Currently we have 10 open investigations on selling door-to-door after the ban, sales people misrepresenting themselves to sell energy contracts, and going door to door under false pretenses to sell a banned item.

The Notley government implemented its door-to-door sales ban in response to over 1,000 independent complaints over misleading and high-pressure sales tactics by people going door-to-door for electricity companies. The ban includes the door-to-door sale of furnaces, natural gas and electricity energy contracts, water heaters, windows, air conditioners and energy audits.

International company chooses Guelph for its Canadian headquarters

A U.S.-based company that specializes in technology that kills viruses, bacteria and mould in the air has chosen Guelph to become the home of its Canadian headquarters.

After a three-month evaluation process, the company, Synexis Canada Limited, officially announced its plans during a news conference at city hall.

“We’ll be fully installed in Guelph by the end of the first quarter,” said Synexis Canada chief executive officer and director Eric Schlote.

The company specializes in Synexis Biodefense Systems, air-purification systems which use dry hydrogen peroxide to continuously disinfect the air and surfaces in indoor spaces.

“We can put it into the existing HVAC system or we have a stand-alone system,” Schlote said, explaining the patented technology.

“We’re highly effective in fighting influenza,” he said.

The systems have potential for health-care and long-term-care settings, where there is an obvious desire to prevent the spread of infections, but they are also being marketed to work places, community facilities, food operation facilities and more.

“The challenge is staying focused, because there are a lot of opportunities to use this technology,” said Schlote. “Everybody is trying to find ways to not only increase productivity, but also to provide a cleaner environment.”

In Guelph, the technology is already being put to work in the Elliot Community long-term-care facility, he said.

Schlote said there were multiple reasons for deciding to set up headquarters in Guelph, including support from the city’s leadership team and the proximity to the University of Guelph, which he called “a world-class research and development centre.”
The business environment here is what we were looking for,” Schlote said.

Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie welcomed the company to the city, noting that Synexis is the sort of “clean tech” and “civic tech” business that the city wants to see thrive here.

“Your technology can help with government buildings, hospitals and other large areas,” he said. “That is exactly the type of technology . . . that we are looking for here in this city.”

Initially, the company will be based in an interim office at 111 Farquhar St., with plans to have more permanent, fully operational headquarters in Guelph by the end of March 2017.

Schlote said there is an immediate need for about 10 employees in Guelph, with jobs spread across sales, sales support, research and development and general office support.

The Guelph office will be managing the Synexis expansion across the Canadian market and beyond into markets in Asia, Schlote said.

“The strategy is to support international business out of here,” he said.

Currently, the company is based in Kansas City and does manufacturing in Vermont, but there may be potential to expand into manufacturing in Canada, as well, he said.

Guelph was chosen for the headquarters over five other competing cities in three provinces, a news release said.

Factors taken into account in the decision included business culture, community leadership, logistical accessibility, overhead costs and potential local research partnerships, it said.

Beating the heat in commercial buildings

During the hot and humid summer months, greater energy consumption is required to cool the outside air coming into a building, resulting in higher costs.

In the majority of commercial buildings, indoor air is replaced with outside air every one to two hours to prevent high concentrations of indoor pollutants. However, while the process helps limit indoor pollutants, the high volume of outdoor air must be cooled to maintain comfortable temperatures and humidity inside the building during the summer months.

t the same time, extra outside air intake to maintain air quality can cause some areas of the building to get too cold, sparking an increase in complaints from occupants. This problem can be further exacerbated in buildings with higher occupant densities than they were originally designed for — such as with open-plan office buildings.

With summer just around the corner, here are some tips for facilities managers to consider when preparing their buildings to beat the heat:

1. Consider new HVAC technologies

Facilities managers are looking to new HVAC technology solutions that use less outside air to ventilate a building, thereby boosting energy efficiency — saving on costs — and maintaining air quality to keep occupants comfortable.

One solution cleans and recycles the indoor air instead of constantly replacing it with outside air — complying with the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Standard 62.1 Indoor Air Quality Procedure (IAQP). In doing so, this technology decreases the outside air intake required to ventilate a building by 60 to 80 per cent. It also reduces peak HVAC capacity, resulting in 20 to 30 per cent energy savings and up to 40 per cent lower utility demand charges, particularly important during summer’s peak demand days when electricity costs can skyrocket.

Using less outside air extends the life of air filters, reduces water consumption, and will help postpone HVAC equipment replacement. Moreover, with this technology, buildings can invest in lower-capacity and less expensive HVAC systems, and benefit from decreased maintenance costs.

2. Tap the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things (IoT) is empowering facilities managers to take advantage of new opportunities for better and more efficient buildings. In fact, there are now solutions that allow for smarter management and monitoring of buildings, along with detailed reporting of building performance and efficiencies.

The new HVAC technology describe above, for example, enables increased visibility through IoT capabilities that provide 24/7 monitoring and management of a building’s indoor air quality, temperature, and humidity. These real-time insights into air quality and comfort allow for more proactive management of buildings to help reduce energy costs.

3. Prioritize indoor air quality

Providing healthy and comfortable indoor air for building occupants during the summer months is critical to not only reducing complaints, but also to ensuring the productivity and health of those occupants. In fact, a study conducted by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has shown that improved indoor air quality in buildings can help boost cognitive performance by 101 per cent, which translates into $6,500 per year in additional productivity per employee.

In considering some of these tips ahead of the hot and humid summer months, facilities managers can save on energy costs and reduce complaints to keep their occupants comfortable and happy all summer long.

Dr. Udi Meirav is founder and CEO of Boston-based enVerid Systems Inc. Prior to founding enVerid, he served as CEO of Boston based Luminus Devices and also worked as an investor at Stata Venture Partners and Strategic Decision Group. Dr. Meirav has a PhD in Physics from MIT and began his career as a nano-physics research scientist.