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HVAC stands for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. It refers to a system designed to regulate temperature, humidity and air quality inside a home to create a comfortable and healthy indoor environment. (Back to top of glossary)

Biophilic design refers to an approach that aims to increase a connection to nature within a home. It incorporates things like natural lighting and ventilation, natural landscape features and other elements for creating a more productive and healthy built environment for people. (Back to top of glossary)

The HCRA licenses the building and selling of new homes in Ontario, enforces professional standards for competence and conduct in the homebuilding industry, and has a homeowner complaint process. Learn more about HCRA. For more on protection for homebuyers, see Tarion in this glossary. (Back to top of glossary)

Vertical and horizontal shafts that divide a pane of glass into a grid. (Back to top of glossary)

A row of windows high on a wall that allows more light into interior spaces. (Back to top of glossary)

Fascia is located beneath the roofline. It prevents water from seeping into the home's structure and enhances the exterior appearance. (Back to top of glossary)

A net zero ready home is built to the same energy efficiency standards as a net zero home but doesn't yet have the solar panels installed. (Back to top of glossary)

A hydronic system heats a home by circulating hot water or other liquid through floor pipes, radiators or hydronic baseboard heaters. It distributes heat evenly and can be more comfortable than forced air systems, especially for allergy sufferers. (Back to top of glossary)

Also called perimeter tile or French drain, weeping tile is a porous pipe buried around the perimeter of a home’s foundation. Ground water seeps into it and is carried away to reduce the possibility of water getting into the foundation and basement. (Back to top of glossary)

A floor plan is a drawing that shows the layout of a home from above. It typically identifies each space and shows the location of walls, doors, windows, fireplaces and the like. (Back to top of glossary)

Volatile organic compounds or VOCs are chemicals found in everyday products that have the potential to change into a gas form and contaminate indoor air. This is known as off-gassing. VOCs can be found in many household products such as paints, vinyl, adhesives, cleaning products, computers and more. (Back to top of glossary)

Geothermal heating is a system of heating (or cooling) your home by utilizing pipes buried underground and a heat pump to transfer heat from the earth. It takes advantage of the fact that the soil temperature below about five feet doesn’t change much (it’s about 10 C), no matter what time of year it is. Pipes circulate a liquid (often water) below the frost line either horizontally or vertically. In winter, the water warms to the ambient soil temperature by the time it re-enters the house, then a heat pump extracts the energy and heats water that flows in pipes under the floors or heats air blown through the air ducts. (Back to top of glossary)

R value is the most common yardstick for measuring thermal insulation performance. It measures how well building insulation can prevent the flow of heat into and out of the home. The higher the R value the better the insulation. (Back to top of glossary)

Oriented strand board is an engineered wood formed by adding adhesives and then compressing layers of strategically placed strips of wood. OSB uses the wood from trees that grow quickly and sustainably. (Back to top of glossary)

A German standard for energy efficiency. It uses efficient building shape, solar exposure, superior insulation, advanced windows, leading-edge ventilation and other technical features to create structures that require little or no energy input from conventional heating or cooling systems. (Back to top of glossary)

See HRV/ERV (heat/energy recovery ventilator). (Back to top of glossary)

A simple cabinet door consisting of a recessed flat panel, four rails and usually plain hardware; the name references the simple designs favoured by the Shaker religious sect. (Back to top of glossary)

A federal government requirement introduced in 2018 that requires everyone to prove they can afford payments if interest rates increase by a set amount. The policy is meant to encourage Canadians to borrow within their means for a house purchase. It applies to anyone getting a mortgage or changing mortgage lenders. (Back to top of glossary)