Features
Ontario government increases incentives available for solar thermal heating initiative

Ontario has dramatically increased the incentive available to organizations that install solar hot water systems.

The Ontario Solar Thermal Heating Initiative (OSTHI) will now provide up to $400,000 per project -- an increase of five times over the previous $80,000 maximum. Matched by the federal government, applicants can now obtain up to $800,000 -- important support for projects that can cost as much as $1.5 million or more.

OSTHI is open to industries, businesses and public institutions including schools, hospitals, municipalities, municipally owned utilities, industrial associations, non-profit organizations and energy service companies.

OSTHI supports the province's goals of creating a culture of conservation by encouraging the development of large scale solar thermal infrastructure projects, which in turn generate energy savings and support the creation of green jobs in communities across the province. Solar installations can reduce the use of fossil fuel-based energy for space and water heating by as much as 25 to 50 per cent. The OSTHI program will support the installation of solar systems that offset each of these loads.

OSTHI has invested $6-million towards 307 projects, resulting in $25 million in investments. Among the 101 projects installed and running, OSTHI has supported installations in 5 hospitals; 6 senior's homes; 7 non-profit housing complexes; and 15 recreation buildings. To date, participating industrial, commercial and institutional organizations have projected savings of 115,332 Gigajoules (GJ) of energy and over $2.25 million in energy costs, per year. This is the equivalent of taking 682 cars off the road annually.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Ontario Solar Thermal Heating Incentive (OSTHI)
Get more information about the Ontario Solar Thermal Heating Initiative and how it works.

December 9, 2009  By Newswire