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Six Ontario municipalities sharing $900K to explore reductions in energy and emissions

June 1, 2023 – Over $900,000 will be split among several Ontario municipalities to help them “find the best approach to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions at municipally owned buildings”, reports Natural Resources Canada.

The City of Sault Ste. Marie receives $200,000 to explore deep energy retrofitting of six of its buildings, including the John Rhodes Community Centre, East End Wastewater Treatment Plant, Essar Centre, Public Works Centre, Fire Hall 4, and the Transit Administration/Garage.

The Town of Caledon receives $200,000 to identify methods to reduce energy and emissions for eight of its facilities, including a recycling facility, two community centres, two fire stations, and the town hall. The study will explore low-carbon building renewal opportunities, such as equipment replacement, fuel switching, lighting upgrades and renewable energy.

The City of Barrie receives $200,000 to study GHG emissions reduction measures for eight municipal facilities, which account for 60% of the city’s building-related emissions. The study will consider unique aspects of each building, the potential for renewable energy, replacing equipment, and capital planning to identify optimal reduction pathways.

The Town of Carleton Place receives $126,400 to study the feasibility of achieving net-zero emissions at six municipal buildings, including community centres, the town hall, and emergency services buildings.

The Town of Essex receives $84,070 to study achieving net-zero at the Essex Recreation Complex, Essex Centre Sports Complex, and Harrow Arena by examining measures that include installing geothermal heat pumps, converting remaining natural gas heating to electric heating, and adding heat recovery to the refrigeration plants at each facility.

The City of Orillia receives $98,360 to explore reducing GHG emissions at five municipally owned buildings: City Centre, the public library, Fire Hall 2, Rotary Place, and the wastewater treatment centre. The study will examine technologies such as geothermal heat pumps and ice plant heat recovery.

Funding comes from the Green Municipal Fund’s (GMF) Community Buildings Retrofit initiative. This initiative is part of a $950-million federal spend in the Federation of Canadian Municipalities’ GMF, and is designed to “scale up energy efficiency and lower emissions across Canada”.