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Villa Charities Inc. completes energy-efficient upgrades, receives over $96,000 in incentives through City of Toronto program

The City of Toronto today presented Villa Charities Inc. with an incentive payment totaling $96,769.40 through the Better Buildings Partnership (BBP) electricity conservation program, recognizing the organization’s decrease in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. This project highlights important energy efficiency programs that are available for the not-for-profit and social housing sectors. The BBP is committed to helping building owners and managers take full advantage of the financial assistance and other resources available to them.
 
Villa Charities successfully implemented efficiency lighting retrofits at three of its buildings: Caboto Terrace, Casa DelZotto and Casa Abruzzo. The retrofits are expected to result in annual savings of hundreds of thousands of dollars in operating costs and will allow Villa Charities to demonstrate environmental stewardship and contribute to building a healthy and clean city. Combining the energy efficiency lighting retrofits of the three buildings, approximately 10,000 lighting fixtures were upgraded, saving 2,300,195 kWh in electricity annually. The resulting reduction in greenhouse gas emissions achieved through energy conservation is equivalent to removing 275 cars from the road annually.
 
“Villa Charities’ commitment to the community spans almost 40 years and is rooted in providing care and services to seniors, adults with intellectual disabilities and the general community in ways that strengthen and uphold Italian customs and traditions,” said Palmacchio Di Iulio, President and CEO, Villa Charities.  “We welcomed the opportunity to partner with the City of Toronto through the Better Buildings Partnership to find innovative ways to make our service delivery better in an environmentally-sound manner.”
 
The BBP offers innovative programs that provide a range of resources, including financial assistance, to implement energy efficiency and renewable energy projects in Toronto buildings across multifamily, institutional and new construction sectors. The BBP’s primary goal is to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions which come from the energy used to heat, light, cool and operate buildings. BBP is partnered with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) to offer incentives for energy savings achieved in retrofits and in the energy efficient construction of new buildings. BBP also offers zero-interest loans through the City’s Sustainable Energy Funds program for institutional and not-for-profit organizations.
 

October 8, 2009  By Newswire