The new Ontario gas conservation policy that was quietly released just before the holidays is a key document, since natural gas is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in Toronto. The 2015-2020 Demand Side Management Framework for Natural Gas more than doubles the funding available for conservation programs offered by Ontario’s natural gas utilities. That’s great news.

However, the policy freezes the financial incentives that encourage utilities to promote conservation to their customers. The policy also kills conservation programs for large industrial emitters, replacing them with fee-for-service conservation advice provided by utilities.

For more information about the design and implications of this important policy, read TAF’s blog post.

Ground-breaking study of indoor environmental quality in multi-residential buildings

TAF, the University of Toronto and Toronto Community Housing (TCH) are undertaking an unprecedented study of indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in seven TCH buildings — before, during and after energy retrofits.

Research shows that the health and wellness benefits of energy retrofits can be up to triple the value of the energy savings, and jurisdictions that ignore these benefits underinvest in energy efficiency. More than 50% of Torontonians live in multi-residential buildings, including many of our most vulnerable residents. Yet there is virtually no hard data on the severity of IEQ problems in these buildings or the health impacts of multi-residential retrofits.

The study will be monitoring temperature, humidity, and air quality, with data collected from about 100 suites. The pre-retrofit results will be used to help design the energy retrofits for maximum IEQ impact, while final results will inform future projects. The retrofits are being funded by TAF as part of our TowerWise Energy Efficiency Demonstration (TWEED) initiative.

Our new communications manager, Charles-Antoine Rouyer, came on board this January 2015. Charles-Antoine brings 25 years of experience in communications specializing in health & environment and sustainability, with a particular focus on urban health and healthy communities. In the past, Charles-Antoine has worked as a writer, broadcaster, strategic communication consultant and university course director.

A workshop on evaluating community impact

TAF is committed to evaluating the impacts of the work it undertakes or funds. That is why we are pleased to be an event partner with the Tamarack Institute to support its upcoming workshop on evaluating community impact, taking place in Toronto February 23-25. For more information about this useful workshop and for registration details, see here: Evaluating Community Impact.

At its first meeting of 2015 in January, the City of Toronto’s Parks and Environment Committee passed a motion to establish a subcommittee to address both climate change mitigation and adaptation issues. Chaired by Councilor Gord Perks, the new subcommittee will report through the Parks and Environment Committee. More specific details on the role of the committee will be provided at the next Parks and Environment meeting scheduled for April 15, 2015.

The Halifax Regional Municipality Solar City has financed the installation of more than 300 solar water heaters on residential properties with the PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) financing tool. Similar to a Local Improvement Charge and used largely in the U.S., PACE allows homeowners to repay their municipality through their property tax bill.

The $ 8.3 million pilot program approved in December 2012 aims to install up to 1,000 solar water-heating systems. With the help of Dalhousie University researchers, Solar City has also launched a “solar map” of the Halifax area, showing how much sun different properties get.

Halifax Solar City will receive the 2015 Energy Program Award from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities at the upcoming Sustainable Communities Conference in London, Ontario, Feb. 10-12 2015.