Program supports Ontario’s energy conservation goals
TORONTO — The Ontario Power Authority (OPA), Canada’s New Government and the McGuinty government joined forces today to announce a $3.7 million program to encourage the use of energy efficient products in the construction of new housing built under the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program.
The announcement was made by Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing John Gerretsen, and Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources Gary Lunn.
“This initiative will stimulate the use of energy efficient products by allowing providers of affordable housing to claim a rebate of up to $850 per unit,” said Gerretsen. “It will significantly reduce energy consumption, and be a showcase for other affordable housing providers to illustrate the savings that can be obtained through the use of energy efficient products.”
“These are creative financial initiatives that are going to produce tangible results,” said Minister Lunn. “Canada has more than 13 million houses and buildings. They consume 30 percent of our energy and emit about 30 percent of our greenhouse gases. If we can provide attractive incentives for builders and developers to use energy-efficient products, we’ll make real progress in reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.”
The new program—with $2.4 million in funding from the OPA and $1.3 million from Natural Resources Canada—enables affordable housing providers funded by the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program to incorporate energy efficiency measures and practices in the new affordable housing stock.
The OPA has retained the services of Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) to help implement the program. Under the program, these affordable housing providers can claim rebates of up to $850 per unit to offset the cost of purchasing and installing a wide range of energy efficient products, including ENERGY STAR® qualified appliances such as refrigerators and laundry machines, lamps and lighting fixtures, and heating and ventilation equipment, including furnaces, boilers, pumps, fans and motors.
The program also incorporates an education and awareness component which will be delivered to affordable housing stakeholders including municipalities, housing providers, builders, architects, developers and residents.
When fully implemented, the initiative is projected to result in a savings of 2,326 megawatt hours of electricity per year in Ontario, and help keep rents and housing costs affordable over many years.
The Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program comprises a commitment of $301 million from each of the two senior levels of government. In total, the federal, provincial and municipal governments will invest at least $734 million in the program, which will provide affordable housing for 20,000 Ontario households by 2010.
In pursuit of its mandate of ensuring an adequate, long-term supply of electricity for Ontario, the Ontario Power Authority creates and implements conservation and demand management programs, ensures adequate investment in new supply infrastructure, performs long-term electricity system planning, and facilitates the development of a more sustainable and competitive electricity system.
The Government of Canada recently announced a suite of ecoENERGY Initiatives — $2 billion in funding designed to help boost clean energy supplies, help Canadians use energy more efficiently and develop clean energy technologies.
The $300 million ecoENERGY Efficiency Initiative will promote smarter energy use and reduce the amount of harmful emissions that affect the health of Canadians.
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