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October 08, 2013

Deep Energy Retrofits the Way to Put “Conservation First” in Ontario

Ecosystem recently responded to the Ontario Ministry of Energy’s call for consultations on its vision of “Conservation First”. In the response, Ecosystem recommended that the Ontario Ministry of Energy refocus on buildings since they consume up to 40% of all energy, contribute up to 30% of global annual greenhouse gas emissions and offer great energy conservation potential. Whole-building (“deep energy”) retrofits unlock this potential by drastically reducing energy consumption and offer several benefits for building owners looking to capitalize on their investment.

Ecosystem made four recommendations aimed at encouraging energy conservation in the province, with the most crucial being a procurement model that aligns the interests of building owners and energy services companies to ensure both parties pour all their efforts into maximizing energy savings.

Ecosystem’s four recommendations are:
1. Have the government and broader public sector lead the way by retrofitting its own buildings.
2. Initiate mandatory labelling based on actual energy performance results, and set reduction targets for government and broader public sector buildings.
3. Provide the means to meet targets.
4. Use a procurement model that aligns interests and promotes deep energy retrofits.

Read Ecosystem’s response

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