The number one ongoing cost for any condominium corporation, is the cost incurred through the consumption of energy. The OPA (Ontario Power Authority) is providing the funding for local utilities to provide a new set of incentives to help multi-unit residential dwellings facilitate energy efficient retrofits. This incentive program will be available from March 2011 through to 2014. The new Save ON Energy program follows many of the same guidelines of previous incentive programs, except for a few key differences. Instead of providing $0.07 per kWh or $400/kW in demand reduction for lighting retrofits they will be providing the greater of either $0.05 per kWh or $400/kW with a maximum of 50% of the retrofit cost being covered by the incentive, which is up from the previous cap of 40% (for custom and engineered track). For non-lighting retrofits an incentive of either, $800/kW or $0.10/kWh of first year electricity savings to a maximum of 50% of project costs.
There are three separate tracks for which the incentives can be applied for, they are as follows:
Prescriptive Track- pertains to both lighting and non-lighting retrofits and gives you the simplicity of selecting from a list of measures that come with a matching per-unit incentive. Examples include upgrades to lighting, programmable thermostats etc.
Engineered Track- consists of a series of preset calculation worksheets to help you calculate approximately the reduction in peak demand and/or electricity consumption that apply to the installation of more energy-efficient equipment. Examples of the eligible retrofits are garage lighting, variable frequency drives etc.
Custom Track- this track is geared towards more technical upgrades to the building’s current practices. This is the most labour intensive track since the
retrofit must be measured and verified post retrofit. The requirements are as follows:
· A description of the facility baseline electricity use.
· A description of the equipment being replaced.
· A description of the new equipment.
· Disposal costs of old equipment.
· The operating schedule (days per week, hours per day, time of day).
· The cost of the new equipment.
As we all know the cost of energy over time will continue to rise, thus, these incentives empower the Boards more than ever to make the necessary changes to offset these projected rises in utility costs. The entire application process can be done online to ensure ease of use. Provident Energy Management applies for the incentive on the client’s behalf as a part of our service.
Guidelines for the new incentive program can be reviewed in greater detail by visiting: http://icon.powerauthority.on.ca/.
How much of a rebate could I get for my retrofit project?
Below are some examples of retrofits completed in the past and the associated incentive received by the condominium corporation. All retrofits and incentive applications were performed by Provident Energy Management.
Installation cost: | $17,980 |
Projected Volumetric Savings (Natural Gas): | 82,746 m3 / yr. |
Projected Electricity Savings | 97,618 kWh/yr. |
Incentive Received: | $8,100 |
Provident Energy installed a 13 sensor Carbon Monoxide Monitoring System for a condominium in North York .
Installation cost: | $16,180 |
Projected Electricity Savings | 70,549 kWh/yr. |
Incentive Received: | $4,938 |
Provident Energy retrofitted the corridor lighting for a condominium in Mississauga
Installation cost: | $8,200 |
Projected Electricity Savings | 47,829 kWh/yr. |
Incentive Received: | $3,679 |
Provident Energy can be your full service energy management solution from beginning to end:
· The diagnosing of areas within the building where savings can be incurred
· Providing and implementing conservation solutions
· Obtaining incentives to help offset the costs of the solution/retrofit
To book your building’s free Energy Assessment to determine what, where and how to obtain energy savings for your building, please contact Jason Schembri, our technical sales representative via email: jschembri@pemi.com or by phone: 416-736-0630, extension 1366.
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