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Ontario Power Authority Provides Funding of Nearly $2 million for Conservation Projects - Environmental Communication Options/Huff Strategy

Ontario Power Authority Provides Funding of Nearly $2 million for Conservation Projects

May 27th, 2008 12:50 PM

Ontario Power Authority Provides Funding of $1.7 for Conservation Projects Authority’s Conservation Fund supports 8 projects (May 2008) The Ontario Power Authority is pleased to announce the list of projects that received financial support from its Conservation Fund during rounds two and three of 2007. The eight contracts awarded, from 40 expressions of interest and 17 proposals, equal $1.7 million. Commitments made to the end of 2007 bring the number of Conservation Fund-supported projects to 52 for a total of $5.6 million in financial contributions, which have leveraged an additional $10 million in outside funding. The Conservation Fund was established in 2005 to provide funding for action-oriented sector-specific electricity conservation and demand management pilot programs designed for residential, commercial, industrial and institutional markets across Ontario. The Fund two key purposes are to test innovative electricity conservation program approaches, and to build the ability in the marketplace to design, deliver and market conservation programs. The results of the pilot projects inform the development of future conservation programs. “These pilots really give us a relatively low-risk way of incubating and testing ideas at a smaller scale,” said Bryan Young, Manager of the Conservation Fund. “Lessons range from helping us identify better marketing and delivery channels, to program design approaches that are tailored to reach a sector more effectively.” Round two and three funded pilot programs include: Canadian Plastics Industry Association (CPIA) – The Ontario Plastics Sector Energy Conservation Outreach Program will use a combination of outreach and educational tools and electricity-use assessment to build a culture of conservation in the plastics industry, a large user of electricity. The project will be marketed through extensive engagement with senior executives of CPIA member companies. Colleges Ontario – The Ontario Colleges Energy Conservation Secretariat will provide energy management training services and make available a real-time energy management system for each college. Through increased knowledge of energy use and available measures, as well as sharing best practices, facilities will have the tools they need to reduce energy consumption. Council of Ontario Universities Holdings Association – Energy Benchmarking in Ontario Universities will help to establish a benchmarking system for energy use at each of Ontario’s 18 universities. The initiative will include collecting, compiling and reporting energy use by individual buildings at each facility, and will support universities’ investment decisions for energy management projects. Federation of Rental Housing Providers of Ontario – The Rental Housing Conservation Pilot will measure the impact of sub-metering of tenant suites, refrigerator replacement along with building operator and tenant education on electricity use at 16 buildings across Ontario. The project will use the lessons learned to develop a long-term strategy for electricity conservation in multi-unit residential buildings. Guelph Environmental Leadership – Supporting Energy Productivity Improvements in the Guelph Community features a benchmarking platform with which residents can compare their energy usage with other Guelph households and obtain community information on an aggregated basis. Together with supporting educational documents, this information will promote market action on energy efficiency. Mount Sinai Hospital – The Local Health Integration Network Energy Management Program will address electricity conservation through a combination of new institutional processes, staff training and reporting requirements. Dedicated staff will develop standardized data-reporting requirements for energy use and to develop a strategy for building social awareness and behavioural change among health-care workers. Peterborough Green Up – The Green Solar Audit project will research, design, market and deliver solar site audits and information kits for residential housing, covering domestic solar hot-water heating in homes with electric hot water tanks, and solar photovoltaic power. The project aims to deliver 250 site audits and facilitate 75 solar domestic hot water installations while increasing market awareness of the residential applications of solar energy. St. Lawrence College – The Small School Deep Energy Audit and Retrofit Project will see college students enrolled in the Energy Systems Engineering Technician Program conduct a deep energy audit of 31 older schools in the Limestone District School Board. The audits will result in a conservation plan and energy-efficiency retrofits funded in part by the School Board, as well as provide a standard audit methodology for schools. Round one of funding for 2008 ended late March. Round two will begin accepting expressions of interest on May 28, with final approval set for July 30. Round three will accept Expressions of Interest on September 24, with final approval November 26. For more information about the Conservation Fund, the current list of funded projects, and how to apply for funding, please visit www.powerauthority.on.ca/cfund, or read the attached newsletter. -30- Media Contact Hotline: 416-969-6073 The Conservation Fund provides funding for sector-specific electricity conservation pilot projects to test new or unique conservation program elements, and to use the results from pilot projects to help develop future conservation programs. The Fund helps fulfill the Ontario Power Authority’s mandate of ensuring an adequate, long-term supply of electricity. The Technology Development Fund, with its managing institutions, the Ontario Centres for Excellence and the Centre for Energy Advancement through Technological Innovation, provides funding for the development and commercialization of innovative energy technologies that will improve the supply and conservation of electricity.