Challenge accepted: Toronto unveils deep retrofit competitors

Key Takeaways:

• Buildings are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Toronto.
• grants of up to $500,000 will be awarded to each of the buildings to offset the incremental design and construction costs required to achieve maximum emissions reductions.
• participants are currently finalizing their designs.
• Once complete, the city will develop and publicly release comprehensive case studies.

The Whole Story:

Toronto has revealed the eight buildings participating in the Deep Retrofit Challenge (DRC), a competition-style program with up to $5 million in funding up for grabs.

The funding comes from Natural Resources Canada provided through its Green Infrastructure – Energy Efficient Buildings Program. 

Through the DRC, grants of up to $500,000 will be awarded to each of the buildings, seven of which are privately-owned, to support deeper-than-planned energy retrofits. The grants will offset the incremental design and construction costs required to achieve maximum greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions.

“Reducing emissions from buildings across Toronto is a critical piece of the City’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy and something we must do quickly to address the climate crisis,” said Jennifer McKelvie, deputy mayor. “Through the Deep Retrofit Challenge, we are accelerating emissions reductions and creating pathways for other buildings to follow. Reducing emissions to net zero will require significant community-wide action and investments by other levels of government.”

Launched in 2022, the DRC aims to accelerate emissions reductions from buildings in Toronto and identify pathways to net zero that can be replicated in other buildings across the city. The retrofits are intended to advance the goals of the TransformTO Net Zero Climate Action Strategy, including the city’s target to reduce community-wide emissions to net zero by 2040, and serve as a catalyst to accelerate deep energy retrofits.

Officials noted that Toronto’s community-wide emissions must be cut in half in the next seven years – by 2030 – to reach the trajectory needed to reach net zero by 2040. Buildings are the largest source of GHG emissions in Toronto today, generating approximately 58 per cent of community-wide emissions, primarily from the burning of natural gas for heating and hot water. The City controls only about five per cent of community-wide emissions directly through its own buildings and operations, making a community-wide effort essential to reaching net zero emissions.

DRC participants are currently finalizing their designs. The process includes an integrated design workshop, energy modelling, the final selection of energy conservation measures and payback calculations. To remain eligible for funding, participants must deliver a final design to the city that verifies that their proposed projects will meet all DRC program requirements, including:

• Minimum 50 per cent reduction in the building’s GHG emissions.
• Minimum 50 per cent reduction in total energy use intensity.
• Payback period of 20 years or less.

Retrofits will be completed by early 2025. Once complete, the city will develop and publicly release comprehensive case studies on completion of the retrofits, including the retrofit designs, utility savings, project costs and lessons learned.

Applications for the DRC were accepted from Aug. 26 to Oct. 31, 2022. The city received 14 applications and accepted 11 conditionally, with eight building owners now fully committed.

More information about participants and their projects is available on the city’s Deep Retrofit Challenge webpage. To receive updates about the projects, residents can ask to be added to a mailing list by emailing drc@toronto.ca.

Here are the challenge participants:

350 Bay Street (Dream Office REIT)
Building type: Commercial Office
Year built: 1928
Number of storeys: 13
Number of units: 12
Gross Floor Area (m2): 5,406
Estimated greenhouse gas emissions reduction: 53%
Estimated total energy use intensity reduction: 73%
Total DRC incentive: $500,000

723 Bloor Street West (Dream Unlimited)
Building type: Multi-unit residential
Year built: 1920
Number of storeys: 4
Number of units: 16
Gross Floor Area (m2): 1,604
Estimated greenhouse gas emissions reduction: 72%
Estimated total energy use intensity reduction: 53%
Total DRC incentive: $229,384.75

88 College Street (The Governing Council of the University of Toronto)
Building type: Commercial office
Year built: 1882
Number of storeys: 2
Number of units: N/A
Gross Floor Area (m2): 1,748
Estimated greenhouse gas emissions reduction: 95%
Estimated total energy use intensity reduction: 72%
Total DRC incentive: $285,326

1-15 Field Sparroway; 2-10 Tree Sparroway (Toronto Community Housing)
Building type: Multi-unit residential
Year built: 1973
Number of storeys: 3
Number of units: 175
Gross Floor Area (m2): 17,414
Estimated greenhouse gas emissions reduction: 82%
Estimated total energy use intensity reduction: 50%
Total DRC incentive: $500,000

633 Northcliffe Boulevard (Northcliffe Inc.)
Building type: Multi-unit residential
Year built: 1968
Number of storeys: 11
Number of units: 86
Gross Floor Area (m2): 6,973
Estimated greenhouse gas emissions reduction: 76.5%
Estimated total energy use intensity reduction: 52%
Total DRC incentive: $500,000

177 St. George Street (Dream Unlimited)
Building type: Multi-unit residential
Year built: 1963
Number of storeys 8
Number of units: 65
Gross Floor Area (m2): 3,902
Estimated greenhouse gas emissions reduction: 54%
Estimated total energy use intensity reduction: 74%
Total DRC incentive: $500,000

145 Woodward Avenue (145 Woodward Ave Inc.)
Building type: Multi-unit residential
Year built: 1955
Number of storeys: 3
Number of units: 11
Gross Floor Area (m2): 870
Estimated greenhouse gas emissions reduction: 80%
Estimated total energy use intensity reduction: 57%
Total DRC incentive: $151,750

61 Yorkville Avenue (Minto Apartment Limited Partnership)
Building type: Mixed-use (multi-unit residential and retail commercial)
Year built: 2003
Number of storeys: 18
Number of units: 181
Gross Floor Area (m2): 19,490
Estimated greenhouse gas emissions reduction: 82%
Estimated total energy use intensity reduction: 51%
Total DRC incentive: $383,750