Toronto Hydro increases upgrade incentives

Toronto Hydro-Electric System Limited has announced that the cap on energy conservation incentives for retrofit projects under its Business Incentive Program and Data Centre Improvement Program has been doubled from $400 per kilowatt to $800 per kilowatt.

Toronto businesses with projects that qualify can now apply for up to $800/kW or 10 cents a kWh (capped at 50% of project cost) — whichever is greater. Energy efficient lighting incentives have also been increased — up to $400/kW or five cents/kWh (from $150/kW). To help our commercial and industrial customers identify and analyze energy saving measures, an incentive of up to $4,000 for energy efficiency studies conducted by a qualified consultant is also now available.

"Not only will the incentives improve the energy efficiency investment returns for our customers, they will also help them achieve their corporate social responsibility objectives through energy reductions and related environmental benefits," says Chris Tyrrell, Chief Conservation Officer for Toronto Hydro.

Industrial, multi-residential and commercial buildings with less than 25,000 square feet of floor space — including retailers, restaurants, convenience and grocery stores, small offices or hotels — can take advantage of the new incentive levels. Data centres of all sizes qualify with no space restriction.

Potential retrofit projects that may be eligible include: data centre improvements (such as virtualization and HVAC upgrades), modifications to industrial production lines, compressed air improvements, energy efficient lighting upgrades, motor replacements and variable speed drive applications, building automation and control upgrades, as well as other energy efficient measures.

To qualify, the customer must complete an application and obtain advance approval for the proposed project. The process is straightforward and can be completed on the Toronto Hydro website with approvals given normally within one week.

Approximately 80 per cent of Toronto's electricity demand comes from Toronto Hydro's commercial and industrial customers. These programs are intended to help reduce demands on Toronto Hydro's distribution system.