Yvonne Rebeiro

How hard is it to get EV charging stations into residential buildings?

6/2023 - CBC NEWS - Ian Klesmer wants to see more funding to help condo boards and building owners figure out EV charging. When they do, it will be much more affordable & convenient to switch to an EV.

Reeling from home-heating costs? Meet the heat pump — an old idea that’s gaining new ground

4/2023 - It’s an old technology that’s experiencing a renaissance as a way to save money with the added bonus of reducing carbon emissions.

Ontario’s new gas plants will cause your hydro rates to rise, report says

12/2022 - TORONTO STAR - Ontarians share three key goals around electricity. It needs to be reliable, affordable, and clean. New modelling shows that these priorities are actually aligned: the most cost-effective pathway to meet our growing electricity demand is also the most reliable and the lowest carbon.

‘Quite a transformation’: Why this Toronto Community Housing green retrofit is coming with unexpected benefits for residents

7/2022 - TORONTO STAR - TCHC’s mission to retrofit every unit in the city will bring unexpected benefits for residents, including AC, starting at Bathurst and Eglinton.

TAF News: February 2022

2/2022 - Wanted: Green New Buildings for Toronto and Ajax

Ontario’s energy regulator is blocking efforts that could slash natural gas emissions

10/2021 - TORONTO STAR - Ontario needs to conserve natural gas to reduce emissions, but the regulatory process is taking years we cannot afford. Find out why no one is talking about this.

Toronto needs to speed up its electric vehicle infrastructure to meet targets, critics say

8/2021 - CBC - The city's aiming to install 10,000 public charging ports by 2030. A pilot project launched last year has seen the city install 17 on-street charging stations, but far more ambitious policies are needed to convince residents to buy in, said TAF's Ian Klesmer.

WoodGreen breaks new ground on social housing with energy-saving project

8/2021 - NOW - WoodGreen commissioned Efficiency Capital to fund, develop, and implement a building retrofit plan, bringing in engineering firms SensorSuite Inc. and Finn Projects to do much-needed capital upgrades to the buildings. The project was funded by Efficiency Capital and The Atmospheric Fund, the City of Toronto’s Better Building Partnerships loans, and WoodGreen’s capital reserves.

Toronto just approved a host of climate-related policies. We asked experts how they stack up

8/2021 - TORONTO STAR - “Toronto is such a significant part of Ontario, and of Canada, that if we fall behind on climate, it puts at risk provincial and national targets toward net zero (carbon). It also risks Toronto being left behind in the 21st-century economy,” says TAF VP Bryan Purcell.

TAF News: July 2021

7/2021 - We’re double-celebrating low-carbon buildings!

Fiddling while Toronto burns

7/2021 - SPACING TORONTO - It may be time for the province and the Ontario Energy Board to completely overhaul the traditional approach to natural gas consumption by promulgating conservation policies that provide building owners and homeowners with financial incentives to get off gas entirely instead of simply moving to high efficiency gas furnaces.

All new Toronto buildings could soon face tighter greenhouse gas emissions targets

7/2021 - CBC - "With a rapidly growing city, there is simply no path to net zero that doesn't require a transition to near-zero new construction," Bryan Purcell, TAF VP, told the city's Planning and Housing Committee. "The Toronto Green Standard is by far Toronto's most important climate policy."