energy efficiency

Electric meters in a row measuring power use.

Introducing the Green Button: Empowering consumers through energy data

5/2018 - Smarter energy choices for your home: Ontario's proposed Green Button program will provide energy customers province-wide with access to their energy consumption and spending data. With improved energy efficiency in our homes and buildings, we can reduce emissions and get even closer to our TransformTO and provincial climate goals.

Photo Credit: Ontario Growth Secretariat, Ministry of Municipal Affairs

More than meets the eye: Don’t let simple payback steer your retrofit decision

5/2018 - Simple payback is often used to determine the attractiveness of an investment - but is it shortchanging you on your energy retrofit decision? Tim Stoate, TAF VP of Impact Investing, explains why you should consider additional financial analysis to make a more informed building retrofit decision and ultimately generate more cash.

Overheating no more: How smart thermostats improve the lives of over 1,300 residents

2/2018 - TAF's TowerWise project provides multiple benefits through energy retrofits such as jobs, health, and comfort. Smart thermostats give residents control over their comfort in a way that also maximizes the performance of these existing buildings - a win-win solution for building residents, carbon emissions, and energy savings.

Business Insider: ecobee donates over 700 thermostats to Toronto Community Housing to improve sustainability and resident comfort

1/2018 - TAF teamed up with ecobee on the TowerWise program to improve resident comfort, reduce emissions, and identify best practices in retrofits across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton area. The newly installed smart thermostats make intelligent heating and cooling decisions to reduce energy waste and offer real-time insights to identify other opportunities for future improvements.

ZeroHouse: A made-in-Toronto net zero housing solution

1/2018 - How can we reduce emissions from new residential buildings while addressing the housing shortage in the GTHA, especially the gap between high-rises and detached homes? The ZeroHouse, co-developed by Ryerson University students and the Endeavour Centre, shows how to address both issues.

Money on the table: Why investors miss out on the energy efficiency market

12/2017 - Energy efficiency retrofits in Canada represent a multi-billion dollar market opportunity, yet investment levels remain low. TAF's latest report identifies three market failures that hamper investment and maps out how to overcome them based on international best practices.

Ontario Construction Report: Next phase of TowerWise features $9 million energy efficiency models

12/2017 - Following the announcement of the new $9-million phase, Ontario Construction Report profiled TAF’s trailblazing TowerWise retrofit program, with new energy and emission targets that align closely with TransformTO.

The Energy Mix: TAF Aims for Deeper Carbon Cuts in Multi-Residential Buildings

12/2017 - TAF Low Carbon Buildings Manager Ekaterina Tzekova emphasizes how deep energy retrofits in the new TowerWise phase will result in economic, environmental, and social benefits.

TowerWise: TAF launches new phase of energy retrofit program

12/2017 - We spend the vast majority of our time indoors, but we rarely make the connection between our activities and the fact that buildings are a major source of carbon emissions. We need to significantly improve the way existing buildings perform – and we need to do it quickly. TAF is doing just that with the next phase of its TowerWise retrofit program.

Next phase of TowerWise program set to show path to deep building energy efficiency

12/2017 - TAF is launching the next phase of its TowerWise retrofit program. It will include four demonstration sites with different building types, demographics, and ownership structures in Toronto and Hamilton, representing the broader multi-residential sector – including social housing.

Energy efficiency 101: Why do an energy retrofit?

12/2017 - Operating a building is costly – with energy costs usually being the largest variable expense building operators can influence. An energy efficiency retrofit is the best way to reduce these costs. But there are more benefits, our VP of Impact Investing Tim Stoate explains.

COMPASS: Better buildings through streamlined energy reporting and benchmarking

10/2017 - Energy modelling helps gauge and improve a building’s energy performance before it’s actually built. TAF recently supported the development of a new tool that will help compare and share such energy modelling data across Ontario.