Closing the loop – local geothermal heat pump performance8/2015 - Homes and businesses in the Greater Toronto Area are experiencing deep energy savings by harvesting ground heat with geothermal heat pump (AKA geoexchange) systems. With energy savings of 30-70% and 20-95% for space heating and cooling respectively, it is no wonder this emerging technology is experiencing increased interest across Canada.
Four climate challenges for Alberta’s new government7/2015 - Wasting no time following Premier Notley’s commitment to craft a climate action plan, the Pembina Institute convened about one hundred thought-leaders from around the country in Calgary this week. I was honoured to be invited to the roundtable to share insights we’ve gained reducing emissions in the City of Toronto.
A critical moment for efficiency finance6/2015 - The energy efficiency sector may face significant hurdles, but the market is quickly maturing as it addresses climate change, energy security concerns, and utility costs. Last week, I joined hundreds of colleagues from the public and private sectors, eager to accelerate investment in efficiency. We convened for the Energy Efficiency Finance Forum (E2F2), hosted by ACEEE in San Francisco.
Pumping energy savings – global heat pump performance review6/2015 - Heating homes and buildings account for over one third of Toronto’s greenhouse gas emissions, mostly from natural gas-burning furnaces and boilers. Achieving Toronto’s 2050 climate targets will require transitioning from natural gas to cleaner technologies, which has motivated TAF to explore the performance of heat pumps.
Launching Efficiency Capital Corp.4/2015 - TAF launches a new energy efficiency finance company, Efficiency Capital Corp.
Indoor environmental quality: the next frontier in building monitoring3/2015 - How TAF is leading a important study of indoor environmental quality in Toronto's apartment buildings.
New Toronto bylaw will reveal energy price tags in buildings3/2015 - Mandatory energy benchmarking for buildings is a key policy for reducing GHG emissions. Toronto is seeking stakeholder input on a benchmarking bylaw.
Tanking oil price doesn’t affect retrofit business case1/2015 - In Toronto, for instance, 50% of our greenhouse gas emissions come from natural gas used to heat our buildings and the electricity used to power the motors and appliances in buildings.