To the uninitiated, SHRRP (commonly pronounced shurp) and MEER sound like characters from Star Trek. In fact, they are acronyms for programs that might just save your non-profit or co-op a lot of money.

Most social housing providers are already familiar with The Social Housing Renovation and Retrofit Program (SHRRP), and many have accessed funds through the program to upgrade their buildings. What is less commonly known is that the Ontario Power Authority is offering the Multi-Family Energy Efficiency Rebates (MEER) program, which provides financial incentives to offset some of the capital costs associated with energy-efficiency upgrades.

“So how does my housing corporation access these MEER funds?”
I thought you’d never ask!

Without going into all of the details here, there are 2 options for MEER funding: Custom and Prescriptive.

1. Custom incentives are calculated based on the actual energy savings, in kilowatt-hours (kWh) that will result from installing a particular measure.
2. For prescribed upgrades, on the other hand, a set dollar figure will be paid for each measure installed. For example, $60 will be paid for every old refrigerator that is replaced with an ENERGY STAR® rated model.

“Our new appliances are already being paid for with SHRRP funding. How can the MEER program help?”

SHRRP funds are stackable, meaning that additional funding sources can be added, as long as the total funding does not exceed 100% of the purchase price. However, most providers had items on their SHRRP “wish-list” that simply could not be accommodated. So the simplest answer is to find out how much MEER money your energy-saving upgrades are worth, and talk to your service manager about re-allocating an equal amount of existing SHRRP money to another approved expenditure. It’s a win-win for all concerned!

I know this all sounds complicated, but SHSC and GLOBE have resources to help. Contact SHSC Customer Care if you want more information on MEER.

Make it so!