Sustainability initiatives have long been associated with the colour green. Green products, green services and green initiatives are how people express their efforts to be gentler on the environment. Green is also the colour of money and that is exactly what you will be seeing when you take advantage of the retroactive component of the Multifamily Energy Efficiency Rebates. Have you done any retrofit work since January 1, 2008? It will only take you a few minutes to check what retrofits will qualify for the rebates.

If you’ve installed some ENERGY STAR® refrigerators, well that will be worth $60 a fridge. What about some new T8 light fixtures? Depending upon the type of fixture, your rebate will be anywhere from $12 to $21. And if you have a current energy audit, (less than 12 months old) you are entitled to up to $35 per unit. It is just that simple.

Retroactive retrofits that qualify for the rebates are the easiest way to access the Multifamily Energy Efficiency Rebates. Make sure you get some green for your energy conserving work. We have staff available to make sure that you are seeing green really soon!

Contact SHSC Customer Care if you want more information on MEER.

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!