The ecoEnergy Retrofit Incentive

What is it?

Ontario food companies can now apply for funding to help retrofit both their industrial (factories) and commercial buildings (separated offices and warehouses) to improve energy efficiency. You can be funded to help you retrofit up to five separate buildings.

How does it work?

For Industrial Facilities:
The Canadian ecoEnergy Retrofit Incentive for Industry will contribute up to 25 percent of energy efficiency project costs. There is a maximum grant of $50,000 for each industrial facility, so a single corporation can receive up to $250,000. To be eligible, a project must:

• take place in a facility with fewer than 500 employees
• make a measurable and verifiable reduction in energy use
• have a net simple payback of more than one year
• require capital spending to replace or retrofit existing industrial buildings, equipment, systems and/or processes. Monitoring and targeting systems are also eligible.

The amount of funding will be calculated at 25% of project costs OR $10 per gigajoule of energy savings -- for example, approximately $0.036/kw.hr of electricity, $0.372/cubic meter of natural gas, or $0.386/litre of heating oil -- whichever is less.

For Commercial Buildings:
The Canadian ecoEnergy Retrofit Incentive for Buildings will contribute up to 25% to a maximum of $50,000 towards the cost of energy saving projects in non-industrial buildings that measure less than 10,000 square metres. Eligible buildings include offices, warehouses, retail outlets, restaurants, municipal buildings, schools, and so on. The amount of funding will be calculated on $10 per gigajoule of energy savings - for example, approximately $0.036/kw.hr of electricity, $0.372/cubic metre of natural gas, or $0.386/litre of heating oil.

How Do I Apply?

You submit an electronic request to NRCan to obtain the ecoENERGY Retrofit Incentive information package. The package includes an application form and instructions on how to estimate the energy savings of the retrofit project. Once your request has been received, NRCan will send the package to the e-mail address you have provided. You can access it by either clicking on the "request" link in this paragraph, by visiting the website below, or to receive it by fax, call NRCan at 613-992-3254.

A technical energy analysis of the project's energy savings must be submitted with both industrial and commercial project applications. This analysis must be completed by a certified engineer technologist, professional engineer or someone else deemed credible by the government. Behavioral or operational changes or projects that save money on energy bills, but do not demonstrate measurable and verifiable energy savings are not eligible for funding.

Preference will be given to projects with multiple or complex energy efficiency measures, or technical issues beyond the capability of the building owners, or those that will use innovative technologies or renewable resources.

This program is expected to run until March 31, 2011.

Where can I find more information?

Jessica Norup. Senior Industry Analyst
Industrial Programs Division
Office of Energy Efficiency
Natural Resources Canada
Tel: 613 944 4782
Email: nnorup@nrcan.gc.ca
Website: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/cipec/ieep