The Deep Retrofit Challenge (DRC) was a competition-style program with up to a $5 million investment from the Federal Government with select buildings in Toronto undergoing extensive retrofits to significantly reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Buildings are the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Toronto today, generated mainly from burning fossil fuels for heating, cooling and hot water. The goal of the DRC was to accelerate deep energy retrofits in support of the City’s Net Zero Existing Buildings Strategy, along with the City’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy, which aims to address the climate crisis by reducing emissions from buildings in Toronto to net zero by 2040.
Each of the participating building received a grant equal to $200 per square metre of gross floor area up to a maximum of $500,000, or 25 per cent of the total project cost, whichever is less. This grant will offset the incremental design and construction costs required to achieve significant GHG emissions and energy reductions.
These projects will showcase the types of deep retrofits needed to move buildings toward net zero emissions and provide all building owners with the necessary best practices to do so. Projects will be completed by early 2025, followed by a one-year post-retrofit performance evaluation. As each project progresses, the City will release updates and details. Upon completion, comprehensive case studies, including retrofit designs, utility savings, project costs and lessons learned will be developed and available for the public.
Learn more about the participating buildings’ proposed emissions reductions and deep retrofit measures below. For more information on the Deep Retrofit Challenge, please contact drc@toronto.ca.
A deep retrofit is a holistic approach to upgrading a building’s systems, using best practices to significantly reduce GHG emissions and energy consumption. It is considered a step or a leap towards net zero emissions.
A deep retrofit can significantly reduce energy costs as building energy usage is reduced by 50 per cent or more. Core components of a deep retrofit typically include:
Examples of deep retrofit upgrades can include envelope upgrades, installation of heat pumps to serve space heating and domestic hot water loads, incorporation of energy recovery systems, renewable energy generation and electric vehicle chargers, building controls upgrades and more.
To achieve the City’s net zero GHG emissions climate target, almost all buildings in Toronto will be required to undergo deep energy retrofits.
The participating buildings have now completed the integrated design phase and the pre-retrofit energy modelling portion of their deep retrofit project.
Participating Buildings:
Building type: Multi-unit residential
Year built: 1920
Number of storeys: 4
Number of units: 16
Gross floor area (m2): 1,604
Estimated GHG emissions reduction: 77%
Estimated energy use intensity reduction: 55%
Total DRC incentive: $234,602
The following are the measures that Dream Unlimited is implementing to improve energy efficiency and reduce operational GHG emissions:
Building type: Multi-unit residential
Year built: 1973
Number of storeys: 3/4 (block dependant)
Number of units: 175
Gross floor area (m2): 17,414
Estimated GHG emissions reduction: 82%
Estimated energy use intensity reduction: 50%
Total DRC incentive: $500,000
The following are the measures that Toronto Community Housing is implementing to improve energy efficiency and reduce operational GHG emissions:
Building type: Multi-unit residential
Year built: 1968
Number of storeys: 11
Number of units: 86
Gross floor area (m2): 6,973
Estimated GHG emissions reduction: 81%
Estimated energy use intensity reduction: 50%
Total DRC incentive: $500,000
The following are the measures that Northcliffe Inc. is implementing to improve energy efficiency and reduce operational GHG emissions:
Building type: Multi-unit residential
Year built: 1963
Number of storeys: 8
Number of units: 56
Gross floor area (m2): 3,902
Estimated GHG emissions reduction: 82%
Estimated energy use intensity reduction: 53%
Total DRC incentive: $500,000
The following are the measures that Dream Unlimited is implementing to improve energy efficiency and reduce operational GHG emissions:
Building type: Multi-unit residential
Year built: 1955
Number of storeys: 3
Number of units: 11
Gross floor area (m2): 870
Estimated GHG emissions reduction: 80%
Estimated energy use intensity reduction: 57%
Total DRC incentive: $151,750
The following are the measures that 145 Woodward Ave Inc. is implementing to improve energy efficiency and reduce operational GHG emissions: *Coming soon*
Building type: Mixed-use (multi-unit residential and retail commercial)
Year built: 2003
Number of storeys: 18
Number of units: 181
Gross floor area (m2): 19,490
Estimated GHG emissions reduction: 83%
Estimated energy use intensity reduction: 51%
Total DRC incentive: $500,000
The following are the measures that Minto Apartment Limited Partnership is implementing to improve energy efficiency and reduce operational GHG emissions:
To remain eligible for funding, participating buildings must continue to meet all DRC program and participant requirements throughout the duration of their retrofit.
Applications for the DRC were accepted from August 26 to October 31, 2022.
The following application materials were made available during that period:
The City does not intend to run another competition for this program.