Pilot project: New construction of energy-efficient municipal facilities

We fund pilot projects of initiatives that target net zero energy performance in new municipal facilities. This funding helps Canadian cities and communities of all sizes use less energy, which reduces their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and improves their air quality.

Pilot projects assess solutions in real-life conditions. They evaluate either a small-scale version of a project or a full-scale, replicable version.

You can pilot a combination of energy efficient measures that together, target net zero energy performance in a new municipal facility (administration buildings, police stations and fire halls, recreation centres and arenas, wastewater treatment plants, etc.). Most of the funding goes to projects in municipally owned buildings, but a non-municipally owned building may be eligible if it is used mostly for municipal purposes.

Your pilot should assess whether the project meets the necessary requirements (e.g., financial, technical), has a solid business case and the ability to deliver strong environmental, financial and social benefits directly to your community or through replication in other municipalities. Your project’s outcomes should help you decide whether to scale up the use of the solution you are piloting.

Examples of what you might pilot:

A combination of these measures:

• Design and construction approaches
• Passive energy efficiency (e.g., directional orientation, natural features)
• Alternative building components and materials (e.g., insulation, walls, windows)
• Advanced automation and control systems
• Advanced heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems Harvesting energy from process loads or waste (e.g., sewer heat recovery)
• On-site renewable energy generation and storage (e.g., solar, wind, geothermal or geo-exchange systems)
• Other measures targeting net zero energy or carbon

We will fund other innovative ideas! Contact us to ask if your idea qualifies for funding.

Notes

• While we encourage you to pursue green building certifications, they are not a prerequisite for funding.
• Pilots of stand-alone renewable energy production projects are not eligible for this funding.
• If your project is implemented on a brownfield site, search the funding library for ‘brownfield pilot project’ to see if it qualifies for brownfield funding.

Target

Your initiative must aim for a net zero energy performance. That means any energy it requires should be generated through on-site, renewable or recovered power sources.

What we’re looking to fund

FCM funds pilot projects that demonstrate most of the following characteristics:

• Transformative potential: The pilot project test solutions (e.g., knowledge, practices, technologies) that are beyond business-as-usual. The pilot project:
  • Is likely to result in a project that demonstrates significant performance improvements (e.g., improved levels of service, cost savings, energy efficiency, increased resiliency, environmental protection, improved human health)
  • Is audacious in that it requires a municipality to take on uncertainty over known best practices to achieve greater environmental benefits
  • Is designed to build the capacity of key stakeholders (e.g., municipal staff, elected officials, local trades)
  • Has the potential to generate new knowledge for the sector
  • Has a high likelihood of being replicated if successful

• Significant impacts: The project has the potential, at full scale, to generate significant measurable environmental results as well as economic and social benefits.
• Strong implementation framework: The project plan is robust and includes appropriate stakeholder engagement, planning, risk management and resourcing.

How to apply