Pilot project: Retrofit of municipal facilities

We fund pilot projects of retrofits that improve energy efficiency by at least 30% in 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 retrofits that together, reduce a municipal facility’s energy consumption by 30% (minimum of 20% through energy efficiency and maximum of 10% through on-site, renewable energy).

Municipal facilities include administration buildings, police stations and fire halls, wastewater treatment plants, etc. Most of this 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.  Community buildings (e.g., libraries, recreation centres and arenas) may be eligible for funding through the Community Buildings Retrofit (CBR) program.

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 retrofits:

• Upgraded building components and materials (e.g., insulation, walls, windows)
• Advanced automation and control systems
• Upgraded heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems
• On-site renewable energy generation and storage (e.g., solar, wind, geothermal or geo-exchange systems)
• Fuel switching (e.g., connecting to low carbon district energy systems)
• Harvesting energy from process loads or waste (e.g., sewer heat recovery)
   

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.

Target

Your combination of retrofits must have the potential to reduce a building’s energy use by at least 30%. A minimum of 20% must come from energy efficiency and a maximum of 10% can come from on-site, renewable energy. The 10% maximum does not apply to geothermal exchange systems. Retrofit changes must meet or exceed the national and provincial building codes (NECB 2011 or provincial derivatives).

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