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Solar Neighbourhoods Findings Report
Introduction Solar Neighbourhoods is a City of Toronto pilot project to install 100 solar thermal systems in one neighbourhood. The project was initiated in March 2008 by the Toronto Atmospheric Fund with $400,000 in funding from the Portlands Energy Centre (PEC). The PEC contribution was intended to provide conservation and air quality education programming for the community adjacent to the PEC natural gas-fired electricity generation plant on the East Toronto waterfront. Initial program design was guided by a Community Advisory Committee from East Toronto and by interviews with local community environmental leaders. The program was managed by senior staff from the City of Toronto Energy Efficiency Office and the Toronto Atmospheric Fund. The result was this solar water heating pilot project plus development and funding of a new Community Health Centre program called Neighbourhoods Acting on Air Quality, managed by the South Riverdale Community Health Centre. Solar Neighbourhoods is modelled after community solar buying clubs like the Riverdale Initiative for Solar Energy (RISE) and West Toronto Initiative for Solar Energy (WISE), which used a community-based marketing approach. Building on a wave of local interest in solar energy, the pilot project unfolded in Ward 30, a downtown neighbourhood with above average income and education rates, a strong community history of environmental activism, and housing stock largely built before 1946. The neighbourhood residents proved to be receptive to the pilot offer, but often had sites that were unfavourable to solar energy production due to shading from the many mature trees in the neighbourhood, unfavourable roof orientation, lack of suitable roof space due to steep pitch or window placement, or lack of basement storage space for a solar water tank. While solar thermal installation is simplest on a pitched roof, 40% of the participants in this pilot paid an average premium of $1,100 to install a system on racking on a flat roof space – a roofing configuration very common to downtown neighbourhoods. The goal of 100 local installations was achieved in November 2009, including 70 private home installations and 30 installations on low-income single-family housing owned by Toronto Community Housing. All installations are due to be complete by December 2010, and advanced performance monitoring of 20 systems will be complete in April 2011. Local results from Solar Neighbourhoods are now being contributed to a Canada-wide pilot study run by Natural Resources Canada and managed locally by Enbridge and Bullfrog Power. Participants in the Solar Neighbourhoods pilot project were required to undertake a ecoENERGY assessment to review a full slate of energy efficiency options for their home. Later in 2011 we will also have a cumulative energy actions report showing whether interest in the solar thermal pilot opportunity stimulated more local home energy efficiency activity overall. We do know from our pilot research that among the pilot clients that chose not to buy a solar system, an estimated 30% undertook an ecoENERGY assessment in any case. The purpose of this pilot report is to provide findings and translate them into recommendations for future program design. In addition, we offer insights on critical issues to consider regarding future expansion of residential solar thermal activity in Canada.
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Click here for the full report
