The Globe and Mail reports today that the province of Ontario is to invest $7 billion over four years and plans to phase out cabon-based energies; this signals a radical departure from the past and couldn’t come any sooner as the CBC reports “NASA said over the weekend that last month was the warmest April in statistics dating back to the 19th century, the seventh month in a row to break temperature records.” The money to pay for these investments is to come from the province’s proposed Cap and Trade program set to start in 2017.
Specific to buildings, the two following bullets were taken from the Globe and Mail article cited above:
- $3.8-billion for new grants, rebates and other subsidies to retrofit buildings, and move them off natural gas and onto geothermal, solar power or other forms of electric heat. Many of these programs will be administered by a new Green Bank, modelled on a similar agency in New York State, to provide financing for solar and geothermal projects.
- New building code rules that will require all homes and small buildings built in 2030 or later to be heated without using fossil fuels, such as natural gas. This will be expanded to all buildings before 2050. Other building code changes will require major renovations to include energy-efficiency measures. All homes will also have to undergo an energy-efficiency audit before they are sold.
The last point will be interesting: making the Ontario Building Code retroactive fo those who chose to renovate their homes. Very few building codes compel existing building owners to upgrade their building efficiency and some new laws will have to be created that brings about these big changes. Interesting times around the corner! When the details get fleshed out, we’ll share our insights!