We completed our first full year as CCET staff in 2024. Raising awareness of CCET’s goals and potential programs in the community was a priority: the website was updated as a One-stop Window for resources and tips for home energy retrofits; and we launched an ‘energy coach’ service for Peel residents to offer direct, expert consultation regarding their home energy retrofit options and journey.
CCET staff met and talked with Peel residents at many in-person events and held several virtual meetings and webinars at the request of community groups interested to learn about energy efficiency for their homes.
“Unlocking Ontario’s Low Carbon Future with District Energy” was a success. This full-day workshop on November 5th, 2024 about building thermal grids at community scale was coordinated by CCET together with Peel Region and the Danish Consulate General, and hosted at Peel Region’s Corporate Offices in Bramalea. Over 150 professionals with expertise in the energy transition, climate finance, and sustainable communities contributed to a stellar day of thoughtful discussions about building an ethical and equitable thermal gird as a complement to the electrical grid.
We laid the groundwork to launch projects in 2025 by engaging with a wide range of organizations about partnership opportunities. Collaboration and community engagement is essential for CCET’s success. Building trust and establishing working relationships with other organizations is a cornerstone of our work and our ability to reach Peel residents and businesses.
According to the latest greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory from The Atmospheric Fund (TAF), carbon emissions from buildings in the region of Peel decreased slightly between 2022 to 2023 (0.15% decrease). This is far from the pace needed to reach targets in municipal partner climate action plans. TAF recommends an 11% annual decrease in GHG emissions is required to meet 2030 targets across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
Looking ahead, we are extending CCET’s reach to raise awareness of the various benefits of energy efficiency retrofits, from GHG reductions to increasing health outcomes and reducing costs for households by saving on utility bills, to economic development opportunities in the community. We are launching a pilot project for income eligible households to provide direct installs of efficiency measures with a focus on free air source heat pumps. We aim to serve six or seven households in 2025 and we’ll continue to learn from the pilot and seek funding to expand the program. CCET is working with businesses and organizations to provide training opportunities for Peel-based contactors regarding heat pumps and building science. We will continue to identify opportunities to advance low carbon district energy solutions in the region of Peel, and to advance the thermal grid more broadly in Ontario as a complement to the electrical grid in the energy transition.
I want to thank CCET’s municipal partners for their ongoing support and input as we aim to accelerate climate action in the region of Peel. CCET staff are grateful for the input of the Advisory Group and CCET Board of Directors as we work to deliver projects. Thanks to our current project partners and we look forward to working with new collaborators in 2025 and beyond.