ReCover Initiative: Panelized Deep Energy Retrofits of Municipal Buildings

Lead Proponent

RSI Projects Inc.

Project Objectives

The objective of this project is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a panelized deep retrofit approach. The project will include six Front End Engineering Design (FEED) studies of deep energy retrofits for six municipally owned buildings. The FEED studies will confirm if the annual energy consumption of each building can be reduced by at least 50% with a payback period of 20 years or better. The studies will use pre-retrofit utility records to indicate baseline energy performance for each building and to calculate potential energy, GHG, and utility cost savings.

In conjunction with the studies, the ReCover Initiative will facilitate a Working Group with municipality representatives and industry stakeholders to share learnings and generate solutions to barriers in deep energy retrofits. The FEED study designs, results, and business cases will be shared publicly on the project website and through workshops.

Expected Results

This project will identify and share replicable, cost-effective pathways to achieve significant energy reductions through panelized retrofits. The studies will demonstrate the viability of the ReCover retrofit approach across different climate zones and construction types, de-risking future investment for other building owners and building confidence in the retrofit market.

The project will engage with municipalities in three provinces, as well as industry stakeholders, to facilitate collaboration in overcoming barriers in the retrofit market, thus enabling future retrofit projects across Canada.

The project will also provide direct experience to local firms in designing deep energy retrofits, while connecting them with expertise from industry experts.

Additionally, the project will provide feedback to municipal and provincial governments, and other authorities having jurisdiction with regards to developing future policy and building code requirements for existing buildings.