The Executive Committee recommends that:

1.         City Council adopt the revised terms of reference set out in Appendix III of the report (January 18, 2010) from the Director, Toronto Environment Office, to be applied as the selection criteria for the Eco-Roof Incentive Program.

2.         City Council authorize the Director of the Toronto Environment Office to make future minor refinements to the Eco-Roof Incentive Program and minor amendments to the terms of reference set out in Appendix III of the report (January 18, 2010) from the Director, Toronto Environment Office.

3.         City Council direct that an institutional and commercial construction of less than 2,000 square meters be eligible for funding.

4.         City Council direct that the minimum contract requirement for commercial/institutional and industrial buildings remain at 50 percent.

5.         City Council set aside $100,000 of allocated funding from the Eco-Roof Program to seed fund a research and demonstration project on a new or existing industrial building in order to:

a.         Demonstrate that air conditioning units can operate more efficiently by drawing in the cooler air generated by a green roof given that research has shown that a one degree Celsius reduction in air temperatures entering the unit yields a 1 percent increase in operating efficiency saving energy and money.

b.         Explore the ability of green roofs to be paired with solar Photo Voltaic (PV) panels for increased efficiency of energy production and the most optimum designs for maximum power.  Research in Germany has demonstrated a 5 to 25 percent increase in the efficiency of solar PVs that operate above a cooler green roof.  The two sustainable roof initiatives need to be integrated.

6.         City Council direct that any refinements to the Eco-Roof Incentive Program and amendments to the terms of reference set out in Appendix III of the report (January 18, 2010) from the Director, Toronto Environment Office, be reported, along with an update on the status of the program, in an annual report to the Executive Committee.

The purpose of the Eco-Roof Incentive Program, launched in March of 2009, is to provide incentives to commercial, industrial and institutional (ICI) property owners so that Toronto’s building stock becomes more sustainable and better adapted to climate change. The program implements directions from the City’s Climate Change Action Plan and complements the City’s Green Roof Bylaw and the Green Standard by encouraging owners of existing buildings to retrofit their roof space. The Eco-Roof Program provides financial incentives towards the construction of green roofs that support vegetation and cool roofs that reflect the sun’s thermal energy.

In 2009, 49 Eco-Roof applications were received, 42 of which were approved for funding.  A total of 66,069 square meters of green and cool roof area was approved with a combined funding allocation of $762,089.00.

The purpose of this report is to provide an update on the status of the Eco- Roof Incentive Program and to provide a review of proposed revisions to the program terms of reference prior to its next funding round March 1, 2010. Revisions proposed to the Eco-Roof Incentive Program will ensure the program is consistent with the standards set in the Green Roof Bylaw and the Green Toronto Standard and will address issues that arose in the first year in criteria for eligibility, specifications and protocols for verification.