Call for Proposals: Greener Neighbourhoods Pilot Program Demonstration Projects (Canada)

Deadline: 14-Sep-23

The Government of Canada is pleased to announce a call for proposals for Greener Neighbourhoods Pilot Program Demonstration Projects.

Call Objectives

• This second call for proposals under the Greener Neighbourhoods Pilot Program (GNPP or “the Program”), referred to as the GNPP-Demo call, will support up to six Energiesprong-inspired aggregated deep energy retrofit projects in communities across the country. The GNPP-Demo call aims to:
  • Validate the technical and economic feasibility of Energiesprong-style deep energy retrofit approaches in multiple regions across Canada;
  • Explore innovative approaches to deep energy retrofits in Canada; and,
  • Build capacity and a business case for various aggregated deep energy retrofit approaches.

Funding Information

• The GNPP-Demo call is open to demonstration projects that request between $1,000,000 and $10,000,000 (comprising up to 50% of total project costs).

Eligibility Criteria

• The GNPP-Demo call is open to the following applicants:
  • Legal entities incorporated or registered in Canada, including:
    • Not-for-profit organizations, including social/affordable housing providers or housing cooperatives;
    • Community groups;
  • Provincial, territorial, regional, and municipal governments and their departments and agencies, where applicable;
  • Indigenous applicants:
    • Indigenous communities;
    • For-profit and not-for-profit businesses and organizations that clearly demonstrate ownership and controlling interests by Indigenous groups;
    • First Nations (bands or councils under the Indian Act);
    • Tribal councils;
    • Inuit organizations.
    • The term “Indigenous” is understood to include Inuit, Métis, First Nations, Status Indian, and non-Status Indian individuals or any combination thereof.
  • Academic institutions are not eligible to apply to the GNPP-Demo call;
  • Proposals may be submitted by a for-profit third party, such as a consulting company, on behalf of an eligible applicant. However, the entity that will sign a contribution agreement with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), must be the owner of the project assets (i.e., the housing provider).

Project Scope Eligibility

• The GNPP-Demo call is open to demonstration projects undertaking Energiesprong-style aggregated deep energy retrofits in the housing sector. Projects may include the following as part of the demonstration project: a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study, design costs, as well as the construction costs for the full-scale retrofit of homes or housing units, and costs related post-construction project performance monitoring and reporting.
  • To be considered for funding, proposals must describe how a proposed project aligns with the following mandatory criteria:
    • Projects must undertake Deep Energy Retrofits of at least 100 homes or housing units in the same Portfolio, to demonstrate the benefits of deploying retrofit solutions at scale;
    • Projects must focus on Community Housing homes or housing units;
    • Proposed Deep Energy Retrofits must target achieving at least 50% annual Energy Use Reduction and at least 80% annual GHG emissions reduction in each home or building. Retrofits must involve a whole-building approach including, at a minimum, envelope and mechanical system upgrades. A project must satisfy the definition of a Deep Energy Retrofit as provided;
    • Projects must provide a whole-building Deep Energy Retrofit solution that is cost-effective compared to traditional, non-aggregated retrofits involving fewer housing units and must apply a Total Cost of Building Ownership analysis as a measure of return on investment (simple payback calculations will not be accepted);
    • Projects must demonstrate the use of whole-building energy analysis (model) in identifying the Deep Energy Retrofit measures. The proposal must explain the modelling approach that will be used during the project, and how it will demonstrate and calculate the Energy Use Reduction and GHG emissions reduction;
    • Projects must undertake Deep Energy Retrofits on one or more of the following Community Housing archetypes in Canada:
      • Single-Detached Houses
      • Semi-Detached Houses
      • Townhouses
      • Row Houses
      • Low-rise multi-unit residential buildings (up to and including four storeys) the archetypes listed are defined;
    • Projects must plan to collect at least one year of pre-retrofit baseline data (e.g., utility bills), and at least one year of post-retrofit monitoring data of key energy metrics;
    • Proposed Deep Energy Retrofit solutions must be replicable across their Region;
    • Buildings selected for retrofit must be representative of an applicant’s building Portfolio and/or typical regional archetypes;
    • Projects must include a knowledge dissemination plan to share key findings (design information, technical and/or techno-economic data, lessons learned) with key stakeholders and receptors.

For more information, visit GNPP.