The five-year partnership between Infrastructure Ontario (IO) and the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) involves the testing of innovative processes, technologies and program delivery models.

As part of that partnership, the IESO will share its expertise in energy efficiency by identifying, developing and shaping project ideas; evaluating and approving project ideas through a cross functional funding committee; applying rigorous evaluation, measurement and verification protocols to ensure all project results are verified and lessons learned from project execution are captured; and providing advice and guidance throughout the project lifecycles from concept to final sharing of results.

Funded projects are expected to yield insights in several areas related to CDM activities, including facility benchmarking; building automation; heating, ventilation and air conditioning and advanced controls; lighting systems; building envelope; energy efficiency options for heritage buildings; efficient building operation; electricity, gas and water collaboration; energy storage technologies; integration with regional energy planning; and opportunities to work toward “net zero” buildings.

By creating a safe, controlled environment in which new technologies and solutions can be tested, this partnership is expected to reduce some of the existing barriers to widespread implementation and encourage uptake by the broader public sector and potentially the commercial, industrial and institutional sectors. 

Working closely with local electric and natural gas utilities as well as other program delivery partners, the IESO supports the province's energy efficiency efforts and engages in activities that foster a culture of conservation. The Conservation Fund supports innovative electricity conservation projects that build marketplace capacity for conservation actions, test new or unique conservation program elements, verify the energy savings potential and cost-effectiveness of novel demand-side technologies and processes, and can be scaled-up to achieve significant energy savings in Ontario. 

Additional Information regarding the IESO, IO and their partnership

  • To ensure this initiative delivers maximum value to Ontarians, each funded project will include communications and outreach requirements designed to showcase project outcomes through activities such as workshops, reports and case studies.
  • This agreement is broadly aligned with the Government of Ontario's Climate Change Action Plan, which is intended to showcase Ontario's clean-tech expertise. Public properties and buildings will be used to help demonstrate low-carbon technologies, and to showcase made-in-Ontario innovations and the expertise of Ontario's clean-tech companies.
  • With the support of the IESO, local electricity distribution companies offer a range of tools, resources and incentives related to energy conservation through the Save on Energy program.
  • Any energy savings that result from these projects will be counted towards province wide conservation targets.
  • Funded projects will be designed to address a technological/market risk or barrier to implementation and will have clearly defined performance targets and outcome metrics.
  • By reducing some of the technical, financial and capacity risks that private sector property owners and managers face, this initiative is expected to yield results that can be leveraged outside the public sector
  • IO has already supported the government's electricity demand reduction targets by achieving a 28 per cent consumption reduction in its managed portfolio since 2006.