Are you Ready for Version 4 of the Toronto Green Standard?
In May 2018 all new SPA submissions in Toronto were required to meet or exceed Toronto’s Green Standard (TGS) Version 3.
The Toronto Green Standard is not a new program and served as the ambitious game plan for the transition to zero emission buildings in the City of Toronto by 2030. Toronto released the TGS in 2006, with the first version outlined for alignment in 2010 – aka we all knew this was coming, but are we ready?
The next Version of the Standard is just around the corner – only a year away (May 2022) and our clients have already started to submit their building plans within the new Toronto Green Standard. To be honest – our clients are having no issues aligning with the mandatory requirements because of Geothermal – and going Geothermal is all about reducing (dare we say eliminating) carbon emissions.
Based on the feedback of industry experts and consultants if you are relying on Natural Gas for heating there is very little possibility your building plan will be approved through Version 4 (V4) of the Toronto Green Standard. Conventional heating and cooling solutions have proven to exceed the allowable energy and carbon targets laid out in the upcoming V4 even when coupled with high efficiency envelopes. Natural Gas is no longer the ‘right’ choice for your planning and is becoming the ways of the past…Geothermal is the Future.
Why is Geothermal is Still the Dark Horse for Developers?
To date Geothermal has been perceived as adding additional cost and complexity which do not align with the budget and risk threshold of a typical project. This is not unreasonable as Developers are under immense pressure to bring projects in on budget and on schedule. As significant as Geothermal is for reducing energy and efficiency, it’s perceived to be equally risky.
Toronto developers can contribute much of their success to the creation of standardized templates for design and execution of projects. Because of the upcoming changes to the TGS, these templates will no longer work and a departure from the status-quo is required. This will not be a welcome change and unfortunately developers and designers who can’t adapt will be left behind.
How Can Diverso Help?
To keep it simple, “Diverso Energy allows you to achieve the energy and carbon targets for V4 without increasing the costs and complexity of your development” J. Mesquita, Diverso Energy.
Because Diverso Energy designs, builds, owns and operates the Geothermal system the transition from conventional heating and cooling to low carbon becomes almost seamless. This is welcome news for developers who are concerned about what these upcoming changes will mean for their business. By eliminating the upfront cost and taking on all responsibility for design and execution as well as providing a 30-year performance guarantee, it’s a no brainer. On top of meeting these aggressive targets, the elimination of cooling towers, heating boilers and addition of potential rooftop penthouse space will provide a much-needed upfront construction savings.
Diverso Energy has over 30 years of combined experience with Geothermal. Geothermal is all we do – and we a have a proven track record of success in all of our projects.
Reach out to Diverso Energy to see how we can help you lower your construction costs and address the current and upcoming carbon and energy targets.
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“The City of Toronto has committed to an ambitious set of City-wide energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets, including a goal of reducing GHG emissions by 80% of 1990 levels by 2050. To reduce the demands placed on provincial power generation infrastructure and reduce emissions, the City has also pledged to increase renewable and district energy generation across the city.” – 2017 Framework Document