The Case for Deep Retrofits

66 Walpole Ave, Toronto

Type

Town house complex, owned by Toronto Community Housing Corporation

Old System

Electric baseboard radiators, electric hot water tank, 7.6 LPF toilets

New System

LG multi-split cold climate air source heat pumps, Rheem Air Source domestic hot water heat pumps, and low flow toilet retrofit.

Partners

Toronto Community Housing Corp. | Ecosystem

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Project Details

66 Walpole Ave, Toronto: Town house complex, owned by Toronto Community Housing Corporation

Old System: Electric baseboard radiators, electric hot water tank, 7.6 LPF toilets

New System: LG multi-split cold climate air source heat pumps, Rheem Air Source domestic hot water heat pumps, and low flow toilet retrofit.

Partners: Toronto Community Housing Corp. | Ecosystem

September 2020. This report reviews the business case and financing options for deep retrofits in the multi-unit residential building sector, and makes recommendations for improving business case evaluation and financial supports. Some of the barriers to deep retrofits are caused by gaps in information and capability, and can be addressed through education and awareness efforts. Other barriers are caused by the underlying business case for deep retrofits, and require changes in policies and programs to overcome. This report provides recommendations in both of these areas, with specific recommendations for three key actors: governments and utilities; the green building industry; and property owners and managers.

Gallery

Recommendations

Create a mock installation to test new technologies.

Understanding sequencing and interaction of trades, and troubleshooting issues without disrupting residents prior to a full building rollout improves results and resident satisfaction.
Enable cooling

to increase resident comfort and satisfaction, reduce peak demand, and protect against health impacts of extreme heat.
Lengthen cycle times and reduce return temperatures to allow GAHP to reach maximal steady-state efficiency.

Increase the deadband of the GAHP controller to keep it on for longer periods, installing the heat exchanger in a counterflow configuration to promote better heat transfer (and likely reduce the temperatures in the GAHP glycol loop). And, add more intelligent control to the recirculation loop such that it is not unnecessarily mixing hot water with the cold city water prior to the GAHP heat exchanger.