Low-Carbon Design Brief for Halton Hills Town Hall

The Town of Halton Hills intends to conduct a feasibility study on the technical and financial requirements for retrofitting a town hall to become a net-zero energy building. The current town hall is 30 years old and most of its major mechanical systems are at the end of their lifecycles. As of 2018, the facility’s energy use contributed to about 64 tonnes of CO2e emissions annually, hence the need for an energy-efficient pathway. The study would use a systems approach and the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) net-zero over time approach to achieving net-zero energy. The RMI’s approach focuses on cost-effective energy efficiency and renewable energy by prioritizing projects that pay back quickly in the short term while aligning larger energy-efficiency projects with major building lifecycle events, such as equipment upgrades. Parametric energy modelling will be conducted to evaluate retrofit and design options. The study will explore a lifecycle cost analysis to evaluate the financial return within a maximum of 20 years using the town’s applicable interest rates.

The feasibility study aligns with the town’s Climate Emergency Declaration by council (May 2019) to be a net-zero municipality by 2030. The study also aligns with the town’s 2017 emissions-reduction targets set by council, which aim for an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

This initiative is expected to reduce energy consumption by at least 40% within five years and to achieve net-zero energy by 2030. Its economic and social benefits are also significant. With a short payback and higher savings in the long term, the project stands to generate an increased return on investment. Net-zero retrofitting will also help the building avoid future capital expenditures related to equipment failure or maintenance. Operational savings on annual energy costs will be realized from energy-efficiency renewal as well as savings on maintenance due to less frequent maintenance issues. There are significant opportunities to use the project to promote energy-efficiency retrofits in general to residents and visitors. Retrofitting the town hall to achieve net-zero energy is also likely increase civic pride for the community and the town.

Innovative aspect(s):

This project stands to be among the first of its kind in Ontario for an existing municipal building to undergo an energy-efficient renewal targeting net-zero energy. Using the net-zero over time approach is still not as common in Canada as in the United States.

Replicability:

The proposed approach, anticipated outcome and lessons learned have the potential to be applied to a wide range of Canadian municipalities, and especially smaller rural municipalities similar in size to Halton Hills. The Town of Halton Hills is committed to sharing lessons learned from this study with other municipalities across Ontario and Canada.