When: September 23 - 24, 2009
Where: Direct Energy Centre, Toronto

Green Building Festival, Canada’s premier event on the business and design of green building since 2005, will be returning to Toronto again. This year GBF is forming a strategic partnership with IIDEX/NeoCon, Canada’s largest exposition and conference for the design, construction and management of the built environment. Exhibitions will include major project case-studies from around the world, technical analysis of all the different technologies and material available for green building and also innovative business solutions that allows you to make your green building projects a reality.

Program

The detailed program is still being worked on at the moment. Nevertheless, Wednesday, September 23rd will consist mainly of panels and presentations by some of the funded green building leaders. The following day will be dedicated to a wide range of workshops, seminars and breakout sessions featuring mainly:

• Sustainable Housing
• Auditing/Benchmarking
• Infrastructure and Urban Planning
• Adaptive Re-use
• Green Building Incentives
• Major Revitalization Project

The participants

Every year a wide range of green building industry professionals participate in this event. Not only green building advocates and efficiency experts, but also developers, architects, landscape designers, building owners, real-estate investors, service providers and policy makers - and the list doesn’t end there.

Since GBF is running under the auspices of IIDEX, the festival poses an even greater opportunity for exhibitors to target potential customers, who flock to this event in their thousands. Considering that the IIDEX attendees spend over $7 Billion on green goods and services annually, with 46% of them located outside of Toronto, it could be considered commercial suicide not to exhibit at this event. For more information on how to participate, please follow the respective website.

More information:
http://www.iidexneocon.com,
http://www.greenbuildingfest.com

In January we let you know what to expect if you decide to go through a home energy audit. Today we’ll have a look at what grants there are available should you choose to install a home solar power system.

Why solar energy?

The ultimate advantage of solar energy is of course its nature-friendliness. With more solar energy, less energy produced the conventional (dirty) way will have to be made. Another really cool aspect of the solar energy today is that it is very popular and widely subsidized by most of the developed countries’ energy policies and Canada is no exception. So if you ever though of installing a few solar panels on your roof, right now would be a good time.

Preparation

Before we have a look at the grants themselves, don’t forget that in order to qualify for both federal and provincial government grants, you have to go through the home energy audit. What does that means?

• Don’t start the installation of the solar panel system before the auditor’s first evaluation visit.
• Finish all the necessary work within 18 months after the evaluation.
• Keep all the technical documentation, receipts and even take photos of your progress so that you make sure you will be able to claim all the grants you are eligible for.
• Book the follow-up appointment.

The first energy audit visit costs $341.25 (inc. GST), the follow-up visit $157.50 (inc. GST). The Government will refund you $150 toward the cost of the first evaluation.

Federal and provincial grants

Basically you are eligible to parliament grants for both solar photovoltaic system (solar energy is converted into electricity) and solar thermal system (solar energy is used for heating water). The federal government provides a grant of up to $500, but only if the system meets CAN/CSA standards. This grant is available until the end of March 2011. As for the Ontario government, they will match the federal government grant, so that’s $1000 altogether. Also you can claim a refund of the 8% RST from the Ontario government. If you would like to take an advantage of this opportunity, you should hurry up since currently you can only claim it on equipment purchased up until the end of this year. The refund deadline has been already extended from the end of 2007 and might not be extended again.

This surely is a great opportunity for all those who are thinking of environmentally-friendly living while taking advantage of available government funding.

Bullfrog Power is getting more popular in Toronto for green hydro option!

Read more…

That ‘tankless’ or ‘on demand’ hot water systems have been used in Europe and Asia since the Second World War, but are only now coming into common use in North America.

According to Mike Holmes "they are super efficient, space-saving products that- when installed properly - will last almost forever, cut your energy bill and supply unlimited hot water to your home".

Todmorden Wildflower
Preserve cleanup