As found in both the Power.House Hybrid whitepaper (presented by the City of Markham, Alectra, Enbridge, Natural Resources Canada, and researchers from Toronto Metropolitan University; see here) and our own research (Lopez and Walker), the major impacts of the project included:

• Reduced GHG emissions by 29.7 tCO2e per household annually (on average); (
• Increased net annual electricity consumption by 9.5 MWh
• Decreased annual gas consumption by 9,140 m3 (96 MWh)
• Decreased total annual energy consumption by 85 MWh
• Saved homeowners about $15,000 in annual operational costs (approximately $1,500 per house)
• Improved efficiency of HVAC systems, leading to lower costs of and GHG emissions
• Participants received a new HVAC system, including an air handler, tankless water heater, air source heat pump, and controller – all installed free of charge
• Improved grid flexibility
• Increased the sense of pride and self-reliance of homeowners
• Increase participants environmental awareness and this sometimes led to spreading of information and the promotion of these technologies amongst the wider public
• The broader community benefited from reduced grid demand (i.e. via energy demand shifting via the participants)
• Local reinvestment in hybrid heating technology, sparking initiatives like Enbridge’s Clean Home Heating Initiative and the Canadian Greener Homes Program. These initiatives, influenced by lessons from the pilot, expanded hybrid heating installations, benefiting communities and promoting energy-efficient solutions

• What problem(s) does the case study aim to resolve?
  • In Ontario, the reliance on increasingly expensive forms of mainly fossil-fuel based energy is contributing to climate change and energy poverty amongst residents. The Power.House Hybrid pilot project aimed to increase grid flexibility, increase renewable energy generation, and lower emissions associated with electricity generation, home heating, and transport
• What were the social objectives (if any)?
  • The social objectives of the project included reducing costs for participating households, and increasing feelings of comfort, pride, and independence
• What were the environmental objectives (if any)?
  • The environmental objectives were to lower emissions across electricity generation, home heating, and transport
• To what degree were participants actively involved in design or operation?
  • Participants were largely excluded from project design. In terms of operation, levels of participation varied. For some, participation included managing and curtailing their energy consumption based on the state of the system (as shown via an interactive dashboard available to participants)
• Was participation financially or socially incentivised or both?
  • Participation was incentivized through both financial (i.e. cost savings) and social (i.e. sense of pride, environmental stewardship, comfort and independence) means.
• What degree of demand response flexibility was provided?
  • Demand response flexibility was provided mainly through tiered time-of-use pricing
• Provide images of, and participant quotes from the case study.

“The financial saving was not the primary motivation for me, but the fact that you could help make the grid greener. And more importantly this notion that it’s a pilot, with all the partners and government taking the learnings from the experience in our homes to help the next generation of homes, to help with global warming...” (PHH Participant)

Key takeaways

• With the right set of project partners and participating households, a local energy system project like PHH can result in a host of tangible benefits.
• Success in this project was likely due to a combination of factors such as participant selection/recruitment and the unique energy context of Markham, Ontario
• Pilot projects interested in mirroring the successful elements of the PHH project should ensure that there is a range of energy system and participant benefits

If you were repeating the pilot project: what would you have done differently, what are your key lessons learned and key takeaways?

• The project may have been more successful in terms of creating local and participants value if these people were involved in initial project design or co-creation activities
• In terms of assessment, there should me more focus on the broader societal impact of local energy system projects such as PHH
• After determining the scope of the project, make sure that there is appropriately trained staff with expertise and experience in relevant areas

What outcomes are anticipated from the pilot?

• The outcomes that were anticipated from the PHH pilot project were: increased grid flexibility and integration, and lower costs and emissions and increase comfort levels associated with 10 participating households’ use of electricity, home heating, and transport

What outcomes were delivered by the pilot?

• Yes, the outcomes listed above were delivered by the pilot.