MARKHAM – Ontario is building a smarter electricity grid which will give families and businesses more control over how and when they use electricity by allowing consumers to control appliances and lights in their homes from anywhere at anytime.

Energy solutions company, ecobee, will receive $478,950 in provincial funding to develop the Commercial Energy Management System (EMS) in
collaboration with Direct Energy Markham, creating 5 direct and 2 indirect jobs. The project includes deployment of devices in 300 small-medium sized commercial buildings to demonstrate energy and operational savings that can be achieved using a web enabled energy management system.

“Smart grid technologies are the digital way of the future. It’s like taking our energy infrastructure from rotary phone technology to that of a smart phone. Projects like those at ecobee and IBM Canada will also help develop the talents and skills Ontarians need for the jobs of tomorrow. When cutting-edge technologies and expertise are cultivated in the province, everybody wins.”

― Michael Chan, M.P.P., Markham-Unionville

A smarter grid is better able to detect, prevent and restore outages, gives families and businesses more tools to manage their power use, and further reduces greenhouse gas emissions by making it easier to connect energy from renewable energy to the grid.

“As a world leader in Smart Grid rollouts, Ontario is the perfect place to build world leading companies that can take local experience and export technology around the world while creating jobs at home. The Ontario Smart Grid Fund provides critical support to innovative companies like ecobee that are bringing the value of the Smart Grid to consumers and communities across the globe.”

― Stuart Lombard, President and CEO, ecobee

Building a smart grid is an important part of the McGuinty government’s plan to modernize Ontario’s electricity infrastructure, clean up the air we breathe and keep the lights on in homes and businesses across the province.

QUICK FACTS

• For every 10,000 construction jobs created by the clean energy sector, almost $500 million in economic activity flows back into Ontario communities.
• An average household can expect to save about $150 each year over the next five years through the Ontario Clean Energy Benefit.
• More than 4.7 million smart meters are helping Ontario’s electric utilities pinpoint and respond more quickly to power outages.

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