Owners/managers of Class B and C buildings have been quick to take advantage of a recent round of funding to support recommissioning and energy retrofit preparations. The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) Canada has now closed the application window for its Retrofit Ready incentives after reaching full enrollment for the $4 million on offer within 10 weeks of commencing the initiative.
In announcing the move, BOMA Canada affirms that full uptake of this third tranche of incentives through the Enspire program occurred sooner than administrators had foreseen. “This positive response reflects growing market interest in retrofit projects, providing a promising signal for development of future programs targeting the Class B and Class C sectors,” the association states.
BOMA Enspire was launched in January 2025 under the auspices of Natural Resources Canada’s deep retrofit accelerator initiative — an effort to build national capacity to more quickly and effectively achieve net-zero emissions in the existing building stock — with a mandate to target Class B and C buildings and a deadline to dispense roughly $30 million by March 31, 2027. Thus far, it has successfully completed two earlier rounds of incentive funding and produced free educational resources. The latter includes the recently opened EPiCS studio, an immersive space featuring virtual reality simulations, digital twins and 3D case studies that allow learners to visualize retrofit scenarios and possibilities.
“Program outcomes are progressing well with well over 22,000 buildings across Canada that are engaged, and nearly $10 million in funding already dispersed,” BOMA Canada’s chair, Neil Lacheur, reported during a May event to officially launch EPiCS.
Although a full slate of applications is now pre-approved for the Retrofit Ready initiative, prospective projects that are still in the queue will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis if additional funding becomes available.
“We appreciate the strong interest and engagement the program has received since its launch,” BOMA Canada states. To keep your energy efficiency momentum going, we encourage you and your teams to participate in career growth and project development activities such as our free education series, subsidized CIET (Canadian Institute for Energy Training) certifications and energy project planning resources.
