FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 23, 2020

London, ON – As part of the London-to-London (L2L) pilot for the Power Forward Challenge, London Hydro and London & Middlesex Community Housing (LMCH) have partnered to install a mix of solar panels and residential batteries at seven LMCH homes and one apartment building. The savings from the installations will lower electricity costs for tenants in individual homes and create a pool of funds at the apartment building to improve building amenities that benefit all tenants.

“This partnership with LMCH allows London Hydro to pilot a new business model for installing distributed energy resources utilizing a Green Button open data platform,” said Syed Mir, VP of Corporate Services and CIO. “While LMCH and some tenants will benefit from lower hydro bills, the unique aspect of the L2L pilot will be to involve the entire community to lower the overall consumption and carbon footprint.”

“Our partnership with London Hydro demonstrates that an investment in clean energy leads to a direct investment in the community,” said Tim Smuck, Manager of Community Engagement at LMCH. “While reinvesting the saved money back into our tenants and the buildings we operate, we are simultaneously educating about the benefits of clean energy and how it can make a difference in our lives and the environment.”

Funding for the installations has been made possible due to London Hydro being named a finalist for the Power Forward Challenge by NRCan. The challenge is a joint Canada-U.K. initiative that invites Canadian and U.K. organizations to collaborate on, envision and demonstrate breakthrough smart grid solutions that will modernize the way we access clean, flexible and reliable energy.

The L2L pilot will present a market-based approach for the growth of distributed energy resources (DERs - solar, battery, electric vehicles) using new technologies. Lessons learned could inform the design of future retail and wholesale electricity markets, enable higher operational efficiencies, increase customer participation, lower carbon emissions, and lead to a more resilient grid for the future.                                                    

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For more information, contact:
Nancy Hutton
(519) 661-5800 ext. 5797
Cell (519) 639-7774

Jordan Heuvelmans
Communications Specialist
London and Middlesex Community Housing
jheuvelmans@lmch.ca
519-434-2765 ext. 237