Report to: General Committee Date of Meeting: October 10, 2006

SUBJECT: Follow-up re – MECO/Mission Green & PowerStream Seasonal LED Light Exchange Program

PREPARED BY: Viive Sawler, Manager, MECO

RECOMMENDATION:

That the update on the MECO/Mission Green & PowerStream Seasonal LED Light Exchange Program be received.

1. Purpose 2. Background 3. Discussion 4. Financial

5. Others (Environmental, Accessibility, Engage 21st, Affected Units) 6. Attachment(s)

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this Report is to follow-up on questions raised at the September 18^th General Committee meeting re – the MECO/Mission Green & PowerStream Seasonal LED Light Exchange Program.

BACKGROUND:

On September 18, 2006, MECO presented two new programs to General Committee, being undertaken jointly by MECO, Mission Green and PowerStream. The first one is the “Haul Away Your Energy Hog” Appliance Take-back program targeted at old fridges, freezers and window air conditioners. The second program is a Seasonal LED Light Exchange (SLED) program. With respect to the SLED Program, a couple of questions were raised; firstly, clarification was requested on the process for recycling the old incandescent strings of lights that would be turned in for a new set of SLEDs; and secondly, whether there would be coupon savings or other financial incentives available for SLEDs once the initial 1500 strings to be provided by PowerStream are given out.

OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:

Recycling of incandescent strings of seasonal lights

PowerStream will be contracting LEDesignWorks to provide collection bins at our recycling depots during the month of November where the old strings of incandescents will be dropped after they are counted and the cords have been clipped. LEDesignWorks will then ship them to a recycler where the various elements will be separated for processing. The insulated copper wire is processed through a machine that chops the wire into small granular sized pieces and the copper is separated from the plastic outer jacket. The copper is then sent to a refiner to be used as raw material in the production of copper products. At present there is very limited usage for the plastic outer jacket generated from the processing of insulated copper wire or the small amount of glass from the incandescent bulbs.

Coupons/incentives for SLEDs

The partnership program between MECO/Mission Green and PowerStream to provide 1500 sets of SLEDs on a first come, first serve basis, in exchange for an old set of incandescents, will not be further incented with coupons off SLEDs at various retail locations. The decision to not pursue this is due to the fact that the Conservation Bureau’s Every Kilowatt Counts program is getting ready to launch their fall campaign which will include a $10.00 coupon off two sets of SLEDs. In addition, there would not be enough time or resources to coordinate a coupon campaign with retailers in Markham for the upcoming holiday season whereas, the Every Kilowatt Counts program has been well underway for months and was created to give every Ontario resident the ability to make effective conservation decisions, including providing all Ontarians with significant financial incentives. The program gives everyone the opportunity to save electricity and money. The spring campaign ran from May 1^st to August 31^st and provided every home in Ontario with a booklet of energy saving tips and money saving coupons. Ontarians were able to save $5 off a two-pack (or more) of ENERGY STAR^® qualified compact fluorescent light bulbs, $15 off a programmable thermostat, $5 off an electric timer, and $25 off an ENERGY STAR qualified ceiling fan. The coupons were redeemable at over 20 different retailers representing 1,600 stores in over 400 communities. The fall campaign will be similar but the coupons will be for a slightly different assortment of products including the SLEDs.*

PowerStream is also providing 3000 compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) for us to distribute during November when our SLED program is underway.

FINANCIAL TEMPLATE:

PowerStream is providing MECO/Mission Green with 1500 strings of SLEDs and 3000 CFLs. There is no financial implication to the MECO and/or Mission Green budget.

BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:

MECO and Mission Green

RECOMMENDED

BY: _______________________ ________________________

Viive Sawler Jim Sales

ATTACHMENTS:

Appliance Take-Back Program and Seasonal LED Exchange - Presentation by Viive Sawler at September 18, 2006 General Committee Meeting.

*The Fall coupon campaign has not officially launched as of yet but informal discussions with the OPA and PowerStream have indicated that the product discounts to be included are those described above.