Planning a roof replacement or retrofit in Toronto? Your next roofing project could be eligible for funding through the City of Toronto’s Eco-Roof Incentive Program.
The program provides incentives for eligible green and cool roof projects, helping building owners make roofing upgrades that can improve building performance while contributing to a cooler, more resilient city.
What does this mean for a Vicwest steel roof?
A steel roof can be an excellent choice for projects looking to incorporate cool-roof performance. Vicwest offers a range of steel roofing systems and finishes with solar reflectance and thermal emittance characteristics that can help meet cool-roof requirements, depending on the specific product, colour, finish and application.
For example, Vicwest’s True Nature Metal Roof Shingle System offers several finishes and colours with documented cool-roof performance ratings. These ratings measure solar reflectance, initial emissivity and Solar Reflectance Index (SRI), helping designers and building owners evaluate roofing materials for projects with cool-roof requirements.
What is a cool roof?
A cool roof uses highly reflective roofing materials or coatings designed to reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat than conventional roofing surfaces.
For eligible projects, the City of Toronto currently offers:
- $5/m² for a cool roof with a new membrane
- $2/m² for a cool roof coating applied over an existing roof
- Up to $50,000 per cool roof project
Is your roof eligible?
The program is available for eligible existing residential, industrial, commercial and institutional buildings, as well as certain new residential buildings.
There are also specific performance requirements for eligible cool roofing materials. For example, low-slope roofs must have a Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) of 78 or greater and an emissivity of at least 0.9. Steep-slope roofs have different SRI requirements.
Before you start your project
One important detail: your application must be approved before roofing work begins. Projects that have already started or been completed may not be eligible for funding.
If you’re considering a roof replacement or retrofit, it’s worth exploring whether your project could qualify and discussing eligible roofing solutions with your roofing professional.
Explore our Roofing Solutions from Vicwest and connect with our team to learn which roofing solutions are eligible.
