Friday, June 20, 2025
The Greater Montreal Climate Fund and Efficiency Capital have partnered to launch MultiRés and have announced that applications are now open for building owners to join the summer cohort of the MultiRés program. Targeting buildings with aging systems and high emissions, the program offers tailored retrofit plans that combine energy efficiency and electrification, helping owners navigate the technical and financial challenges of this transition.
After a successful two-year pilot phase, MultiRés has proven that no two buildings are alike. Field experience showed that pre-packaged solutions rarely fit: each property has unique characteristics — from system design to tenant profile — requiring a tailored approach.
For example, the pilot revealed that electrifying a building can raise project costs by up to 25% compared to conventional equipment replacements. These upgrades often don’t generate enough energy savings to meet owners’ expected payback timelines, making them financially unfeasible without external support. That’s where MultiRés comes in.
“Building owners are under growing pressure not only to modernize outdated systems, but also to comply with new regulations banning fossil fuel heating,” says Chandra Ramadurai, CEO of Efficiency Capital. “They face particular challenges managing this shift. The MultiRés program will help absorb costs and deploy clean technology solutions proven to benefit both owners and tenants.”
The building sector accounts for 26 per cent of GHG emissions in the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (CMM) — a major challenge for the region’s climate ambitions. By supporting large-scale retrofits, the MultiRés program offers a practical path to significantly lower emissions while improving building performance. Owners who join the program can reduce operating costs, enhance property value, and contribute directly to Greater Montreal’s transition toward carbon neutrality.
“Building decarbonization is one of our biggest climate challenges — but also one of our biggest opportunities,” says Vincent Moreau, CEO of the Greater Montreal Climate Fund. “With MultiRés, we’re giving owners the tools to act, accelerating the transition to a low-carbon Greater Montreal, and helping the region meet its 2040 decarbonization targets.”
Owners may qualify their buildings here. Individual buildings smaller than 6 units are not eligible unless they are combined with several buildings under the same owner. The building must be located in a Greater Montreal area including Kanesatake or Kahnawake territories.
The Greater Montreal Climate Fund, a member of the Low-Carbon Cities Canada (LC3) network, is a charitable organization that catalyzes public, private and philanthropic capital to support decarbonization projects in Greater Montreal, including Kanesatake or Kahnawake territories. It awards grants, sets up programs and makes investments to encourage innovative initiatives with strong potential for scale-up in sustainable mobility, buildings, energy and capacity-building.
Efficiency Capital (EC) is Canada’s first energy-as-a-service company that develops, funds, and manages net-zero projects in the built environment. Incubated by The Atmospheric Fund (TAF) – a regional climate agency that is the Toronto and Hamilton area hub of the LC3 network, EC seeks to increase the flow of third-party capital into such projects by leveraging strategic partnerships with various banks, impact investors, community foundations and other organizations. EC has over $100M in low-cost project funding to deliver fully funded, turnkey and de-risked decarbonization solutions.
For full details of the MultiRés program are available here: https://fondsclimatmontreal.com/en/program/
