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Markham Municipal Energy Plan

The City of Markham’s Municipal Energy Plan (MEP) – Getting to Zero is a comprehensive long-term city-wide energy plan with the objective of net zero emissions by 2050.

The goal of the Municipal Energy Plan is to improve energy efficiency, reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to achieve net zero as outlined in the Greenprint, Markham’s Community Sustainability Plan.

The MEP was developed using energy and population data from 2011 as a baseline to determine how much energy is being consumed by sector and fuel type. Milestone targets are identified from 2016 to 2050 to ensure that the City stays on target to reach net zero emissions.

Markham's Current Energy and Emissions by Sectors

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The Definition of Net Zero

Through the development of the Municipal Energy Plan, a definition was created to define net zero emissions by 2050.

The definition is as follows:  
"A net zero energy emissions Markham is one that has greatly reduced energy needs through efficiency gains and conservation. Annual energy needs for vehicles, thermal, and electricity are met by sustainable and non-fossil fuel sources, carbon offsets and/or carbon sequestration (where feasible within Markham), resulting in an annual net zero balance of greenhouse gas emissions."

The target of net zero is different from “absolute zero” because it allows for some GHG emissions, as long as the emissions are offset, resulting in a balance of zero.

Getting to Zero

The long term vision to reach net zero by 2050 is guided by three main principles:  

  1. Decrease overall local energy consumption in all sectors  
  2. Switch to low carbon renewable sources of energy  
  3. Increase local energy generation from renewable sources

For more information, check out the Municipal Energy Plan or contact Sustainability Office.