The revitalization of Regent Park promises to be much greener thanks to a plan that will see buildings throughout the community taking advantage of a highly efficient centralized energy system.

The Regent Park Community Energy System (CES), located under the 22-storey One Cole condominium complex at Dundas and Sackville streets, is a joint arrangement between Toronto Community Housing and developers The Daniels Corporation.

The system will eventually provide heating, cooling and hot water to all buildings in Regent Park.

Because the system is centrally located, it will not waste much of the heating or cooling produced. The CES will be up to 50 per cent more efficient than the more typical systems in which each building has its own heating and cooling systems.

"It's a hub where energy is generated in a very efficient manner in a single place and then distributed in the form of hot water and cold water," said Toronto Community Housing CEO Derek Ballantyne. "This is likely to be a benchmark for other revitalization (projects) across the city."

Ballantyne said the system will be the first of its kind in Toronto and the largest of its kind in Canada, bringing heating, cooling and hot water to more than 5,000 rental and owned housing units.

"Where you have large developments, these systems make a lot of sense," he said. "It reduces the overall maintenance as opposed to having (systems) in every building and you can maintain the overall efficiency of the system."

The gas-fired system will eventually be able to make use of geothermal, solar and other alternative fuel sources, though in its current form, it will still be dependent on carbon-based fuel sources.

The system will eventually cost $40 million to build, though those costs will be recovered in time as people pay their energy bills. Despite the cost of the system, Daniels Corporation spokesperson Martin Blake said local residents' energy bills would likely actually decrease over what they would pay using conventional systems.

"The impact isn't something that happens day-to-day," he said. "It's something that happens at the end of the month when (residents) receive a heating and energy bill - it's cheaper."

Blake added that the CES was just one of the many green practices implemented in the One Cole building. Others include living walls composed of plants and a green roof that includes a 20,000-square-foot park for building residents.

Ward 28 Councillor Pam McConnell (Toronto Centre-Rosedale) said the CES was proof that Regent Park was moving away from its reputation as a downtrodden community toward an epicentre of innovation across the city.

"We think beginning in this way really sends a strong message to Toronto that this place is special and that this redevelopment is pivotal," she said. "It's not just about building a local community, Regent Park, but building for the city. It's not just about building for today, but building for the future."

The CES will be fully functional in time to coincide with the completion of the first buildings in the Regent Park revitalization in mid-2009. By then, it will be able to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by 8,000 tonnes a year. As the system is expanded, it is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 400,000 tonnes over its first 30 years, the equivalent of taking 66,000 cars off the road for a year.