City of Toronto program helps track large buildings energy and water use.
While the City of Toronto offers optional incentives to residents to help them achieve net-zero homes, a new mandatory reporting requirement for owners of large buildings comes into effect in Toronto this year.
The deadline to report building energy and water use for 2023 is Tuesday, July 2, 2024. In an effort to keep the process simple, owners will report their data using the same free online tool, called Energy Star Portfolio Manager, that they already use to report the same data to the Province of Ontario.
In 2024, the reporting requirement applies to buildings that are 4,645 square metres (50,000 square feet) or larger.
Beginning in 2025, owners of buildings that are 929 square metres (10,000 square feet) or larger will also be required to report energy and water use to the City.
With annual tracking, the City hopes that owners can compare their energy and water consumption with other similar buildings and identify opportunities to increase the building’s efficiency and reduce emissions. More than half of Toronto’s greenhouse gas emissions are produced by buildings, primarily because of energy and water use.
