Overview

Energy and water usage can represent some of the largest operating costs in your building. Ontario’s Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) initiative can help building owners and operators:

  • access accurate and reliable information about building performance
  • save money by tracking usage
  • identify energy and water efficiency opportunities
  • compare your energy and water usage to similar buildings
  • better manage your energy consumption through improved data use, integration and analytics

We continue to look at ways to improve the program for reporters, including by enhancing access to data and supports.

Who needs to report

Under the Reporting of Energy Consumption and Water Use regulation, large building owners need to report their building’s energy and water use once a year to the Ministry of Energy and Mines by:

  • July 1 for buildings 50,000 square feet and larger

Reporting exemptions

Building owners that meet the prescribed criteria may be exempt from reporting. Exemptions may be ongoing or for one year.

Exemption criteria

  • Buildings are exempt if they are publicly owned.
  • Buildings may be eligible for an ongoing exemption if:
    • at least 50% of the gross floor area of the building is occupied by a public agency
    • at least 10% of the gross floor area is occupied by a data centre, television studio or trading floor
    • at least 10% the gross floor area is used for manufacturing processing, commercial processing, agricultural processing or industrial processing, if the environmental conditions within the property are governed mainly by the operations or processes within the building
  • Buildings may be eligible for a one-year exemption if:
    • the owner of the property is declared insolvent at any point during the reporting year
    • at any time during the reporting year, the property is subject to a tax arrears certificate, a power of sale or foreclosure under a mortgage or a writ of execution
    • the property is newly constructed with a certificate of occupancy issued in the reporting year

Request an exemption

To request an exemption, building owners must submit an Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking Exemption.

What you need to report

If you are required to report your building’s water and energy usage, you will need to provide:

  • Your building information. This will produce accurate energy and water usage data.
  • Your EWRB ID. This is a unique six-digit number assigned to your property by the Ministry of Energy and Mines. If you are reporting multiple buildings on a property individually, they will need their own EWRB ID.
  • Your usage data. You need to report the usage data for all forms of energy that your building uses (for example, electricity, natural gas, diesel, fuel oil) and water for the reporting year (January 1 to December 31).

Read more on collecting information you need to report in the Guide to energy and water reporting.

How to report

  1. Log in or register for an account on the Portfolio Manager website and enter your information and data for all your buildings.
  2. If your building is 100,000 square feet or larger, you will need to have a certified professional verify your reported information before submitting. Your data will need to be verified your first year of reporting, then every subsequent five years. Read more on verification requirements.
  3. Submit your report on the Portfolio Manager EWRB page. Follow instructions on the reporting page and save the confirmation email for your records.

Go to the Guide to Submitting Data Through Portfolio Manager for Ontario’s Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking Initiative for instructions on how to enter and submit your data.

Municipal benchmarking programs

Some municipal and regional governments have energy and water reporting and benchmarking programs that build on the provincial program.

Effective 2024, the City of Toronto requires owners of buildings in Toronto that are 50,000 square feet and larger to report their energy and water use to the city. There are plans to phase in smaller buildings in future years.

While we are working to reduce the administrative burden to these building owners, currently Toronto building owners are required to report their buildings’ energy and water use to both the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the City of Toronto by each program’s deadline, using Energy Star Portfolio Manager.

The City of Ottawa and Durham Region have their own energy and water reporting programs. These programs are voluntary for owners of buildings in those jurisdictions. Voluntary participants in those municipalities can receive recognition and additional benefits from reporting their data.

We encourage municipalities to email us at ewrbsupport@ontario.ca when establishing new energy and water reporting and benchmarking initiatives. 

Stay informed

If you own or represent a building that needs to report, the best way to stay informed about EWRB is to update your organization’s EWRB Reporting Lead contact information. Keeping this information current is the best way to ensure you receive EWRB notification emails and other essential information, including your building’s EWRB ID number.

Contact us

If you have a question, please contact EWRB Support at 1-844-274-0689 or ewrbsupport@ontario.ca.

Disclaimer

This page is for information only and is not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations in any circumstances. This page is not, and should not be construed as, legal advice.

Review Ontario Regulation 506/18. If you have any questions about the application or interpretation of the regulation or have other legal questions, you should consult a lawyer.