ENERGY AND WATER REPORTING AND BENCHMARKING
Please note that the reporting deadline has been extended to October 1, 2020 due to the impacts of COVID-19. For more inforamtion, visit Ontario's EWRB webpage
Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking
The Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) provincial regulation is designed to help building owners and property managers improve their building’s energy and water efficiency.
22% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Markham stem from commercial buildings. By targeting building efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions, Markham can achieve the City-wide goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 effectively helping the City take action against climate change
The Ontario Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking regulation can help building owners and property managers save money, identify opportunities to improve energy and water use, and compare their usage to other similar buildings.
Which buildings are affected by EWRB?
EWRB Update July 1, 2020
Please note that the ministry has amended O. Reg. 506/18 to delay the roll-out of the Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking initiative to buildings between 50,000 and 100,000 square feet until 2023, allowing three additional years for small building owners to prepare for reporting their energy and water usage data.
Through the provincial regulation, privately owned buildings greater than 100,000 square feet of gross floor area are required to report the annual energy and water consumption and performance data to the Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines.
These buildings include large multi-unit residential, commercial, and some industrial buildings. To find out if you are required to report on your building, please refer to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) property code or visit the EWRB for more information.
The next reporting deadline is July 1, 2020 October 1, 2020
Key Reporting Dates
*for the 2020 reporting year, the Government of Ontario will accept EWRB submission data until October 1, 2020 due to COVID-19. This is considered a one-time relief extension.
Annually, by July 1 October 1, 2020
- Commercial and industrial buildings with a gross square footage of 100,000 and larger
- Multi-unit residential buildings with a gross square footage of 100,000 and larger
- How To Report
For full instructions on how to report on your building, please visit the EWRB How to Report page.
- Review and download the Ontario's EWRB Reporting Checklist.
- Collect required reporting information from your local electricity, natural gas, and water utility.
- Download the Ontario Ministry of Energy Guide for using Portfolio Manager
- Create an account with ENERGY STAR ® Portfolio Manager. If you already have one, proceed to the next step
- Enter the required information into Portfolio Manager
- Verify your data inputs (if required)
- Run the Data Quality Checker (you will need to do this each time you add or change data)
- Submit your building’s report
- Update your building's reporting lead contact information as necessary. This person will receive EWRB relevant emails.
- What Needs To Be Reported
You will need to report on your building's identifiers and characteristics,as well as your building's annual energy, water, and natural gas consumption. Please visit the EWRB Reporting Guide for a complete list of required data.
- Local Utility Contacts
To streamline the EWRB data collection process, please use the following utility contacts:
Alectra Utilities
Visit Alectra Utilities webpage
Enbridge Gas
- Helpful Tips and Troubleshooting
General Tips
- Sign up for an ENERGY STAR ® Portfolio Manager training session. Please visit Natural Resources Canada for other sessions or email for a copy of the training webinar.
- Contact to find your building’s unique EWRB ID.
- Ideally, start the process to gather your building's energy, water, and natural gas usage in February. Local utility companies need ample time to collect and compile your building’s data. Visit the EWRB Reporting Information page for tips on gathering data from utility companies, OR review Ontario's EWRB Reporting Checklist for suggested timelines.
Ontario Benchmarking Help Centre
Windfall Ecology Centre's program ClimateWise Business Network is available to help navigate the EWRB reporting process. You can call or e-mail to book a FREE consultation with a benchmarking specialist.
Phone: 289-648-4107
Province of Ontario EWRB Support Line
Phone: 1-844-2740689