Guidelines
Essential information about Energy & Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) compliance requirements and procedures
Which buildings are required to report, and by when?
Building Size Requirements:
Buildings ≥ 50,000 sq ft: Must report by July 1, 2025
Buildings ≥ 10,000 sq ft: Must report by July 1, 2026
Note: Annual reporting is required thereafter by June 1st each year.
Who is responsible for reporting?
Responsible parties include:
Building Owners: Primary responsibility for compliance
Property Managers: May handle reporting on behalf of owners
Authorized Representatives: Designated individuals with legal authority
Professional Services: Consultants hired to manage compliance
Important: Legal responsibility ultimately rests with the building owner.
What is the purpose of the EWRB regulation?
The Energy & Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) regulation aims to:
Promote energy efficiency and water conservation
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings
Provide transparency about building energy performance
Create market incentives for energy-efficient buildings
Support climate action goals and environmental sustainability
What needs to be reported, and how?
Required Data:
12 months of utility consumption data (electricity, gas, water)
Building characteristics and square footage
Operating hours and occupancy information
Building use types and activities
Reporting Method: Submit through the official EWRB online portal using your registered EWRB ID.
Does the data need to be verified?
Verification Requirements:
Buildings ≥ 100,000 sq ft:
Third-party verification required
Must be conducted by a qualified professional
Verification report must be submitted
Professional Tip: Even when verification isn't required, having your data reviewed by a professional can help ensure accuracy and avoid potential penalties.
Who needs to report EWRB?
Toronto’s Energy and Water Reporting Bylaw requires owners of large buildings in Toronto to report their energy and water use to the City of Toronto annually.
- Buildings 4,645 square meters (50,000 square feet) and larger began reporting in 2024.
- Buildings 929 to 4,644 square meters (10,000 to 49,999 square feet) will begin mandatory reporting in 2026.
Owners of buildings 50,000 square feet and larger must also report to the Ontario Ministry of Energy and Mines by July 1 each year, under Ontario Regulation 506/18 . Building owners report to both the City of Toronto and the Ontario Ministry of Energy and Mines using the same online tool: Energy Star Portfolio Manager.
Under the Toronto Energy and Water Reporting Bylaw (EWRB), all commercial, institutional, and multi-unit residential buildings located within the City of Toronto are required to report their annual energy and water usage. Properties within Toronto can be identified by postal codes beginning with the letter “M.”
If a property has multiple owners, they share joint responsibility for submitting a single EWRB report for the building. The reporting process may be assigned to one owner or a qualified EWRB reporting service provider, but all owners remain collectively responsible if the report is not submitted on time.
The gross floor area (GFA) of a building refers to the total enclosed space measured between the exterior surfaces of fixed walls. This measurement, expressed in square feet, represents the complete usable area within a building or structure.
What’s Included in Gross Floor Area Calculations
When calculating your building’s gross floor area, include all interior and supporting spaces, such as:
- Common areas and shared corridors
- Atriums and interior courtyards
- Elevator shafts and stairwells
- Mechanical equipment rooms
- Storage rooms and maintenance spaces
These enclosed areas contribute to your total GFA, which is used for energy and water benchmarking under the Toronto Energy and Water Reporting Bylaw (EWRB).
What’s Not Included
The gross floor area does not include any exterior or open-air spaces, such as:
- Outdoor parking areas
- Unroofed terraces or balconies
- Open-air loading docks or driveways
Only enclosed, roofed spaces count toward the GFA for EWRB compliance.
Accurate GFA calculation is essential to determine whether your building is required to report under the EWRB program and to ensure precise energy and water usage metrics.
Here are a few ways to calculate it:
- Manual Measurement: Measure the exterior sides of the building to calculate the area of one floor, then multiply by the total number of storeys.
- Blueprints or Architectural Plans: Use design documents with accurate dimensions to confirm total square footage.
- Professional Assessment: Hire a third-party consultant to measure your building and verify compliance.
If your building is 100,000 square feet or larger, the report information must be verified by a certified professional the first year your report is required, and every five years after that. Verifying your data is voluntary, though, if your building is less than 100,000 square feet.
For buildings 100,000 square feet or larger, a certified professional will need to verify your energy and water usage data before submitting your report to EWRB. See the following for who is permitted to verify data:
- In-house building staff members or third-party professionals
- Professionals qualified to verify the information you have to report (e.g. energy usage, water use, gross floor area and other building characteristics)
- Professionals with accreditation or certification from a recognized organization in Canada or the United States
Who Needs to Report and When
The Energy and Water Reporting Bylaw under Municipal Code Chapter 367 (Building Emissions Performance) requires building owners in Toronto to report their annual energy and water consumption to the City. The requirement applies to buildings that meet specific gross floor area (GFA) thresholds, as outlined below.
| Building Size Threshold | Reporting Deadline |
| 4,645 m² (50,000 ft²) and larger | July 2, 2025 – Report to the City of Toronto July 1, 2025 – Report to the Province of Ontario |
| 929 m² (10,000 ft²) and larger | July 2, 2026 – Report to the City of Toronto |
What You Need to Report for EWRB Compliance
To submit your annual Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) report to the Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, you’ll need to provide specific data about your building.
Your submission must include:
- Building specifications (address, type, and size)
- Your EWRB ID number
- Annual energy and water usage data from your utility providers
Providing complete and accurate information ensures compliance with the Toronto Energy and Water Reporting Bylaw and supports accurate performance benchmarking.
When preparing your EWRB submission, include detailed building information to produce accurate energy performance metrics.
You’ll need to report your building’s gross floor area (GFA) — the total enclosed square footage measured between the exterior surfaces of fixed walls.
Many buildings include multiple property use types (for example, retail and multi-residential).
In your EWRB report, you must:
- Identify all property use types present in your building.
- Provide the gross floor area for each use type.
If your property includes multiple buildings, determine in advance whether you will report them individually or as a group.
Reporting each building separately is considered best practice for tracking energy performance.
If you report buildings individually, you must:
- Obtain separate EWRB IDs for each building.
- Collect individual utility data for each structure.
Before contacting utility providers, confirm your reporting structure and ensure each building’s meters are identified correctly to streamline data collection.
Benefit of Tracking & Reporting
Buildings are responsible for more than half of Toronto’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, primarily from their energy and water consumption. Implementing reporting and benchmarking practices helps building owners measure, understand, and improve their environmental performance.
Benchmarking enables owners and operators to track their building’s performance over time and compare it to similar properties. This comparison is a crucial first step toward achieving greater efficiency and sustainability.
By benchmarking your building’s energy and water use, you can:
- Establish a baseline performance level
- Identify opportunities for energy and water savings
- Reduce operating costs through improved efficiency
- Lower GHG emissions, contributing to citywide climate goals
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Benchmarking and Building Performance Standards Policy Toolkit (2021), buildings that regularly benchmarked their energy performance achieved an average annual energy savings of 2.4%, demonstrating the measurable benefits of consistent performance tracking.
Need Help with EWRB Compliance?
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