ENERGY REPORTING AND BENCHMARKING FOR LARGE BUILDINGS – FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. What’s the Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) for Large Buildings?
EWRB for Large Buildings is a new regulation (Ontario Regulation 20/17) created by the Ministry of Energy (MOE). As part of this regulation, owners of large commercial, industrial and multi-unit residential buildings must report their annual electricity consumption every year using Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan) Portfolio Manager software.
To learn more about EWRB for Large Buildings, please visit the MOE website: ontario.ca/energyreporting
2. When do building owners need to report their electricity consumption?
The regulation requires owners to report their annual consumption by July 1 of each year. The reporting requirement is being phased in over three years. The first phase impacts owners of commercial and industrial buildings of 250,000 square feet and larger – they must report by July 1, 2018.
The chart below indicates when each type of building is required to report its annual energy consumption.
| Phased Mandatory Reporting Timeline | Commercial and Industrial Buildings | Multi-Unit Residential Buildings |
| By July 1, 2018 (information for 2017 calendar year) |
250,000 square feet and larger | Not required to report in first year |
| By July 1, 2019 (information for 2018 calendar year) |
100,000 square feet and larger | 100,000 square feet and larger |
| By July 1, 2020 (information for 2019 calendar year) |
50,000 square feet and larger | 50,000 square feet and larger |
3. Do building owners have to submit a request form for each property if they own multiple properties?
If the information for each property is the same (e.g. corporate name, etc.), a building owner of multiple properties (at different locations) can submit one request form and attach additional information sheets with details on the each property. If the information is different (e.g. different corporate name), multiple forms will need to be submitted.
4. If third party representatives need to request data for multiple owners, should they submit separate forms?
Yes, third party representatives requesting data for multiple owners should submit separate forms (each owner requires their own request form).
5. If I have questions about the form and our request process, who should I talk to?
If you have questions, please call us Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at 519-337-8201 or send us an email to: emailus@bluewaterpower.com
6. How is the annual consumption calculated?
The annual consumption is calculated by aggregating all non-loss adjusted billed consumption in the reporting year as is available through the existing metering infrastructure.
7. How will Bluewater Power protect the privacy of individual account holders at the property?
The consumption data provided to the requestor will be aggregated so individual consumption data, account numbers, meter numbers and other personal information will not be provided to the requestor.