Hello,
On October 28, 2015 the government introduced amendments to the
Green Energy Act, 2009 that, if passed, would enable the implementation of the Ministry of Energy’s proposed large building energy and water reporting and benchmarking initiative, which will help Ontario’s large building owners manage their energy and
water consumption and save money on their utility bills.
The proposed amendments would
enable the government to:
•
Require large building/property owners, which would be specified in a subsequent regulation, to:
o
Report their energy and water consumption, as well as other building information such as greenhouse gas emissions and square footage to the Ministry of Energy
o
Verify reported data through a licenced professional to ensure accuracy and fairness
o
Develop and publish Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plans
•
Publicly disclose reported energy and water consumption information, as well as other building characteristics
•
Require electricity, natural gas and water utilities to make energy and water consumption data available to building owners so they are able to comply with the requirement
•
Deem for the purposes of section 17 of the
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act that information that is not made publicly available by the Ministry of Energy will be considered to have been supplied to the Ministry of Energy in confidence
The Ministry of Energy is planning to post a revised policy proposal, incorporating stakeholder feedback obtained during consultations held from January 2015 to June 2015,
to the Environmental Registry and Regulatory Registry in late Fall 2015 to provide stakeholders with another opportunity to provide feedback. This feedback would be considered in the development of a subsequent regulation, pending passage of the proposed legislation.
The Ministry of Energy is considering phasing in the requirement, with Ontario’s largest buildings potentially
being required to report for the first time in Fall 2016/Winter 2017.
Please send any questions to
Feedback.to.CEE@ontario.ca.
Background Information
·
Large Building Energy and Water
Reporting and Benchmarking Initiative
Proposed Legislative Amendments
·
Energy Statute Law Amendment Act (Conservation and Long-Term
Energy Planning), 2015