What is EWRB?
Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) is a mandatory provincial program under Ontario Regulation 506/18, administered by the Ministry of Energy and Mines. Privately owned buildings that are 50,000 square feet or larger, including condominium corporations, must report their energy and water consumption to the province every year using ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, a free online tool. Benchmarking lets a corporation compare its building against similar properties, identify energy saving opportunities, and catch water leaks or losses that might otherwise go unnoticed.
Does my building qualify?
The threshold is 50,000 square feet of gross floor area, meaning the total enclosed area of all floors measured to the exterior walls. As a rule of thumb, a residential building with roughly 50 or more units will usually meet it. If your building is 100,000 square feet or larger, your reported data (gas, electricity, and water) must also be verified by an accredited or certified professional in your first reporting year and every five years after that. Many condo boards are still unaware that this program is mandatory.
Buildings in Toronto now report twice
Since 2024, Toronto’s Energy and Water Reporting Bylaw, under Municipal Code Chapter 367, requires owners of buildings 50,000 square feet and larger to report the same data to the City of Toronto as well. The City deadline falls one day after the provincial one, and the same Portfolio Manager submission is used for both, so the added effort is small. The difference that matters: the Toronto bylaw is enforced as an offence, with fines for non‑compliance that can accrue for each day a violation continues. The earlier view that no fines applied to this reporting is no longer a safe assumption for Toronto buildings.
Why comply beyond the legal requirement?
Toronto has committed to a net zero target by 2040, and the residential sector plays a major role in that transition. EWRB data gives boards a clear picture of where their building stands and where money is leaking. Corporations that complete their submission early in the year are also better positioned to act on utility incentives: Enbridge Gas continues to offer multi‑residential incentive programs in 2026 for upgrades such as boilers and make‑up air units, including limited‑time offers that generally require projects to be booked by mid‑2026 and installed by October 31, 2026. Eligibility and funding windows vary by program and can change, so confirm details before budgeting. Since annual reporting is here to stay, boards should allocate funds for the EWRB submission within the operating budget.
Key dates for this cycle
- July 1, 2026: provincial deadline to report 2025 calendar year data to the Ministry of Energy and Mines.
- July 2, 2026: City of Toronto deadline for buildings located in Toronto.
- Start early: utilities need lead time to provide whole‑building consumption data. Toronto Hydro, for example, asks that requests be submitted by April 30 to meet the July deadlines.
Timely compliance keeps your corporation onside with both the province and the City, and it puts real numbers behind every energy decision your board makes.