Energy lights up our city, heats and cools our buildings and powers our vehicles. This energy comes from:
- fossil fuels for heating and transportation
- hydro-electricity
- nuclear and fossil fuelled electricity generating stations
- renewable sources, such as geothermal, solar and wind.
Fossil fuels can have a negative impact on local air quality and produce greenhouse gas emissions. We can reduce the harmful impacts of fossil fuels by planning for a more efficient community and using energy efficiency measures in city operations.
Burlington Climate Action Plan
On April 20, 2020, Burlington City Council approved the community Climate Action Plan with a target of becoming a net carbon neutral community by 2050.
Home Energy Efficiency Retrofits
Improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings is a key program area in the Climate Action Plan to help meet this target. The city is currently considering options to implement a pilot home energy efficiency program. For more information: Home Energy Retrofits
City Operations - Energy & Emissions Management
The City of Burlington is showing leadership by improving the energy efficiency of its buildings and fleet vehicles. The Corporate Energy & Emissions Management Plan provides a guide for city operations (buildings and fleet) to achieve a target to be net carbon neutral by 2040. For more information: Corporate Energy & Emissions Management
| Sustainable New Buildings |
| Increasing the performance of new buildings is more cost effective than trying to retrofit them after they have been constructed. A review of the city’s Sustainable Building & Development Guidelines is underway to identify options to achieve low carbon new buildings in Burlington.
Sources of information: |
| Renewable Energy |
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Sustainable options to produce electricity in Burlington include solar PV, and geothermal heating and cooling. Supporting the production, distribution, and storage of sustainable sources of energy include integrated community energy systems (district energy) and batteries. The City is also looking at options for energy harvesting and sharing between facilities. Sources of information: Ontario Sustainable Energy Association |
| Provincial Energy Reporting Requirements |
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Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking The Ontario Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) program requires owners of large commercial, industrial, multi-unit residential and other prescribed types to report their building's energy and water consumption data to the Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. It allows building owners to benchmark their building's energy and water consumption usage against industry trends, identify energy and water efficiency opportunities, and save money by tracking usage. Refer to information on who needs to report and how to report at ontario.ca/reportenergywater
Important EWRB Updates For the 2020 reporting year, the Government of Ontario will accept the submission of data to the EWRB initiative until October 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. Refer to the reporting checklist and guide. For more information on how to report your buildings energy and water consumption, visit Guide to Energy and Water Reporting. To update your building’s reporting lead contact information, click here. You can learn more about the regulation by visiting Province of Ontario's Energy and Water Reporting Benchmarking. if you require further assistance support is provided by: Phone: 1-844-274-0689 |