By-law concerning GHG emission disclosures and ratings of large buildings

Last updated May 16, 2023
Reading time: 3 min
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To become carbon neutral by 2050, Montréal must radically reduce GHGs produced by buildings that consume large quantities of energy. To achieve this goal, the city has introduced a by-law that requires owners of large buildings to disclose the sources and amounts of energy their buildings use.

The By-law concerning greenhouse gas emission disclosures and ratings of large buildings came into force on September 27, 2021. This by-law meets one of the objectives of the Climate Plan: To measure how much fossil fuels buildings use in order to reduce their consumption.

Powered by energy data

Owners of large buildings are required to disclose their building energy data to the city by June 30 of each year.

Voluntary disclosure

If they wish, building owners may disclose their energy use before the imposed deadlines.

This information collected will let the city draw a complete portrait of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from large buildings in Montréal. This portrait will be used to develop programs to improve buildings’ energy performance.

Three targeted areas

The by-law is intended for owners of existing buildings in the commercial and institutional sectors, and large multi-unit residential buildings of 2,000 m2 or more or of 25 dwelling units or more.

The by-law is applied in three phases:

  • 2022: The by-law applies to any building with a floor area of 15,000 m² or more that is not exclusively residential and to any city-owned building of 2,000 m² or more.
  • 2023: The by-law applies to any building with a floor area of 5,000 m² or more or with 50 or more dwelling units.
  • 2024: The by-law applies to any building with a floor area of 2,000 m² or more or with 25 or more dwelling units.

What to do

Two simple options:

1 - Using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager® (ESPM) portal (recommended)

  • Create a free ESPM account;
  • Take the available training (in French) on how to use the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager in compliance with Montréal’s by-law 21-042 on the mandatory disclosure of energy consumption data;
  • Enter the information required by the by-law (address, type of building use, area associated with the type of use and billing information from your energy suppliers, etc.), referring to the ESPM Guide as needed;
  • Get more help with this additional free training on how to use this tool;
  • Save your validated data on the “Respond to a Data Request” page:

2 - Using the city’s data entry form

You must have a Google account to use the city’s form:

Benefits for all

The disclosure and rating system for large buildings, and the future integration of performance thresholds as foreseen in the Climate Plan 2020-2030, will have important benefits for building owners and Montréal residents.

This system will:

  • Reduce buildings’ energy costs by improving energy consumption.
  • Show that Montréal building owners are leaders in energy transition, a major competitive advantage in the real estate sector.
  • Attract and retain tenants concerned about their energy bills and the environment.

Want to learn more about the by-law? Join the webinar.

Support for building owners

Understanding the by-law

  • Webinar on the GHG emissions disclosure and rating by-law (in French)
  • Visual supports for the webinar on the application of the GHG emission disclosure and rating by-law
  • Guide to the By-law concerning greenhouse gas emission disclosures and ratings of large buildings

Using the software tool

  • Webinar (in French) on how to use of the Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool (in French)
  • Visual supports for the webinar on how to use the Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool
  • User’s Guide to the Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool

Contact us

Do you have questions? Write to us.

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