Introduction

Effective Date: January 1, 2013
Strategic Real Estate Asset Management Division
Ministry of Infrastructure

In the Green Energy Act, 2009 (GEA), the Government of Ontario committed to ensuring that the Government conserve energy and use energy efficiently in conducting its affairs as well as promoting and expanding energy conservation by all Ontarians and to encouraging all Ontarians to use energy efficiently.

To address these commitments, the GEA sets out a number of principles guiding the operation and management of government owned facilities and provides the Minister of Infrastructure with the authority to issue directives, with the approval of the Lieutenant Governor in Council, including those:

  • requiring ministries responsible for government owned facilities to report to the Minister of Infrastructure on energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and water use associated with the facilities
  • specifying other requirements as the Minister considers appropriate relating to energy and water conservation, energy efficiency, the adoption of renewable energy technologies and the adoption of technologies and services that promote the efficient use of water and reduce negative impacts on Ontario’s water resources

Purpose

The purpose of the Ontario Facilities Energy Reporting Directive (“Directive”) is to provide direction on the principles for operating and managing government owned facilities set out in the GEA by providing a framework that supports energy and water conservation and efficiency in government owned facilities.

Principles

The requirements of this Directive demonstrate the following fundamental principles:

  • ministries make accountable choices for energy use, ensuring value for money
  • ministries conserve energy and use energy efficiently
  • information is managed efficiently and effectively across ministries

In the GEA the Government of Ontario committed to conserve energy and use energy efficiently in conducting its affairs and promoting and expanding energy conservation by all Ontarians and to encouraging all Ontarians to use energy efficiently.

To support these commitments, subsection 10(1) of the GEA sets out principles to guide the Government of Ontario in operating and managing government owned facilities, including:

  1. clear and transparent reporting of energy use and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions associated with government owned facilities
  2. planning and designing government owned facilities to ensure the efficient use of energy and water
  3. making environmentally and financially responsible investments in government owned facilities
  4. using renewable energy sources to provide energy for government owned facilities
  5. using technologies, services and practices that promote the efficient use of water and reduce negative impacts on Ontario’s water resources

Application and scope

This Directive applies to all government owned facilities that are either:

  • target class facilities
  • non-target class facilities

This directive applies to Custodial Ministries. Custodial Ministries are set out in Schedule A.

This Directive does not apply to facilities leased by Government from third parties.

Mandatory requirements

Custodial Ministries are required to submit an annual Energy Consumption and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Report (Report) to the Minister of Infrastructure. These Reports will be made publicly available, through posting on ministry websites.

Reports for specific building types are required to include:

  • target class facilities
    • a description of the Custodial Ministry’s portfolio, program delivery areas and overview of the Custodial Ministry’s mandate
    • a description of facilities/buildings that have been classified as Target Class Facilities
    • the building inventory and profile including an overview of renewable technology use, if applicable
    • a general summary of the Custodial Ministry’s energy and water use and conservation initiatives
    • actual consumption information by building for electricity, natural gas, generated steam, heating oil, diesel, propane and water
    • greenhouse gas emissions by building (including progress against previous reports and targets)
    • a five-year conservation strategy including a report back on progress against previously committed conservation efforts and targets
    • implementation strategy for achieving energy targets
    • employee programs to target occupant behavior
    • overall update on progress since the previous plan
  • non-target class facilities
    • a description of the Custodial Ministry’s portfolio, program delivery areas and overview of Custodial Ministry’s mandate
    • a description of facilities that have been classified as Non-Target Class Facilities
    • the building inventory and profile including an overview of renewable technology use, if applicable
    • a general summary of ministry-wide energy use and conservation initiatives

Energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reports

Overview

Preparation of Energy Consumption and GHG Emission Reports will help articulate government energy and water conservation progress and needs. These Reports are intended to:

  • provide a model and benchmark for the broader public sector and private sector
  • facilitate sharing of best practices and continuous improvement
  • include energy consumption in government owned facilities, proposed measures to increase conservation and progress since the previous Report
  • be made publicly available on an annual basis in the format designated by the Minister of Infrastructure

Report requirements

Further to the requirements outlined in section 5.0, Reports are also required to:

  • include a rolling five year energy and greenhouse gas consumption which includes actual Target-Class Facility consumption
  • include facilities delivered through the Alternative Financing and Procurement (AFP) model unless deemed to be a Non-Target Class facility
  • be reported publicly by the Minister of Infrastructure for enterprise-wide targets for all Target Class Facilities

Responsibilities

Deputy Head (MOI)

The Deputy Head (MOI) is responsible for:

  • publicly reporting the enterprise wide achievement against established energy consumption targets and GHG emission reduction targets for Target Class Facilities, including government owned facilities where IO has full operational control
  • providing tools/ templates to Custodial Ministries to facilitate consistent planning and reporting

Deputy Head (Energy)

The Deputy Head of Ministry of Energy is responsible for providing interim emission factors for GHG calculations on an annual basis to the Ministry of Infrastructure. Emission factors will be made available by March 31 each year, for the previous calendar year.

Deputy Heads (Custodial Ministries)

The Deputy Head for each Custodial Ministry is responsible for:

  • ensuring the ongoing management of energy and water consumption data for facilities where the Custodial Ministry has operational control including maintenance, monitoring and forecasting of energy consumption
  • ensuring timely and accurate reporting of energy and water consumption data on a building-by-building basis to the Minister of Infrastructure
  • developing and implementing of a strategy to achieve the energy consumption targets and GHG emission targets for Target Class Facilities over which the Custodial Ministry has direct operational control
  • approving annual public energy consumption and GHG emissions reports for all government owned facilities where the Custodial Ministry has direct operational control and ensure the reports are available publicly through the ministry’s internet site

Deputy Head (Ministry of Government Services (MGS) - Ontario Shared Services (OSS))

The Deputy Head of Ontario Shared Services (MGS-OSS) is responsible for recording energy consumption data for all Target Class Facilities at the time of invoice entry into IFIS. Energy consumption data for Target Class Facilities will be available for Custodial Ministries to access using IFIS reporting.

Infrastructure Ontario (IO)

IO is responsible for:

  • providing each Custodial Ministry with its baseline energy consumption data for electricity, natural gas, generated steam, heating oil, diesel, propane and water for each Target Class Facility. Thereafter, the responsibility for the ongoing review and reporting of energy consumption data is the responsibility of the Custodial Ministry
  • maintaining, monitoring and forecasting energy consumption in the government owned facilities where it has full operation control
  • managing energy and water data submitted by Custodial Ministries and report on enterprise-wide energy and water consumption
  • tracking and reporting this information to the Minister of Infrastructure annually and maintain records of these reports in an electronic data base
  • updating annual GHG emissions factors as they become available for electricity generation based on the published emission factors from Environment Canada

Definitions

For the purposes of this Directive the following definitions apply:

Custodial Ministries – Ministries that directly operate (have day-to-day operational control) government owned buildings and facilities and are set out in Schedule A.

Energy and Water Consumption – Actual consumption based on utility bills or supplier invoices.

Enterprise-wide Targets – An energy conservation target that applies to all Target Class government owned facilities, both IO managed facilities and those directly operated by a Custodial Ministry.

Government Owned Buildings – Buildings that are owned and operated by a ministry of the Ontario Government.

Government Owned Facilities – Includes all facilities that are owned and operated by the Ontario Government but does not include broader public sector (BPS) facilities, facilities occupied by a Government agency or facilities leased from third parties. Government owned facilities are a grouping of government buildings with a common operational/program use.

Emission Factor – The factor which converts energy consumption to equivalent tonnes (tonnes CO2e) of Greenhouse Gas. The emission factors for natural gas, propane, fuel oil, district steam and cooling will be provided to Custodial Ministries in advance of required reporting cycles. Emission factors for electricity will be supplied annually by ENERGY and will depend on the energy supply mix for the reporting year. Emission factors for Ontario’s electricity grid are also published annually by Environment Canada but typically have a two year time lag prior to publishing. MOI/IO will verify if there are any significant differences in the published emission factors and will adjust any previously reported greenhouse gas emissions as necessary.

Renewable Energy Technology – means solar thermal, geo-thermal, bio-energy, solar photo-voltaic and wind that is used to provide or supplement energy to the building or facility.

Target Class Facilities – A defined set of government owned buildings and facilities that are required to report their energy and water consumption and GHG emissions on a building by building basis and that will be measured against enterprise-wide energy conservation and GHG emission targets. Target Class Facilities will be included in Energy Consumption and GHG emissions Reports.

Non-Target Class Facilities – All other government owned facilities, including structures that are not included in the scope of the Target Class Facilities. Non-Target Class Facilities will also be included in ministry energy consumption and GHG emissions Reports, if appropriate.

Schedule a

For the purposes of this Directive the following ministries are defined as Custodial Ministries:

  • Ministry of Infrastructure
  • Ministry of Children and Youth Services
  • Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services
  • Ministry of Education
  • Ministry of Natural Resources
  • Ministry of Transportation