City Council has adopted an ambitious strategy to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Toronto to net zero by 2040. Existing buildings account for approximately 56 per cent of the total emissions in Toronto, mainly from the use of fossil fuels like gas for space and water heating.
To reduce emissions in existing buildings, the City’s TransformTO Net Zero Strategy and Net Zero Existing Buildings Strategy identified the implementation of building emissions performance standards (BEPS) as one of the most impactful policies the City can implement to significantly reduce our carbon impact. BEPS are intended to drive the scale and depth of emission reductions needed in existing buildings. BEPS will also look to enhance and/or create supporting policies, programs and resources, and facilitate access to incentives, recognizing that some buildings may face more challenges to decarbonize.
A report on the proposed BEPS implementation plan and next steps will be presented to City Council in Q3 2025. The report will outline GHG emissions targets, building types and sizes covered by the mandatory targets, the timeline for implementation and the first compliance year to ensure building owners have lead time for implementation. The BEPS report will also detail support policies, programs and resources.
If you have any questions about BEPS, including public consultation initiatives, please email buildingemissions@toronto.ca.
In developing the BEPS, City staff are following these design principles:
To learn more about the development of the Building Emissions Performance Standards, see the July 2024 council report and/or contact buildingemissions@toronto.ca.
The City is conducting a comprehensive and targeted public engagement process from April 2024 to July 2025 to ensure that the proposed BEPS presented to Council reflects the design principles listed above and that residents will benefit from decarbonization, including improved indoor air quality, access to year-round heating and cooling, and improved overall comfort.
See below for current opportunities.
Residents and building owners are invited to join City staff at a virtual town hall on one of the following dates to learn about Toronto’s proposed building emissions performance standards (BEPS).
The City has established the following two committees and six advisory groups, composed of multi-sectoral community and business leaders. These committees and advisory groups are in place to help inform the development of Building Emissions Performance Standards for Toronto. Learn more below.
The Building Emissions Advisory Committee (BEAC) has been formed to provide perspectives and input, analysis and broader industry engagement as part of the process to develop BEPS. The committee is made up of building industry representatives with a range of perspectives, who can offer technical input.
The BEAC will:
The Equity Advisory Committee (EAC) will provide advice and guidance on the development of BEPS to ensure it deeply considers the concerns and needs of all Toronto residents.
The mandate of the EAC is to help shape the equity components of the BEPS. This includes highlighting potential negative impacts, working together to form tangible solutions such as supplementary policies and alternative compliance pathways, enabling the realization of co-benefits and representing equity-deserving communities throughout the BEPS development process.
Organizations on the Equity Advisory Committee include:
The BEPS advisory groups will provide industry-specific or building-specific insights into the development of BEPS to ensure it is reasonable and feasible. The advisory groups include:
Goals:
The City’s Climate Advisory Group (CAG) will also be involved in providing input to help inform BEPS. The CAG was created in 2022 to provide advice, facilitate ongoing communication, and guide the effective and equitable implementation of Toronto’s climate strategy, the TransformTO Net Zero Strategy.
Existing buildings are Toronto’s largest source of GHG emissions (56 per cent), contributing to annual emissions of 8.7 million tonnes (MTCO2e) (2022). The largest contribution comes from residential buildings at 54 per cent, followed by commercial and institutional buildings at 35 per cent, and industrial buildings at 11 per cent (see graphic below).
Voluntary action is insufficient to drive the pace of change required to decarbonize the buildings sector, so mandatory requirements, and supportive policies and resources are needed. City Council adopted the accelerated climate action strategy after declaring a climate emergency in 2019.
In addition to reducing GHG emissions and helping to mitigate climate change, upgrading buildings could also improve resilience and yield co-benefits for social equity, health and Toronto’s local economy.
For example, better insulated buildings are better at maintaining consistent indoor temperatures, even during power outages. This can improve year-round comfort for occupants and increase safety and resilience when extreme weather events arise. Systems like electric heat pumps provide both heating and cooling – with no need for separate air conditioning systems – which could mean some residents would have access to cooling in their buildings or building units for the first time. Other benefits include cleaner air and better health from upgraded air filtration and ventilation systems, which could improve the indoor conditions of some of Toronto’s oldest buildings.
City modelling also suggests that retrofit investment in buildings could be an estimated $240 billion across the city, which would generate approximately 16,000 jobs over the next few decades in local construction, energy services and supportive work.
Toronto Energy & Water Reporting Bylaw requires property owners to report their buildings’ energy and water use to the City annually. This annual reporting lets building owners track their buildings’ performance over time and compare it with other similar buildings. The energy and water reporting requirement is the foundation for establishing BEPS, and will provide the data needed to inform those standards.
If approved by Council, BEPS would also fall under Chapter 367 of Toronto’s Municipal Code.
The City’s BEPS development work, including the technical analyses, legal advisory, and targeted engagement have informed a proposed approach for BEPS, which will be showcased at one of the upcoming virtual public town halls (see Engagement and Consultation accordion to register). Any member of the public will have an opportunity to provide input regarding the different components of BEPS including covered building types and sizes as well as timelines via an online survey to be launched on June 24, 2025. More details to be shared via the Engagement and Consultation accordion.
The City will be exempting low-rise residential buildings from the BEPS proposal to Council in Q3 2025. In this context, low-rise residential buildings are buildings used for residential purposes that are no greater than 3 storeys, examples include: detached house, semi-detached house, townhouse, multiplex, laneway house or garden suite, as well as residential over low-rise commercial buildings).
In order to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from this building sector, the City has undertaken public consultation from November 2024 to April 2025 to gather input that will help inform future programs and resources aimed at accelerating voluntary retrofit action. This consultation included the Residents’ Reference Panel on Inclusive Climate Action, a Net Zero Discussion Kit hosted by various community and business organizations, and an online survey. All of which are now closed for participation and reports will be made publicly available in Fall 2025.
Learn more about existing retrofit support for low-rise residential buildings.
Buildings will need to take steps over time to improve the energy performance of their buildings and reduce GHG emissions. BEPS plans to provide building owners with years of advance notice to plan and prepare for their retrofits prior to the first compliance deadline. Additionally, BEPS plans to incorporate “flexibility pathways” which could help owners, under certain circumstances, achieve their limits outside of the primary compliance pathway.
Building retrofits may include measures such as: building optimizations and tune ups, improvements in insulation and envelope, and fuel switching. Replacing end-of-life building systems with higher-efficiency, low-carbon options can be one of the more cost-effective retrofit approaches.
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