March 2022 Newsletter: News and Views


Energy@Work served as Licensed Professional in supporting nearly 20% of all Commercial Offices in Ontario and 50% of the multi-family buildings in Canada with obtaining 2021 ENERGY STAR Building Certification, equivalent to over 5.9 million SqFt, across 8 property management companies.

Registry for ENERGY STAR certified buildings

2021 was the first year Multi-family buildings were eligible in Canada to obtain ENERGY STAR Building Certification. One property was an exceptional performer and achieved a perfect score of 100!

These achievements are credited to the collaborative efforts between the Operations and Management teams working together to optimize building performance ENERGY STAR standards.

A property must meet the strict standards enforced by NRCan and achieve a score of 75 or greater to obtain certification. Certification is awarded on an annual basis, and energy performance must be maintained to qualify for recertification.

Energy@Work’s expertise can help your building achieve 2022 ENERGY STAR Building Certification. NRCan has begun accepting 2022 Building Certification application. To learn more, contact: Requests@energy-efficiency.com

Achieving certification positions your property and team as industry leaders in the fight against climate change.


Performance Measurement and Verification Analyst (PMVA) and Performance Measurement and Verification Expert (PMVE) are the 2 new designations introduced by EVO in early 2022.

Both designations are achieved through a combination of training and industry experience and must be renewed to stay up to date with the industry to remain valid. Once accredited, the PMVA and PMVE demonstrate that those with the designations are applying EVOs standards and concepts for measurement and verification to energy efficiency projects.

Energy@Work’s managing partner has achieved the PMVA designation. We look forward to PMVE training sessions opening soon.

Latest development from EVO:

Last week, EVO hosted a webinar with 600 participants from the international Measurement and Verification (M&V) community. The purpose of the webinar was to provide an update on the Core Concepts of International Performance Measurement and Verification Protocol (IPMVP):
https://evo-world.org/en/products-services-mainmenu-en/protocols/ipmvp

By creating a standard method of reporting measurement and verification, that allows for 3rd party verification, we can have the confidence that what is being reported is REAL and helps eliminate greenwash. Energy@Work used EVO’s guidelines, in conjunction with RETScreen software, to determine savings from 28 properties. As the method was standardized, we were able to get 3rd party verification from THES and the savings amounted to $3.2 million.

A standardized process is essential for the future of ESG reporting.


The 9th annual Beyond Earth Hour Challenge wrapped up this past weekend: March 25th - 28th. The final step for participants is to submit their building’s interval meter data ahead of the Friday, April 8th deadline at 4PM to: EarthHour@bomatoronto.org.
For more information on submitting your interval data, click here.

The winner of the “Top Reducer” award, will be announced at BOMA Toronto’s 2022 Celebration of Excellence Gala held in-person at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel on Wednesday, May 25th, 2022. The winner will be featured in a published case study highlighting the property’s achievements as the 2022 Beyond Earth Hour Challenge Winner!

Good luck to all participants and stay tuned for this year’s exciting results!


The past couple of years have been some of the most unprecedented times in recent history. With so many sectors effected economically, what weight will energy efficiency hold?

Canada has made the commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2050. This ambitious target must be supported by politicians with a focus on GHG reduction strategies. In a news release on March 30th, 2022, Canada’s commitment was outlined, “Delivering Clean Air and a Strong Economy for Canadians”. We believe a large factor in emission reduction is supporting companies in reducing their building’s carbon footprint.

The Global Adjustment Mechanism (GAM) and Conservation and Demand Management Program (CDM) are both government directives and impacted by provincial priorities.

With the election less than 2 months away this is an exciting time for Ontario to reconsider priorities while entering our “new norm”. Have your voice heard by making an informed decision at the voting polls.

As Canadians, we all must work together and take real climate action to secure a better future.
June 2022 Election news release


February 2022 GA cost is $0.528 billion. This is a 5% increase from January 2022 GA. Energy@Work provides a regular review of GAM costs and continues to ask “why?”

GAM costs are largely Nuclear (OPG and non-OPG). However, Conservation and Demand Management (CDM) continues to be reported as the reason for GAM.

The reality is that CDM investment was slashed by 2/3 in the 2021-24 budget. This drastic reduction was noticed by the Canadian Efficiency Alliance.


The role of an operator is instrumental to the success and smooth operations of any building! Dedicated individuals who work hard to understand and optimize their building’s systems are paramount in running an efficient, safe and healthy building, as recognized through the AEE Greater Toronto Area (AEEGTA) Wrench of the Year award.

Individuals that “best exemplify the spirit of hard work, hands-on responsibility, and determination that resulted in the successful implementation of an energy efficiency project.” are recognized annually.

We felt confident in nominating Ronnie Sookermany for the 2022 Wrench of the Year Award as a result of his dedication and ongoing efforts as building operator at 250 University Ave, managed by Northam Realty Advisors Ltd. Ronnie's contribution to 250 University Ave's Energy Management Action Plan (E-MAP) has helped optimize performance, meet best practices, and earned recognition through 2022 BOMA BEST Platinum Certification and 2021 ENERGY STAR Building Certification.

Congratulations to Ronnie as well as the management team: Neil Armstrong, Norman Olshansky and Eagen D'mello for their support of Ronnie’s role.


We thank everyone that has provided feedback and for your comments: positive and negative!

We appreciate hearing your thoughts and welcome your feedback on how we can improve and/or include other areas of interest to you. Please email: Requests@Energy-Efficiency.com

Thank You:
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Energy@Work