Proposed Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting

Are you an owner or manager of a retail, office, light industrial or industrial building larger than 100,000 ft² in Richmond, BC? We invite you to share your input to help shape the development of a proposed energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reporting requirement for large, non-residential existing buildings in Richmond.

We value your ideas, concerns and perspectives to help shape the proposed reporting process, and to understand the support needed to ensure its success.

Further information is provided below, and at the top right corner of the page.

Participate by completing the online survey below by 11:59pm on Sunday, December 15, 2024.

Have questions? Click on "Ask a Question" below and share your question with us.

Why track energy use and GHG emissions?

• Energy savings: Based on research conducted by the City, studies show that benchmarked buildings are expected to yield 3 to 6% in energy savings over a 3-year period, and up to a 14% reduction fours years later. As an example, the Richmond Building Benchmarking Challenge led to an average reduction of 12% in site energy use and 16% in GHG emissions.
• Prioritizing investments: Building owners and managers can improve energy performance by comparing their buildings to similar ones and within their portfolio, helping prioritize retrofit projects and reduce costs.
  
• Better planning: Using actual energy and GHG emissions data, rather than predictive models, helps the City develop future policies and incentives, and supports the City's 2050 decarbonization goals.
• Understanding emissions: Buildings are the second largest GHG emitters in Metro Vancouver, contributing 25% of the total emissions.

Background

Benchmarking and reporting energy and GHG emissions annually helps building owners and managers reduce buildings' energy and emissions and compare their performance with similar properties in the region and within their portfolio.

The City is a long-time supporter of benchmarking for large existing buildings:

• In 2014, the Richmond Building Benchmarking Challenge was launched. This program invited building owners and operators to voluntarily benchmark energy use in their buildings, and share data with the City.
• In 2017, a Council-approved recommendation directed staff to report on options to establish a building energy and emissions benchmarking pilot program for large buildings in Richmond, with 20 municipalities voluntarily reporting and disclosing annual results from their civic buildings and facilities.
• In 2020, Council endorsed the City’s participation in Building Benchmark BC, a voluntary benchmark and disclosure program. The City has been reporting annual energy use and GHG emissions for our larger civic buildings through this platform.
• In April 2024, Council endorsed staff to move forward with engagement to collect feedback on a potential energy and emissions reporting requirement for large, non-residential buildings (100,000 ft²+ in floor area) and to better understand the technical and programmatic support that may be needed, address data sharing considerations, and set timing of the proposed reporting requirement.