Whole-building Energy Data Access in Calgary

Source: Emily Chung | · CBC NEWS · | June 15, 2024

Commercial, Multi-unit Residential, and Industrial Properties

Source: Calgary.ca

Reporting and managing whole-building energy performance is becoming increasingly important for building owners that are seeking to effectively allocate capital investments, implement building performance upgrades, and lower energy costs and GHG emissions. To do this, they need to measure and track how much energy their buildings are using, and what the resulting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are from that energy use. This process allows for a benchmark to be made for each building, which is then used to prioritize buildings across a portfolio for decarbonization projects such as energy efficiency and renewable energy generation projects. However, it is not a trivial task to collect all this building energy data. Often, building owners and operators do not have visibility on energy being used at their building because much of the data belongs to their tenants.

This short paper from the City of Calgary intends to describe three processes building owners and operators can use to collect their whole-building energy use data for their buildings in Calgary. It also highlights an opportunity to modernize, standardize, and expedite data sharing between utility distribution companies and building owners and operators, further enabling greenhouse gas emissions reduction activities.