Energize Vancouver Deadline June 1, 2025: Complete GHG Reporting Guide for Commercial Building Owners

Who Must Report Under Energize Vancouver?

If you own or manage a commercial building in Vancouver that is 4,645 square metres (50,000 square feet) or larger, you are required to report your 2024 energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by June 1, 2025.

This also applies to:

• Multi-unit residential buildings 9,290 sq m (100,000 sq ft) or larger
• Mixed-use buildings meeting these thresholds
• Hotels meeting these thresholds

The June 1, 2025 Deadline: What Happens If You Miss It?

The City of Vancouver will issue a $500 bylaw notice to building owners who fail to submit a complete report by June 1, 2025. More importantly, starting in 2026, non-compliant buildings will face escalating fines and may be publicly listed.

Step-by-Step: How to Complete Your Report

Step 1: Set Up ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is the free tool required by the City. Here's how to get started:

1. Go to portfoliomanager.energystar.gov
2. Create an account (use your property management email)
3. Click "Add a Property" and select your building type
4. Enter your building's gross floor area in square metres

Step 2: Gather Your Utility Data

You'll need 12 months of data for calendar year 2024:

• Electricity bills (BC Hydro account number required)
• Natural gas bills (FortisBC account number required)
• District energy (if applicable)
• Any other fuel sources

Pro tip: Contact BC Hydro and FortisBC directly to request automated data uploads to Portfolio Manager. This saves hours of manual entry.

Step 3: Calculate Your Greenhouse Gas Intensity (GHGi)

GHGi is measured in kg CO2e/m²/year (kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per square metre per year).

Portfolio Manager calculates this automatically once you've entered:

• All utility data for 2024
• Accurate gross floor area
• Building use type

Step 4: Submit Through the City's Portal

Once your Portfolio Manager data is complete:

1. Generate a "Data Quality Checker" report to verify accuracy
2. Log into the City of Vancouver Building Performance Reporting System
3. Connect your Portfolio Manager account
4. Submit your report

Common Errors That Get Reports Rejected

• Incorrect floor area: Must be gross floor area, not rentable
• Missing utility accounts: All meters must be included
• Wrong building type classification: Affects baseline comparisons
• Data gaps: Every month of 2024 must have data

What GHGi Targets Do You Need to Meet?

For 2025, this is a reporting-only requirement. However, by 2030, buildings must achieve a 50% reduction in emissions, and by 2050, net-zero.

Start tracking now to understand your baseline and plan retrofits.

Case Study: Burnaby Office Complex

A 65,000 sq ft office building owner came to us in May 2025 with two weeks to deadline. They had:

• No Portfolio Manager account
• Utility bills scattered across multiple property managers
• No idea what GHGi meant

We helped them:

1. Set up Portfolio Manager in 24 hours
2. Coordinated with BC Hydro for automated data upload
3. Manually entered FortisBC data
4. Submitted a complete, error-free report in 48 hours

Result: $500 fine avoided. Building now has ongoing tracking for future compliance.

Need Help With Your Energize Vancouver Report?

Don't wait until May to start. Our team has helped dozens of Vancouver commercial building owners navigate Energize Vancouver compliance.

Call or text David directly: (236) 998-5841

We can complete your entire submission in as little as 48 hours.