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How to reduce your building's carbon footprint and ways we can help.
How can I decrease greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from my business? What conservation programs are available to me as a business owner? You may have questions like these when it comes to making choices that are better for the environment. We’re here to help answer your questions and provide support.
At Toronto Hydro, we have climate action experts available to help identify carbon reduction goals for your business, support you with tracking building emissions and connect you with resources to take action against climate change.
Looking for support on your decarbonization journey? Contact our Climate Action team!
We have many resources available to help businesses of all sizes on their path to decarbonization. Whether you're a large commercial customer or a small business, we're here to help. If you have specific questions or concerns, please reach out to our Climate Action team by email at climateaction@torontohydro.com.
Climate action refers to the acts or changes we can take to help reduce GHGs and manage the current and expected impacts of climate change. By taking action, you’re helping to make your business, your community, your city and your planet a safer and healthier environment now and in the future.
Why do we need climate action?
We need climate action to reduce the impacts of climate change, which play a role in our everyday lives. These impacts include changing weather patterns, rising sea levels and more extreme weather events, such as ice storms and heat waves. Some of our current day-to-day actions, such as using gas-powered vehicles, are producing GHG emissions and contributing to climate change.
In Toronto, approximately 58% of GHG emissions come from residential and commercial buildings. Transportation contributes to 33% of the city’s GHG emissions. The good news is that there are now cleaner and renewable technologies that are affordable and suitable for business owners.
Did you know? In Ontario, nearly 90% of electricity is generated by zero-emissions sources such as nuclear, hydro and wind power.
If you're wondering where to start, you're not alone, and we're here to help! Our Climate Action team is available to offer guidance. Email climateaction@torontohydro.com with any specific questions you may have.
We've also outlined common steps you can take to help reduce your business’ GHG emissions. Although every business is unique, these core phases can help set you up for success on your path to decarbonization:
Get to know your building through benchmarking
Benchmarking is the first step in understanding your building’s energy use. It provides several opportunities to building owners and operators to learn more about their energy usage and identify areas where performance can be improved, such as spotting opportunities for efficiency improvements and implementing best practices.
Customers can share their building data with others and also run reports to gain further insight into their building’s performance. We offer a simple, secure way to download and share your electricity usage data with third-party companies through our Green Button™ tool.
Plan for the decarbonization of your building
Review plans for your current assets, such as heating, hot water and your building envelope (roof, walls and windows). If any building assets are ready or close to being prepared for replacement, consider upgrading to more efficient technologies, such as a heat pump or electric hot water heating.
Evaluate the efficiency of your current equipment. Make a plan for how to reduce emissions to get your building to net zero.
Consider whether your site could benefit from electric vehicle (EV) chargers. If so, visit our EV Charging web page for an outline of the process for connecting non-residential EV charging stations.
Implement your decarbonization plans
Hire a qualified contractor and/or cleantech company to help implement decarbonization products and services to reduce your building’s GHGs.
Taking the necessary steps to reduce GHG emissions from your building and vehicle fleet contributes to a healthier planet and can be a wise business decision. It can help your business:
We offer several services to support business customers on their path to decarbonization, including:
Thinking about electrifying your building with technologies such as an electric heat pump or electric vehicle chargers? Our Climate Action team can help you determine if your building has enough available electrical capacity to support the upgrade before you commit to any big changes.
Upon request, we can provide a non-binding service connection assessment to let you know if the necessary electrical capacity is available. This estimate also provides high-level costing and project timelines for the service upgrade.
Our team is here to help you better understand what incentive programs, offers and rebates you may be eligible for. When it comes time to apply, our representatives can help provide a smooth application process by assisting you with collecting the necessary documentation and filling out the application forms on your behalf.
Our heating load estimator helps building owners and property managers kickstart electrification planning with confidence. It estimates the peak heating demand of your gas-heated building and calculates the additional electrical capacity needed for different electrification scenarios. This insight can guide decisions on which technologies to implement and which buildings to prioritize for retrofits.
Note: This tool is available by request with expert guidance. Our Climate Action team will walk you through the process and explain what the results mean for your building. Email climateaction@torontohydro.com to request a heating load assessment.
Looking to make informed, data-driven decisions about reducing your building’s emissions? Our virtual decarbonization planning tool, developed by OPEN Technologies, helps businesses create decarbonization plans virtually — reducing the need for costly and time-consuming manual audits. This tool analyzes your building’s energy performance and recommends practical actions to cut emissions.
Note: The virtual decarbonization planning tool is available by request with expert guidance. Our Climate Action team can help you gather and input your building’s data into the tool to generate a customized decarbonization plan. Email climateaction@torontohydro.com to request an assessment.
Toronto Hydro helps you manage your building’s energy data and meet reporting requirements — whether through automated uploads or manual entry support.
Automated service
We offer secure, automated data uploads to Portfolio Manager®. Your building’s monthly electricity data, including up to two years of history, is transferred automatically — no manual entry needed. Visit our Reporting of Energy Consumption web page for details.
Are you interested in learning more about clean technology solutions, such as heat pumps, EV charging stations, solar panels or battery energy storage systems? Visit our Clean Technology Solutions Hub to learn about these technologies and access tools and resources to help you electrify.
Climate Action Plan
As a clean energy leader, we’re committed to climate action and have created a Climate Action Plan.
