A friendly competition for a sustainable future

A win for your business, your community, and the environment

We all have a part to play in combating the climate crisis by reducing our carbon footprint.

The transition to a low-carbon economy

The Province of Ontario has made commitments to transition to a low-carbon economy with targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and 2050, and local municipalities are joining. All nine municipalities in York Region have made commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a net zero economy as outlined in energy conservation and demand management plans.

Will your building join the challenge?

Ontario buildings share the responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through adopting energy-efficient behaviours and implementing smart energy operations. Commercial buildings and municipal buildings are encouraged to join the challenge.

Did you know?

The Government of Ontario created the Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) initiative where commercial, industrial, and other building types over 50,000 square feet must report their building's energy and water consumption annually to government. Joining the ClimateWise Business Challenge is an exciting opportunity to learn about the reporting requirements and get ahead of the curve.

We're here to support you

The ClimateWise Building Challenge, a program of ClimateWise Business Network and Windfall Ecology Centre, will facilitate, support, and mentor York Region buildings to reach energy and greenhouse gas reduction targets. We provide you with a plan of action with detailed resources and technical support throughout the competition. This includes energy saving tips, energy benchmarking tools, and advice from industry leaders.

Background – Bringing the Building Challenge to Our Backyard

The ClimateWise Building Challenge was inspired by many successful Canadian building energy challenges. This includes the BOMA Toronto's race2reduce challenge, the Manitoba Race to Reduce Challenge , and BOMA Quebec Building Energy Challenge.

Our challenge is modelled after the Energy Star Battle of the Building (BoB) competition, a successful U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) program, which was first launched in 2010 and has been continuously run and updated since. The competition had over 6500 buildings participate in 2015, with the winner achieving energy reductions of 35%.