Are warehouses required to report under Ontario EWRB?

Scope includes some industrial properties, such as warehouses and industrial condominiums, at the 50,000 square foot threshold. Confirm gross floor area against the measurement standard before concluding the obligation does not apply.

Is a compressed air survey worth doing?

In most facilities with continuous compressed air, yes, and it is among the fastest paybacks available — leaks, pressure setpoint and part-load running are routinely recoverable. It is also one of the least-sold services in this market, which is why it is still there to find.

Warehouse & Distribution Energy Audit | Ontario

Warehouse and Distribution Centre Energy Audits

Warehouses look simple and are not. A large volume of conditioned air, enormous envelope area per unit of floor, doors that open all day, and a lighting load spread over height rather than area. They are also in EWRB scope more often than their owners expect, and warehouses are an ENERGY STAR eligible type.

What costs money in a warehouse

High-bay lighting hours. The measure is rarely the fixture on its own — it is occupancy and daylight controls in aisles that are empty most of the shift.
Dock door and seal losses. Enbridge's own prescriptive equipment list names dock door seals and air curtains. Doors left open on a cold morning are a heating bill nobody meters.
Make-up air and unit heaters sized for a loading pattern that has changed, often running against each other.
Refrigerated and freezer space, where it exists — the highest-intensity load in the building by a wide margin, and the one with the fastest paybacks on controls and defrost strategy.
Compressed air. Leaks, pressure setpoint, and the compressor running at part load all night. Classic, high-value, and almost never surveyed — of thirteen competitors we reviewed, one named compressed air as expertise and none explained it.
Battery charging rooms for lift trucks, and their ventilation.

What applies

Obligations and funding — verified 3 October 2026
Item	Relevance
Ontario EWRB	Scope includes some industrial properties such as warehouses and industrial condominiums. Check your floor area before assuming you are out.
ENERGY STAR certification	Warehouses are an eligible building type. Score of 75 or higher.
Enbridge Commercial Custom Audits & Studies	Funds steam trap surveys and air and water balancing by name, at up to 50% of cost. Detail.
Enbridge prescriptive equipment	Names air curtains and dock door seals among eligible equipment.
IESO Retrofit Program	Prescriptive and custom streams; terms changed 30 June 2026 — re-verify.
IESO XLerate	Where anticipated savings exceed 600 MWh/yr, with feasibility studies cost-shared at 50%.

Separate process load from building load first

In a distribution centre with refrigeration or significant process equipment, nothing can be benchmarked until process load is separated from building load. IESO's EBCx eligibility explicitly excludes industrial and manufacturing process load from its 750,000 kWh calculation, so the separation is not academic — it decides which programmes you qualify for.

Tell us what is driving the decision

A compliance deadline, an incentive application, a financing requirement, or a capital plan. Tell us which, and we will tell you what you need and what it will cost — as a fixed fee, before any work starts.

If you do not need an audit, we will say so.

Warehouse and Distribution Centre Energy Audits

What costs money in a warehouse

What applies

Where to go next

Tell us what is driving the decision