Ministry of Energy and Mines
Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking Data Explorer
About the Art
An abstract study in deep green and grey, this piece brings together mineral veining, smoke, cloud, and the movement of water into a single surging form, its energy crackling outward from a central point. No one element leads; they exist together, layered and inseparable. The piece doesn’t attempt to depict Ontario’s Energy and Water Reporting of Buildings program directly – instead, it holds the same two forces the EWRB Data Explorer measures, energy and water, in visual tension, suggesting the quiet power moving through buildings that data alone rarely makes visible.
Original artwork by Aedán Crooke of Surface Impression. No AI was used in generating this artwork.
An interactive Ontario Geo Hub tool that lets users explore publicly reported energy, water and greenhouse gas emissions information for large buildings in Ontario
Ontario’s Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking Data Explorer turns reported energy, water and emissions data from large buildings into interactive maps and comparisons the public can explore without the need for advanced technical skills.
Large-building energy and water data can be difficult to interpret. The Ministry of Energy and Mines’ Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) Data Explorer turns that information into something the public can explore.
The Data Explorer is a dynamic, interactive tool published on Ontario’s Geo Hub. It gives users a high-level view of energy and water use in Ontario’s large buildings based on publicly reported EWRB data. The beta version currently covers the 2018 to 2022 reporting years and includes 17,592 records representing 7,847 unique EWRB participants.
The tool helps users explore information such as city, three-digit postal code, primary property type, ENERGY STAR score, reporting year, electricity and natural gas intensity, water use intensity, site and source energy use intensity, and greenhouse gas emissions intensity. Instead of requiring users to download and interpret large spreadsheets, the Data Explorer presents the information through an interactive, map-based interface that supports comparison by location, property type and reporting year.
The initiative is grounded in open data principles. It is built on data published through Ontario’s Data Catalogue under the Ontario Open Government Licence. It also includes feedback pathways so users can help improve future versions.
The ministry developed the tool using human-centred design, stakeholder testing and accessibility guidance, including the Ontario Digital Service Standard, AODA requirements and accessible map design guidance. By making complex building performance information easier to explore, the Data Explorer supports energy literacy, policy development, research, benchmarking and public conversations about efficiency, water use and emissions in Ontario’s built environment.
