Canadian non-profit OpenBuilding has unveiled OBJECTIVE TEUI 3.0, a ground-breaking tool designed to transform energy performance across the building industry. Supported in part by the OAA, OBJECTIVE enables Architects to review actual Total Energy Use Intensity (TEUI) of existing buildings using utility bills while also providing actionable insights on buildings still under design to improve performance. With an intuitive interface and real-time feedback on energy costs, savings, carbon emissions, and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), the tool simplifies complex calculations into a single-page workflow.

Highlighted in recent case studies, OBJECTIVE TEUI 3.0 demonstrates significant results. Analysis of 11 high-performance buildings revealed potential operational savings of nearly $18 million over a 50-year lifespan. At the same time, these projects avoid more than 23,092 metric tonnes of CO2e emissions, surpassing code reference requirements for energy performance. If this approach were applied to Canada’s 16 million residential and 556,000 commercial buildings, the scale of impact could be vast, annually avoiding ~63.3 and ~58.8 Megatons of CO2e, respectively.

Key new features include reference modelling against SB12 and SB10 of Ontario’s Building Code (OBC), the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings (NECB), and the National Building Code of Canada (NBC 2020), new energy balance sections for both heating and cooling, and related tools like Interactive Sankey Diagrams. OpenBuilding has implemented an open "pay-what-you-can" pricing model, with the goal of making OBJECTIVE accessible, affordable and inclusive.

To build awareness, OpenBuilding is offering several in-person workshops, including a four-hour TSA Technical Workshop titled "Calculating Total Energy Use Intensity" hosted by the Toronto Society of Architects (TSA) on April 4, and a 1.5-hour session during the forthcoming OAA Conference in Ottawa this May. Plans for a broader rollout are underway, with efforts to secure corporate sponsorships, grants and an expansion of the case studies.

Launched as a Canadian non-profit in 2024 to develop tools for sustainable building professionals, OpenBuilding continues to lead the way toward nationwide adoption and ongoing development of OBJECTIVE TEUI 3.0 and related tools. Learn more about TEUI tools on the OAA Website.