Ontoly has launched its first public consultation on the pilot version (Version 1.0) of the Building Emissions Reduction Standard (BERS). This pilot release focuses on operational greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions from multi-unit residential and commercial building retrofit projects within Canada and the United States. 

The BERS Program mobilizes climate finance for the decarbonization of the existing building stock through a standardized carbon asset—the Building Emissions Reduction Unit (BERU). A BERU is a unique, serialized, and transferable digital asset issued exclusively by Ontoly, which will create pathways for building owners to connect with the buyer network to sell emissions reductions. 

The BERS was developed in consultation with our scientific advisory committee and incorporates the latest scientific research and standards aligned with the building decarbonization industry. The program is founded on core principles of integrity, traceability and openness, scientific rigour, transparency of financial incentives, building-level assessment of GHG emissions, and ratings approaches for additionality. All information related to the start date, crediting periods, methodology, and additionality is outlined in our BERS document. 

A notable characteristic of the BERS program is its accessibility and usability. While other carbon registries concentrate on larger-scale projects and require the aggregation of thousands of buildings for certification to be financially viable, Ontoly will enhance certification quality by evaluating projects at the building level. 

The consultation opens on November 10, 2025, and the deadline for submitting comments is December 10th at 11:59pm PST.  Ontoly will host a webinar after the consultation closes to discuss results and next steps. Please stay tuned for more updates. 

Access the Consultation Form here: Building Emissions Reduction Standard – Public Comment Form. 

Access the Standard here: Building Emissions Reduction Standard (Pilot Version).