The call for proposals for Natural Resources Canada’s (NRCan’s) financial assistance for ISO 50001 in commercial and institutional buildings is now open and will be accepting applications from September 15, 2025 to October 31, 2025.
ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems Standard
The ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems Standard is an internationally recognized voluntary standard that gives organizations a structured framework to improve energy performance by making better use of energy-intensive assets.
Organizations that have implemented ISO 50001 have reduced energy costs and increased competitiveness while minimizing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and other environmental impacts. According to the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), ISO 50001 energy management systems have the potential to save up to 40 percent in energy in commercial buildings, including an average of 10% during the first two years. Implementing ISO 50001 globally could cumulatively cut energy use by 62 exajoules by 2030 – saving more than $600 billion in energy costs and avoiding 6,500 megatonnes of CO2 emissions (equal to taking 215 million passenger vehicles off the road).
Financial assistance to help implement ISO 50001
To help implement ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems in commercial and institutional buildings, NRCan provides financial assistance for the period from April 2026 to March 2029. It can be up to 60% of eligible costs for for-profit organizations and up to 75% of eligible costs for not-for-profit organizations to a maximum of $40,000 per building. The project must be completed by March 31, 2029.
The maximum contribution to an organization’s building portfolio is $200,000 per fiscal year (potential of $600,000).
For a multi-building project proposal, the organization is responsible for allocating NRCan’s contribution among qualifying buildings. It can also be combined with other sources of funding. In this case, NRCan may adjust the amount of its contribution accordingly.
Eligible projects
The following types of projects may be eligible for financial assistance:
- ISO 50001 Compliance – Includes implementing an energy management system in accordance with all the requirements of the ISO 50001 standard.
- ISO 50001 Certification – Includes implementing an energy management system certified to the ISO 50001 standard.
Eligible Organizations
Eligible organizations include commercial and institutional building owners and operators, municipal/provincial/territorial governments, utilities, industry associations, and Indigenous organizations. If your project is selected to receive financial assistance from NRCan to implement an eligible ISO 50001 project you must register your facilities in the ® benchmarking tool.
Eligible project costs
- Salaries and benefits for the time spent by the employees on the project.
- Professional, scientific, technical and management services.
- Fees for data collection, monitoring, tracking and benchmarking.
- Travel expenditures for training, including meals and accommodation.
- Training, including facilitator fees, costs of training development, promotion, deployment, and evaluation.
- License fees, data purchases, certification costs, and permits.
- Purchasing costs for instrumentation, software, energy metering and control systems. (other capital costs are ineligible). Funding of this expenditure is contingent on the facility implementing an energy management system in accordance with all the criteria of the ISO 50001 standard.
- Equipment rental.
- Rental of facilities, audio and visual services and other related costs (excluding hospitality and prizes) associated with delivering workshops, delivering training, conferences, meetings, and special events; and
- GST, PST or HST, net of any tax rebate to which the Recipient is entitled.
Ineligible project costs
- Fees for tasks started before NRCan’s approval and execution of a Contribution Agreement
- Energy retrofits (for example, HVAC systems)
- Installation costs of equipment and systems (including the costs associated with the installation of instrumentation software, metering equipment and control systems)
- Capital projects; and
- ISO 50001 re-certification or fees associated with re-certification.
Evaluation Process
Each application is evaluated based on a defined set of merit-based criteria. The criteria include the energy savings potential, project feasibility, and proposal completeness based on receipt of a complete proposal. The completeness of your proposal may impact the assessment of the application and its approval.
If your project is selected for funding, a program officer will contact you to outline how to proceed. NRCan will approve as many projects as possible until all available funds have been allocated to projects. Project approvals and financial assistance will be offered to the projects that score the highest based on the evaluation criteria until the program funding is fully allocated.
How to apply
To be eligible for financial assistance, an organization must follow this process:
| Steps to Apply |
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| Application Process |
Final selection decisions remain at the sole discretion of Natural Resources Canada. |
| Process after Approval |
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Related Information
Natural Resources Canada ISO 50001 Webinar
A pre-recorded webinar with details about the ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems Standard program is available. Email buildings-batiments@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca to receive the Application Guide, Project Reporting Templates, and the pre-recorded webinar.
50001 Ready Navigator Tool
The 50001 Ready Navigator Tool is a free online project management tool that guides users through all the steps associated with implementing an energy management system project. The tool's guidance adheres to the ISO 50001 energy management standard and has been updated to be in accordance with the ISO 50001: 2018 version standard.