BOMA Go Green - BOMA BESt

1. Determine eligibility and program stream: Confirm your building is a commercial property in Canada (office, retail, industrial, multi-unit residential, or light industrial). Decide whether to pursue BOMA BESt Sustainable (operations-focused) or BOMA BESt Smart (smart building performance-focused).

1. Get a fee quote: Use the Fee Calculator at bomabest.org to estimate your certification costs based on building type and size. Contact BOMA BESt or your local BOMA association to initiate the process.

1. Register your building: Create an account on the BOMA BESt HUB (the online platform) and register your building. If you manage 20+ buildings, explore the Portfolio Partners program for streamlined multi-building certification.

1. Complete the online questionnaire: Log into the BOMA BESt HUB and complete the detailed self-assessment questionnaire covering energy, water, waste, emissions, indoor environment, and management practices. Gather 12 months of utility data and operational records before starting.

1. Prepare supporting documentation: Compile all required evidence — utility bills, waste diversion records, maintenance logs, environmental policies, and any relevant certifications (e.g., ENERGY STAR). Ensure records are accurate and up to date.

1. Schedule your third-party verification: Once the questionnaire is submitted, a BOMA BESt-approved independent verifier will be assigned. Coordinate a site visit date and prepare staff and documentation for the on-site audit.

1. Undergo the on-site audit: The verifier will inspect the building, review documentation, and validate your questionnaire responses. Address any gaps or clarifications the verifier identifies during the process.

1. Receive your certification level: Based on your verified score, your building will be awarded a certification level (Certified, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum). Use the BOMA BESt marketing toolkit — plaques, window decals, digital badges, and social media assets — to promote your achievement.

BOMA BESt assessments evaluate building performance across six core environmental and operational categories. The exact weighting varies slightly by building type and program stream, but the core areas are consistent across the program.

Energy is the most heavily weighted category, examining energy consumption intensity, utility metering, sub-metering practices, energy management plans, and performance relative to benchmarks such as ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Buildings are expected to demonstrate active monitoring and improvement strategies.

Water covers consumption tracking, leak detection, irrigation management, and water-efficient fixture specifications. Buildings must demonstrate metering and active management of potable water use.

Waste & Recycling evaluates diversion rates, recycling and composting programs, hazardous waste handling, and tenant engagement in waste reduction initiatives. Documentation of waste audits and diversion data is required.

Emissions & Environment assesses refrigerant management, greenhouse gas reporting, stormwater management, and site environmental practices including pest control and green cleaning protocols.

Indoor Environment covers air quality management, ventilation standards, thermal comfort, lighting quality, and occupant health and wellness initiatives. This category reflects the building's impact on the people who occupy it.

Management & Operations evaluates the presence and quality of formal environmental policies, staff training programs, emergency preparedness, and continuous improvement planning. This category rewards buildings with structured, documented management systems rather than ad hoc practices.

For the BOMA BESt Smart stream, additional criteria assess smart building technologies including building automation systems (BAS), IoT sensor integration, data analytics capabilities, cybersecurity protocols, and occupant experience platforms. The Smart stream is designed for buildings that have invested in digital infrastructure to optimize performance.

Scores across all categories are aggregated to determine the certification level: Certified (minimum threshold), Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum — with Platinum representing the highest level of verified performance.

BOMA BESt is unambiguously Canada's dominant commercial building sustainability certification, with over 10,000 certified buildings representing hundreds of millions of square feet of commercial space. It holds a commanding market position in the Canadian commercial real estate sector, particularly among institutional property owners, REITs, and large property management firms. Unlike LEED, which is primarily a design and construction tool, BOMA BESt focuses exclusively on existing building operations — making it the practical go-to credential for the vast majority of Canada's existing commercial building stock.

The program enjoys strong recognition from Canada's largest institutional investors and pension funds, many of whom require or strongly prefer BOMA BESt certification in their ESG reporting frameworks. Major Canadian REITs and asset managers — including Oxford Properties, Brookfield, Cadillac Fairview, and QuadReal — have certified large portions of their portfolios. This institutional adoption has created a self-reinforcing market dynamic where tenants increasingly expect certified buildings, and landlords certify to remain competitive. The program is also referenced in several provincial and municipal green building policies, further embedding it in the regulatory landscape.

Internationally, BOMA BESt competes with LEED (USGBC/CaGBC), BREEAM In-Use, and Green Globes, but none of these have achieved comparable penetration in the Canadian existing-buildings market. LEED remains more globally recognized and is often preferred for new construction or for organizations with international portfolios, while BREEAM In-Use has a stronger foothold in Europe. The 2020s have seen growing demand for BOMA BESt as Canadian ESG disclosure requirements tighten and net-zero commitments proliferate — the addition of the Smart stream in recent years reflects the program's evolution to address smart building and digital infrastructure trends. Demand is growing, not declining, as sustainability reporting becomes a baseline expectation rather than a differentiator in Canadian commercial real estate.

BOMA BESt was launched in 2005 by BOMA Canada (Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada) as a response to growing demand from the Canadian commercial real estate industry for a practical, operations-focused sustainability benchmark tailored to the Canadian context. The program was designed to fill a gap left by LEED, which at the time was primarily oriented toward new construction and required significant upfront investment — making it impractical for the vast majority of Canada's existing building stock. BOMA Canada developed the program in collaboration with industry stakeholders, government partners, and environmental experts, drawing on BOMA International's existing Go Green program while adapting it to Canadian climate conditions, building codes, and regulatory requirements.

Over the following two decades, BOMA BESt underwent several major revisions to keep pace with evolving sustainability standards and market expectations. Version 3.0, launched around 2013, introduced a more rigorous tiered certification structure and expanded the range of eligible building types. Version 4.0, released in the late 2010s, significantly updated the questionnaire methodology and scoring system. The most significant recent evolution was the introduction of the BOMA BESt Smart stream, which added a dedicated certification pathway for buildings leveraging smart building technologies, IoT, and data analytics — reflecting the industry's shift toward digital infrastructure as a core component of building performance. By the mid-2020s, the program had certified over 10,000 buildings across Canada, establishing itself as the country's most widely adopted commercial building sustainability credential.