Energy Benchmarking: Understanding Your Building's Performance

Introduction

Energy benchmarking is the foundation of any building performance improvement program. By measuring energy use and comparing it to similar buildings, owners and operators can identify opportunities for improvement and track progress over time.

What Is Energy Benchmarking?

Energy benchmarking involves:

1. Measuring building energy consumption
2. Normalizing for factors like weather and occupancy
3. Comparing to similar buildings or past performance
4. Identifying opportunities for improvement
5. Tracking progress over time

Key Metrics

Energy Use Intensity (EUI)

The most common benchmarking metric:

EUI = Annual Energy Use / Building Area

Typically expressed as:

• kBtu/sq ft/year (US)
• kWh/sq m/year (metric)

ENERGY STAR Score

For qualifying building types in the US:

• 1-100 score comparing to similar buildings
• 50 = median performance
• 75+ qualifies for ENERGY STAR certification

Carbon Intensity

Increasingly important metric:

• kgCO2e/sq ft/year or kgCO2e/sq m/year
• Reflects both energy use and fuel mix

Data Requirements

Utility Data

Gather complete energy information:

• Electricity consumption and demand
• Natural gas consumption
• District heating/cooling
• Other fuels (oil, propane)

Building Characteristics

Normalize for building features:

• Gross floor area
• Operating hours
• Building type and use
• Occupancy levels

Weather Data

Account for climate impacts:

• Heating degree days
• Cooling degree days
• Local weather station data

Benchmarking Tools

ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

The industry standard in the US:

• Free to use
• Covers most building types
• Required by many jurisdictions
• Enables certification

Other Platforms

• Building rating systems (LEED, BREEAM)
• Utility-provided benchmarking tools
• Commercial analytics platforms

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Gather Data

• Collect 12+ months of utility bills
• Document building characteristics
• Ensure data accuracy and completeness

Step 2: Enter and Analyze

• Input data into benchmarking platform
• Review initial scores and metrics
• Identify data quality issues

Step 3: Compare and Contextualize

• Compare to similar buildings
• Consider local factors
• Identify peer group performance

Step 4: Identify Opportunities

• Analyze high consumption periods
• Compare to high-performing peers
• Develop improvement hypotheses

Step 5: Track and Improve

• Monitor performance over time
• Measure impact of improvements
• Set performance targets

Common Pitfalls

Incomplete Data Missing utility accounts or periods leads to inaccurate results.

Incorrect Building Information Wrong square footage or operating hours skews comparisons.

Ignoring Context Unusual building uses or tenant types may not benchmark well.

One-Time Analysis Benchmarking value comes from ongoing tracking.

Beyond Basic Benchmarking

Sub-Metering

Understand consumption at system and tenant level:

• HVAC energy breakdown
• Tenant consumption allocation
• Base load analysis

Interval Data Analysis

Use hourly or 15-minute data for:

• Load profile analysis
• Peak demand management
• Anomaly detection

Predictive Analytics

Move from descriptive to predictive:

• Weather-normalized forecasting
• Consumption anomaly alerts
• Optimization recommendations

The CONTEXUS Platform

CONTEXUS provides comprehensive energy monitoring and benchmarking capabilities:

• Automated data collection from meters and utilities
• Real-time and historical energy analysis
• Portfolio-wide performance comparison
• Integration with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager

Conclusion

Energy benchmarking is the essential first step in any building performance program. By establishing accurate baselines and tracking progress over time, building owners can make informed decisions about efficiency investments and demonstrate results to stakeholders.