5 Tips for Effective and Efficient Energy Benchmarking

Written by Posted On Thursday, 30 November 2017 04:58

Energy benchmarking is becoming more popular, and mandated benchmarking specifically is common in the commercial property world. This surge in popularity can be attributed to cost-saving initiatives now and for the future, general facility-wide concern for energy efficiency and the environment, keeping ahead of the competition curve in terms of the industry’s best practice, and state-proposed mandates.

Energy benchmarking is the exercise of measuring the energy performance of a facility and then comparing its progress to itself, similar properties or widely accepted norms. It is especially useful for state and local government facility owners, designers and managers, since it monitors and motivates annual energy and cost savings.

Benchmarking energy consumption can help build your facility and wider portfolio’s energy programs, improve building and plant performance, earn ENERGY STAR and other recognized certifications, and make a rock-solid business case for further energy changes. Here are five tips for effective and efficient energy benchmarking.

Consult Your Team

Whether you own the facility or you are in management, you will need the buy-in and support from your team on this one. Even if you have managed to access and collect the right data, without support from the team, energy benchmarking won’t have an impact. What truly brings people on board is tangible evidence, quantitative findings and proof of how energy benchmarking can make a difference to the facility as a whole.

Provide comprehensive financial analysis to accompany any suggested changes and document all proposed actions to help convince management of the necessity behind any changes. This can help move things forward in a more timely manner.

inside of facility

What’s the Agenda?

Ensure both you and the team involved are aware of and share a common goal — establishing the reason for benchmarking will drive the way data is collected and analyzed going forward. If you can confidently articulate the facility’s motivation behind energy benchmarking, you can truly hone an effective and efficient study to satisfy all requirements.

While the main motivation should be how to save energy, it may be equally as beneficial to the facility to earn a well-deserved energy rating, save money or develop a new USP against competitors. Focusing on what you want to accomplish can help pave the way for progress.

Make the Data Matter

Going back to understanding the agenda, deciding in advance what you want the data for will ensure you harness it properly. Do you want to compare year-on-year data for your facility only, or would you want to compare the data to similar buildings, too?

If you’re comparing a peer group of buildings, variables between facilities can make this a more complex exercise. However, if you take into account the variables in a consistent manner, it is more than achievable.

Make a Plan

Making a plan and sticking to the general tenets while adapting where necessary will ensure you access the data you need to make solid decisions. Benchmarking is not the be all and end all, as it only collects the data. What would be helpful and complementary to a benchmarking study is an energy audit that accurately determines where your facility is losing the most energy. The two processes combined could make for an even better energy plan.

However, those who are interested in beginning the process of evaluating their building for potential energy reductions would most certainly benefit from benchmarking as a first port of call. The most important part is taking that first step.

Keep On It!

Continuously monitoring, updating and analyzing your data is key to protect the agenda and interests of your facility in the future, and keeping track of data will also improve further benchmarking studies. Keeping abreast of your benchmarking duties and including reports in general company or facility internal publications will hopefully promulgate energy consciousness.

Energy benchmarking is an exciting first stop in making your facility or commercial property more energy and cost-effective. By following the steps above and conducting your own research both locally and on the web, you are sure to be on your way to an effective and efficient energy plan.

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Megan Wild

Hey there! I'm Megan, I'm a home improvement writer, blogger, and real estate investor and observer. Check out my posts for housing trends and latest happenings in U.S. and Pennsylvania!

www.yourwildhome.com

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