While there are hundreds of metrics in Portfolio Manager, EPA recommends these three depending on what you are trying to accomplish and what is available to you.
- ENERGY STAR Score is the best metric to track, as long as your property can get a score. The Score adjusts for:
- Operational details like Hours, Workers, and Computers
- Weather (hot year vs. cold year)
- Climate (Maine vs. San Diego)
- Weather Normalized Source Energy Use Intensity (EUI) is the best metric if you are analyzing a single property over time. This is because it removes the impacts (normalizes) for extremely cold winters or hot summers, thus providing a more stable view of how a property is performing. If you aren't eligible for a score, you will see Weather Normalized Source EUI on the top-right of the summary page for a property. In that box, we also show your % comparison to the National Median (or midpoint) which is a great gauge of how your property compares to similar properties.
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Source Energy Use Intensity is the best metric if you are comparing a building to its peers across portfolios. Source EUI also tracks most closely with the cost and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the actual energy requirements of your property. If you have a harsh winter/summer, your cost and emissions will be larger.
- We also recommend that you compare your Source EUI to the National Median Source EUI to get a sense of where your property stands compared to other like buildings. The metric "% Difference from National Median Source EUI" will show you if you are above or below the National Median, and to what extent.
- Watch our 3 minute video on EUI.