"Portfolio Manager- Estimated Energy" metrics

  • Updated

These "Portfolio Manager- Estimated Energy" metrics are available:

  • Parking - these metrics can be found in the "Property Use Details" metrics folder
    • Parking - Portfolio Manager-Estimated Site Energy (kBtu)
    • Parking - Portfolio Manager-Estimated Source Energy (kBtu)
  • Heated Swimming Pool - these metrics can be found in the "Property Use Details" metrics folder
    • Heated Swimming Pool - Portfolio Manager-Estimated Site Energy (kBtu)
    • Heated Swimming Pool - Portfolio Manager-Estimated Source Energy (kBtu)
  • Data Centers - these metrics can be found in the "Data Center" metrics folder
    • Data Center - Portfolio Manager-Estimated Site Energy (kBtu)
    • Data Center - Portfolio Manager-Estimated Site Energy (kWh)
    • Data Center - Portfolio Manager-Estimated Source Energy (kBtu)
  •  Electric Vehicle Charging Stations - these metrics can be found in the "Property Use Details" metrics folder
    • Electric Vehicle Charging Station - Portfolio Manager-Estimated Site Energy (kBtu) 
    • Electric Vehicle Charging Station - Portfolio Manager-Estimated Source Energy (kBtu)

EPA’s best practice for benchmarking buildings is to submeter and exclude parking, pools, and EV Chargers. However, if submetering is not possible, Portfolio Manager will calculate an estimate for this energy use and subtract it before calculating the score. But, if you are comparing Site or Source Energy across your portfolio, some properties will include parking, pool, EV chargers and Data Center energy, and some will not. If Property A is including parking, pool, and/or EV charging energy and Property B has these uses sub-metered and excluded, then comparing their Site and Source EUI’s will unfairly make Property B look more efficient.

Exposing these estimated energy metrics will help users better understand energy use for properties who are including parking, pool, and EV Charging energy, and using Data Center Energy Estimates. 

Notes:

  • Applicable Property Types. These metrics are available for ALL PROPERTY TYPES
  • Data Centers. Because parking and pools aren’t considered “part of the building,” Portfolio Manager subtracts their energy use before calculating the score. But Data Centers are PART OF THE BUILDING ENERGY. And if you have a Data Center with the appropriate IT meter, you wouldn’t exclude that energy from your Site/Source EUI. However, if you want to compare an office with small data centers to an office without a data center, then you need to subtract BOTH the Data Center Energy Estimates and the Data Center GFA.
  • Parking. Vehicle Dealerships are currently the only property type (in the US) using EPA's 2023 Parking Adjustments Data, based on 2022 ASHRAE lighting power allowances. All other US ENERGY STAR property types currently use EPA’s 2018 Parking Adjustments, which are based on 2013 ASHRAE lighting power allowances. We anticipate converting all score models to the 2023 Parking Adjustments in 2025 along with the larger model updates. The 2022 ASHRAE lighting power allowances better reflect the prevalence of LED lighting in use today. The parking metrics for non-scoreable property types will be updated in 2025 as well. Learn more about the Parking adjustments: When does EPA change the parking adjustments used in Portfolio Manager?
  • Where to find these Metrics. The Parking, Pool, and EV Charger metrics can be found in the Property Use Details folder under their respective Property Use. The Data Center energy estimate metrics can be found in the Data Center folder. 
  • Phase 2. As a Phase 2 to this enhancement, we plan to add a couple optional questions to ask whether a property has excluded any property GFA or energy, and if so, what are they. 
  • The "Portfolio Manager- Estimated Energy" for Parking, Pools and Data Centers were released Feb 26, 2024.
  • The "Portfolio Manager- Estimated Energy" for EV Chargers was released July 18, 2024. 

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