ENERGY STAR Data Access Network
The ENERGY STAR Data Access Network aims to connect energy utilities, state and local governments, and others who are interested in providing or obtaining whole-building energy consumption data.
More and more commercial buildings are benchmarking their energy use (either by choice or to comply with mandates), which makes this data increasingly valuable. We’d like to support utilities and other organizations in their efforts to make more of this data available. On this page, we’ll be sharing guidance and best practices for data access and benchmarking.
How do I get involved?
First, sign up for the Network mailing list! You’ll be notified about advances in energy data access across the country, as well as details on relevant upcoming meetings, webinars, or other related events.
Next, bookmark this page! Below is a set of training modules to help you and your organization better understand key decision points and considerations related to the provision of improved data access for benchmarking.
Key considerations
Increasingly, utilities are turning to whole-building data aggregation as a means of providing data access to building owners/managers seeking to benchmark, while also ensuring the privacy of individual tenant/resident energy consumption data. This has played a significant role in enabling benchmarking activity at multi-tenant properties where it might otherwise be difficult or impossible to benchmark, due to the number of individual customer accounts. At the same time, the process of identifying and “mapping” individual meter/account records to a single property can present a number of technical challenges for utilities, making it critical that utilities and building owners are working together to ensure the accuracy of the aggregate data provided – and that utilities are looking to the future to consider ways to further streamline the meter-to-building mapping process in concert with other system upgrades (e.g., billing systems, AMI deployments). EPA’s Key Considerations document provides an overview of key considerations that will guide utilities as they design and deploy customer-facing data access solutions.
Data access training modules
These downloadable slide decks will walk you through the key decision points that a typical utility will face when considering options for providing enhanced data access to commercial customers. Each module will help you to:
- Structure and guide internal discussions about data access at your organization;
- Inform discussions with external stakeholders (e.g., large customers, city staff, NGOs); and
- Identify specific questions that you would like to pursue in more detail with the EPA team and/or industry peers.
| Module | Subject | Topics | Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Supporting benchmarking for commercial and multifamily buildings |
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Download Module 1 (PowerPoint, 5 MB) |
| 2 | Providing utility data to support benchmarking |
|
Download Module 2 |
| 3 | The importance of aggregate whole-building data for benchmarking |
|
Download Module 3 |
| 4 | Approaches for getting data to the customer (and into Portfolio Manager) |
|
Download Module 4 |
| 5 | Building a data access solution using web services |
|
Download Module 5 |
What other resources are available through the Network?
We may schedule webinars or other peer networking events, including presentations from leading utilities that have implemented benchmarking and data services, and who have helped to define many of the best practices included in the modules above. Join our mailing list in the sidebar above to be notified of these events.
We also welcome your suggestions regarding additional ways to share ideas or ask questions among your peers. Contact us with your thoughts.
Sign up here to receive updates and notifications about the Network.
- Northwest Energy Efficiency Partnerships (NEEP) recently published a report on Public Sector Building Energy Benchmarking: Utility Data Access Options and Opportunities.
- Read the Institute for Market Transformation’s recent blog post on “How Cities Can Put Energy Efficiency Data to Work.”
- The State of California has published the latest set of proposed regulations for AB 802, the statewide benchmarking and disclosure law that also requires utilities to provide customers with whole-building energy consumption data to facilitate compliance.
