Build a Solid Foundation
The first step to build a solid foundation for your energy data management program is to create a central database of your energy-using assets. After establishing a central energy database, optimize it by pursuing opportunities to streamline access to your utility-billing data, which will allow for consistent and timely data review and analysis that can enable you to identify opportunities for energy and cost savings. Once you have streamlined access to your utility billing data, leverage data management tools that can help you collect, track, analyze, and communicate your data.
To build a solid foundation for your energy data management program, follow these three steps.
For steps 1 and 2, see Generate Buy-In.
Step 3. Create a Central Energy Database »
Create a central energy database by locating and collecting sources of asset and utility data; creating a standard organizational structure for the database; reconciling and filling data gaps; and maintaining the integrity of the database.
Case Studies
K-12 School Spotlight: Portland Public Schools, Oregon: Improving Energy Data Management by Scrubbing Utility Accounts
Local Government Spotlight: Fort Worth, Texas: Using ArcGIS to Match Meters to Assets
Local Government Spotlight: Hillsboro, Oregon: Meter Matching Using Google Maps
Local Government Spotlight: San Francisco, California: Maintaining the Integrity of the Database
Local Government Spotlight: San Francisco, California: Web-Based Survey for Completing and Verifying a Comprehensive Building Database
Resources
Sample Central Energy Database from Knoxville, Tennessee
Sample Central Energy Database from Maryland
Understanding Your Utility Bill
Tools
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Building Energy Audit Template
Step 4. Streamline Access to Utility Data »
Streamline access to your utility data by assessing your current process for collecting utility data, investigating options that can streamline your process, determining the feasibility of implementing those options, implementing the selected solution, and making improvements to further streamline your process over time.
Case Studies
K-12 School Spotlight: Portland Public Schools, Oregon: Leveraging a Third-Party Service Provider to Streamline Utility Data Entry and Processing
Local Government Spotlight: Cleveland, Ohio: Leveraging Resources Across City Departments to Establish a Streamlined Data Access Solution
Spotlight: District of Columbia: An Early Adopter of Green Button and Interval Data
Local Government Spotlight: Knoxville, Tennessee: Collaboration with Municipal Utility to Streamline Access to Energy- and Water-Use Data
Local Government Spotlight: Virginia Beach, Virginia: Automating Utility Bill Invoicing to Improve Energy Management and City Operations
State Spotlight: California: Utilizing Portfolio Manager Web Services to Benchmark the State's Building Portfolio
State Spotlight: Rhode Island: Utilizing Partnerships to Establish an Energy Data Inventory
Resources
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) List of Utilities that Offer Electronic Data Interchange
Sample Electronic Data Interchange File
DOE Better Buildings® Energy Data Access: Blueprint for Action Toolkit
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency List of Utilities that Offer Portfolio Manager Web Services
Tools
DOE Feasibility Assessment of Electronic Data Interchange (Tool 4.4)
DOE Feasibility Assessment of Third-Party Services (Tool 4.5)
DOE Sample Worksheet to Assess Your Utility Data Access Options (Tool 4.2)
DOE Sample Worksheet to Audit Your Utility Data Collection Process (Tool 4.1)
DOE Sample Worksheet to Evaluate the Feasibility of Utility Data Access Solutions (Tool 4.3)
Step 5. Leverage Data Management Tools »
Leverage data management tools that can help you manage your portfolio of energy-using assets by conducting an organizational assessment to understand your organization's goals, needs, and conditions; evaluating the costs, functionalities, and benefits of tools against the goals, needs, and conditions of your organization; and exploring both freely available and commercially developed tools before investing in tools or services.
Case Studies
K-12 School Spotlight: Aurora Public Schools, Colorado: Deploying Energy Information Systems in Aurora Public Schools
Local Government Spotlight: Beaverton, Oregon: Deploying Energy Information Systems in Beaverton
Local Government Spotlight: Boston, Massachusetts: Energy and Information Technology Staff Collaborate to Design Hybrid Data Management Tool
Spotlight: District of Columbia: Deploying Automated System Optimization in the District of Columbia
Local Government Spotlight: Minneapolis, Minnesota: Deploying a Benchmarking and Monthly Utility Bill Analysis Tool in Minneapolis
Local Government Spotlight: Salt Lake City, Utah: Deploying Fault Detection and Diagnostic Tools in Salt Lake City
Local Government Spotlight: Santa Clara County, California: Deploying Fault Detection and Diagnostic Tools in Santa Clara County
State Spotlight: Kentucky: Deploying Fault Detection and Diagnostic Tools in Kentucky
State Spotlight: Massachusetts: Deploying Energy Information Systems in Massachusetts
State Spotlight: Oregon: Deploying Building Automation Systems in Oregon
Resources
Boston, Massachusetts Enterprise Energy Management System Request for Proposals
District of Columbia Energy and Utility Management Support and Analysis Request for Proposals
Massachusetts Building Energy Intelligence System Request for Information
New York Centralized Energy Management Center Request for Proposals
Phoenix, Arizona Utility Accounts Management Program Software Request for Proposals
DOE Better Buildings Smart Energy Analytics Campaign Toolkit
DOE Better Buildings Smart Energy Analytics Campaign
Tools
Commonwealth Edison Company Business Energy Analyzer
DOE Data Auditing Checklist (Tool 5.1)
Kentucky Commonwealth Energy Management and Control System
Massachusetts MassEnergyInsight
Minnesota B3 Benchmarking Tool
New York Power Authority New York Energy Manager
DOE Sample Spreadsheet for Choosing Energy Management and Information Systems (Tool 5.2)
Salt River Project SPATIA Energy Information Services
DOE Building Energy Asset Score
DOE Building Energy Audit Template
DOE Building Performance Database
DOE Energy Performance Indicator Tool
DOE Standard Energy Efficiency Data Platform
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Energy Assessment Tool