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, Resources, and Tools

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, Resources, and Tools

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.