Building owners and cities can work together to report information on building energy performance and easily report annually on consumption. ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is a free tool designed to measure and track energy use of buildings.

Benchmarking data helps a city document the effectiveness of its policy implementation and impact. It provides summary information about public and private buildings, documenting trends in energy and water performance, and is the foundation for information to share with stakeholders.

How can cities help private sector real estate decision makers build a business case for energy efficiency? This primer summaries key findings from in-depth conversations with commercial real estate leaders, as documented in the longer City Energy Project report “Breaking Down the Bottom Line: The Business Case for Energy Efficiency in Buildings.”

Why should businesses care about energy efficiency in buildings? Why should companies put their staff effort and limited budget resources into documenting, analyzing, and reducing their energy use? This report provides a multidimensional, in-depth look at the business case for energy efficiency in buildings. Its core is the firsthand commentary of executives at three real estate companies, each at the leading edge of efficiency and sustainability in its respective sector (high-profile commercial adaptive reuse, medical buildings, and multifamily residential properties).

A quick overview on the features of ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, including tips to navigate the tool, enter building data, and connect and share data with others.

Find an overview of the overall property, the property use details, and energy consumption data required to qualify your building for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ENERGY STAR certification.

For real-time, and instant information on a building’s energy performance, an Energy Management Information System (EMIS) is a sound investment. EMIS can lower a building’s energy use by up to 20 percent, yielding quick payback, smart operations, and better buildings.

Data quality is important when communicating publicly about the energy usage of buildings, as it plays an integral role in a city’s ability to measure, track, and report progress in meeting energy, sustainability, climate, or other public goals.

For utilities and program implementers, the Putting Data to Work Toolkit bring to light ways in which publicly available policy data can assist in better customer targeting, ideally leading to higher participation rates at lower customer acquisition costs.

Energy data spurs decision making and helps building owners, managers, and operators improve energy use. In this report the use of scorecards on building energy use, is under the microscope. The key tactics and city examples provided, shine a light on how to share energy performance data to motivate action on building energy efficiency.

There are a ton of Energy Management Information Systems (EMIS) to choose from. Take a look at the national trends and available solutions in EMIS, and learn how commercial real estate professionals, vendors, utilities, and local government actors are using these platforms to meet their needs.