Energy Benchmarking Helps in Building an Energy Management System

Are you a manager looking for ways to reduce your company's energy costs? If so, one of the most effective strategies that should be on your radar is energy benchmarking. Through benchmarking, you’ll have access to comprehensive data about how much energy your business consumes and where it can save money in the long run – providing insight into where savings are possible and further guidance on building an energy management system.

With this blog post, we will break down what exactly energy benchmarking means and explain why it’s been essential for modern businesses worldwide.

What is Building Benchmarking?

Building benchmarking is a process that allows building owners to assess the energy efficiency of their property and compare it against similar buildings. The primary way this is done is by the usage of energy star portfolio manager; an online energy-tracking tool from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

By entering data routinely, building owners can track energy consumption in kBTU per square foot annually and gain insight into where energy-efficiency gains can be made. Building benchmarking is essential for advocating energy efficiency as it helps to identify opportunities to reduce energy bills and carbon footprint.

What is Meant by Energy Benchmarking in Energy Management?

Energy Benchmarking is a powerful tool in energy management that allows companies to compare the energy performance of their buildings or equipment against industry standards.

By understanding where they are using the most energy and how much it cost, businesses can set targets to reduce their energy footprint as part of their overall energy management strategy.

Energy benchmarking enables organizations to not only measure their current performance but also track goals over time and warn them when they fall behind the target. It is an invaluable tool for reducing energy costs, conserving resources, and improving company standards.

Step-by-Step Guide to Benchmarking of Commercial Buildings

Benchmarking your commercial building energy usage is a great way to stay ahead of energy inefficiency. With the right step-by-step guide, you can have a better understanding of your building's energy performance. First, start with gathering energy use data from both internal and external data.

Then, compile each energy use profile into one cohesive system using energy management software. Next, set energy baselines and target energy usage goals for the building. Once these are established, regular utilization of metering and submetering techniques will provide insights into where energy is being used most efficiently or inefficiently within the building.

Finally, analyze any deviations between your goals and actual results in order to determine areas that are wasting energy, allowing you to make informed decisions on how to reduce overall consumption and improve energy efficiency.

Benefits of Energy Benchmarking for Buildings

Energy benchmarking is an effective tool to help identify how a building's energy use compares with similar sites. Utilizing benchmarking tools, property owners are able to gain detailed insights into their buildings’ energy-related performance and specific areas of improvement.

Building benchmarking gives property managers access to more accurate and reliable energy consumption data that can be used to inform decisions and create more efficient processes.

Benchmarking helps to detect waste and inefficiency through an in-depth energy consumption survey, allowing building owners to properly prioritize actions that will reduce both operational costs and greenhouse gas emissions.

Not only does benchmarking establish a baseline for better energy management, but it is also key for unlocking the potential of sustainable buildings.

Requirements To Benchmark Buildings

Before a building can be benchmarked, several requirements must be met. The measure of the energy performance of the building must be known, as this will determine how efficient the building is. Additionally, baseline consumption levels must be established in order to measure how various factors affect consumption.

It will then be possible to create energy efficiency plans that are tailored to the unique characteristics of each building, giving the owners and occupants a measurable way to reduce their operating expenses and environmental impact. Collecting this data is essential for benchmarking buildings and gaining valuable insights about their energy usage.

How Can Benchmarking Help To Build An Energy Management System?

Implementing an energy management system can be a complex and highly involved process, but benchmarking provides a valuable tool for streamlining the process. Benchmarking is the practice of measuring a company's current energy performance against recognized benchmarks to measure progress.

This process allows companies to measure energy performance by comparing themselves with others who have already achieved the standards that are desired for their organization. By comparison, businesses can set attainable objectives for their own energy management program and measure their achievement over time.

Utilizing benchmarking as part of an overall energy management system empowers companies to measure and improve their performance in order to create a more effective and efficient operation.

Tips For Energy Benchmarking Plan

Here are some tips for you to plan energy benchmarking:

Identify Your Goals

When it comes to developing an energy benchmarking plan, the most important step is to clearly define your goals and objectives. By establishing a clear set of expectations and targets, you can ensure that your efforts are focused in the right direction.

Collect Data

Once you have identified your goals, it’s important to gather data to benchmark against. This includes collecting information on the energy consumption of similar buildings, as well as any existing records you may have on your own building’s usage.

Develop Benchmarking Strategies

Once you’ve gathered the necessary data, start developing strategies for how you’ll be able to measure and compare your building’s performance against the benchmarks you have identified.

Analyze Your Results

After you’ve implemented your energy benchmarking plan, it’s time to analyze the results. Compare your building’s performance against industry standards and make note of any areas that need improvement.

Monitor Progress

Regularly monitor your building’s energy usage to ensure that you’re making progress toward reaching your goals. By tracking and analyzing the data, you can identify areas where additional efficiency measures may be necessary.

Make Adjustments

Once you’ve identified areas of improvement, make the necessary adjustments to ensure that your building is performing as efficiently as possible. This may include implementing additional energy efficiency measures or investing in new technology.

Celebrate Successes

Don’t forget to celebrate the successes along the way! Developing an effective energy benchmarking plan can be a difficult process, so make sure to recognize the accomplishments that you and your team make.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your energy benchmarking plan is successful. By clearly defining goals, collecting data, developing strategies, analyzing results, monitoring progress, and making adjustments, you can create an effective plan that will help reduce energy costs and improve overall building performance.

Why is Energy Benchmarking Important in Building Energy Management System?

Energy benchmarking is a critical process in improving building energy management systems. Implementing energy benchmarking, provides a basis for comparison between structures and allows for the implementation of effective operational changes that reduce costs and increase efficiency.

With the current trend towards more sustainable buildings, benchmarking is an essential tool in helping to implement cost-effective measures that also minimize energy. By carrying out accurate energy benchmarking, facilities and operations managers can identify areas for improvement as well as prioritize investments and track progress toward sustainability goals.

Furthermore, information from successful energy initiatives can be shared and compared with peers to foster growth within an organization. Energy benchmarking is key in creating an effective building energy management system that will shape the future of the industry.

Conclusion

Energy benchmarking can help you understand how much energy your business uses, what the best ways to conserve energy are, and where there may be room for improvement. By understanding your past energy usage, you can set more achievable goals for the future and make informed decisions about where to allocate your resources. Energy benchmarking is just one piece of the puzzle when it comes to building an effective energy management system, but it’s a crucial first step. If you’re interested in learning more about how we can help you reduce your energy consumption, contact us today.