01
What is Energy Benchmarking?
Energy benchmarking compares your facility's energy performance to similar buildings or industry standards. It answers the critical question: Are we using more or less energy than we should be?
- Identify underperforming facilities in your portfolio
- Set realistic improvement targets
- Track progress over time
- Justify capital investments with data
02
Key Benchmarking Metrics
Effective benchmarking requires consistent metrics that normalize for facility size, weather, and operational differences.
- EUI (Energy Use Intensity): kBtu per square foot
- ENERGY STAR Score: 1-100 scale relative to peers
- Cost per square foot: Normalize for local utility rates
- Production-based metrics: kWh per unit produced
03
Benchmarking Data Sources
Several free and paid resources provide benchmarking data for commercial and industrial facilities.
- ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (free)
- CBECS: Commercial Building Energy Survey
- Industry associations and trade groups
- Utility company benchmarking programs
04
Taking Action on Benchmark Results
Benchmarking data is only useful if it drives action. Use results to prioritize facilities for audits and improvements.
- Focus on worst performers first
- Investigate anomalies in the data
- Set incremental improvement targets
- Celebrate and publicize successes
Key Takeaways
What to remember from this guide.
- 01EUI is the most common benchmarking metric
- 02ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is free and comprehensive
- 03Benchmark data identifies where to focus improvement efforts
- 04Regular benchmarking tracks progress over time
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