Collecting data for ENERGY STAR

The ENERGY STAR module provides an API interface that you can use to upload data directly from Envizi to the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager system. Review the data that you need to capture in Envizi before you upload data to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.

In this use case, Envizi is considered as the source of truth if data is overwritten. Therefore, to obtain a valid ENERGY STAR score, you must collect all the required data in Envizi before you upload and replace the corresponding existing data in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.

ENERGY STAR location settings

The ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager mandates a list of required property attributes. Capture the property attributes in the ENERGY STAR Location Settings page. Use one of the following methods to access the page:
  • In the Locations grid, right-click a location and click ENERGY STAR Settings
  • In a Location Summary page, click Benchmark > Energy Star Location Settings
  • In a Location Summary page, click Actions > Energy Star Settings
The following list shows the list of required location attributes and their definitions:
Energy Star location attributes
Definition
Year Built
Year in ‘YYYY’ format. Year ‘2000’ is the default value to be used in API submission if it is not specified here.
Construction Status
Choose one of the following values:
  • Existing (default value to be used in API submission)
  • Design
  • Test
Occupancy %
0% to 100%, choose the value from the list. 100% is the default occupancy percentage to be used in API submission if it is not specified here.
Primary function
Required if using partial synchronization, or if there is no up-to-date property use detail records captured in this location. Failing to provide this might result in the following API synchronization error:
Unable to determine primary function of the property

Location geographical information

You must capture a location’s geographical information in Envizi in several places:

Location region
The location region needs to be a valid post code region, city or state located in either the United States or Canada. The location region can be viewed in the Location Details tab in a location's preview panel. Update the location through the Edit Location page, which you can open by using one of the following options:
  • In a Location Summary page, click Actions > Edit Location.
  • In the Locations grid, right-click a location and click Edit Location.
Location Address and Post Code
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager uses the location's post code in the score calculation engine to determine weather related HDD and CDD adjustments. The API request might fail if the post code is not supplied. View the location address in the Addresses tab in the location's preview panel. The following address fields are compulsory:
  • Address Type - must be physical
  • Address
  • City
  • State
  • Post Code
  • Country or Region - United States or Canada
Update the address through the Addresses page, which you can open by using one of the following options:
  • In a Location Summary page, click More > Addresses.
  • In the Locations grid, right-click a location and click Addresses.

If more than one address is captured, only the first created address record will be used in the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager data upload.

Configuring ENERGY STAR property use details for Full Data Sync mode

For a location to be submitted to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager in Full Data Sync mode, you must configure the property use details in Envizi.You must configure at least one account with one of the relevant ENERGY STAR Property Use Details account styles. The property use details account must capture details such as floor area, weekly operating hours, and so on for the required reporting period.

It is possible to have more than one property use details account in the same location, to represent different functional areas of the same building. For example, a location might be used as an office, for retail, and for parking. Therefore, three property use details accounts with different account styles need to be created for the location in Envizi.

For information about configuring ENERGY STAR data center property types, see the child topic in this section.

Attention: In the Full Data Sync upload mode, all current and historical property use details that are captured as individual account records in Envizi are sent to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, and replace any existing historical property use details records.

Energy and water data

Most energy and water related accounts in Envizi are pushed to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager when an API is invoked. Accounts with account styles that belong to the following data types are automatically supported and no tagging is required. The data type name also indicates the measurement unit in which data is submitted to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. Only data types with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager compatible measurement units are supported, as outlined in the following list:
Chilled water data types
  • Chilled Water [kBtu]
  • Chilled Water [MMBtu]
  • Chilled Water [ton hours]
  • Chilled Water [GJ]
Diesel stationary data types
  • Diesel Stationary [gal]
  • Diesel Stationary [gal] - Scope 3
Electricity data types
  • Electricity [kWh]
  • Electricity [kWh] - Scope 3
  • Electricity [kWh] - No scope
  • Electricity - Onsite Renewables [kWh]
Fuel oil data types
  • Fuel Oil No. 1 [gal]
  • Fuel Oil No. 1 [L]
  • Fuel Oil No. 2 [gal]
  • Fuel Oil No. 2 [L]
  • Fuel Oil No. 4 [gal]
  • Fuel Oil No. 4 [L]
  • Fuel Oil No. 5 & 6 [gal]
  • Fuel Oil No. 5 & 6 [L]
Hot water data types
  • Hot Water [MMBtu]
  • Hot Water [therms]
Kerosene data types
  • Kerosene [gal]
  • Kerosene [L]
Natural gas data types
  • Natural Gas [cf]
  • Natural Gas [GJ]
  • Natural Gas [therms]
  • Natural Gas [kWh]
  • Natural Gas [kWh] - Scope 3
  • Natural Gas [kWh] - No scope
  • Natural Gas [m3]
  • Natural Gas [MMBtu]
  • Natural Gas [100 cf]
Propane data types
  • Propane [gal]
  • Propane [L]
  • Propane [MMBtu]
Steam data types
  • Steam [lbs]
  • Steam [million lbs]
  • Steam [klbs]
  • Steam [therms]
Water data types
  • Water [gal]
  • Water [ccf]
  • Water [kGal]
  • Water [Tgal]
  • Water [m3]
  • Water [m3] - Scope 3

If your required property use, energy, or water account style is not in the previous list, contact IBM Support.

Exclusion of closed accounts

Accounts that are closed accounts before the rating request period are not included in the API data sync.

If an account is closed and has its Replaced On date set to a date before the 12 months rating request period, then the account, together with its monthly consumption values of any period, is not uploaded to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. For example, if you request a rating with 12 months ending in June 2024, and if an account has its Replaced On date set to 30 June 2023 or any date before this date, the account ,and any of its monthly consumption values, are not uploaded to ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager.

Exclusion of accounts or meters from API data sync

In some cases, you might want to exclude certain accounts or meters completely from the API data sync, such as submeters that share duplicated values with the main meter. You can exclude the accounts or meters by applying the following tag to them:

  • Tag Type = EnergyStar Generic
  • Tag = Exclude from EnergyStar Data Sync

Accounts or meters that have the previous tag are not included in either the Full Data Sync or the Partial Data Sync. If an account or meter has been previously synced with ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, it is moved to the Additional Meters - Not Used in Metrics list in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager after a new sync.

For more information about how to apply tags to accounts and meters, see the related link about applying a consolidation tag.

Attention: The Exclude from EnergyStar Data Sync tag acts like a switch with only two states, either on or off. Therefore the tag’s Effective From, Effective To, and Report Percent attributes do not impact its functional behavior. If the tag is applied to an account or meter, the account or meter is completely excluded from API data sync, regardless of the effective period or report percentage specified in the tag.