Has anyone used Energy Star Portfolio Manager as part of their audit process? A few of my larger clients already have their buildings in Portfolio Manager and I'm wondering if the benchmarking data is useful for identifying billing anomalies.
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Energy Star Portfolio Manager — worth the effort?
I use it occasionally. The EUI (energy use intensity) score is helpful for flagging buildings that are using significantly more energy than their peers. If a building scores in the bottom 20% for its type and climate zone, that's a signal to dig deeper. But Portfolio Manager is more of a screening tool than an audit tool — it tells you something might be wrong but not what or why. The real audit work still happens in the bills and the tariff.
Portfolio Manager is a useful complement to billing analysis but it's not a replacement. The biggest value I see is when presenting findings to clients — being able to say "your building uses 30% more energy per square foot than comparable buildings in your area" is a powerful motivator for the client to invest in corrections. It adds credibility to your recommendations beyond just the billing errors.
Good perspective. I'll use it as a conversation starter with clients but keep the real audit work focused on the bills and tariffs. Thanks.