ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager setup & utility data
We set up or clean up your Portfolio Manager account and collect complete utility data — including whole-building data when tenants pay their own bills — so your benchmarking report is right from the start.
The foundation every benchmarking report sits on
ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager is the EPA’s free online tool that almost every U.S. benchmarking law uses. Your property in Portfolio Manager — its floor area, uses, meters and a year of consumption — is what your city or state actually receives. If the setup is wrong, the report is wrong, no matter how carefully the bills were entered.
We set up new properties correctly from the start, and we fix existing accounts that have grown messy over the years: duplicate properties, meters attached to the wrong building, outdated square footage, or data that a previous vendor left behind.
We also handle the part most owners find hardest: getting whole-building data when tenants pay their own utilities.
What’s included
- New property setup, or audit and cleanup of an existing account
- Property uses and details entered to EPA’s definitions
- Meters for every fuel and water source, correctly associated
- Utility data upload or automated web services connection
- Aggregated whole-building data requests to your utilities
- Tenant authorization forms where utilities require them
- Correct jurisdiction IDs added for reporting
- Property shared back to you so you always keep access
Getting whole-building data when tenants pay their own bills
Why you need it
Most benchmarking laws require energy use for the whole building — common areas and every tenant space. If tenants are separately metered, you don’t have their bills, but the law still expects their usage in your report.
Aggregated data
Many utilities in cities with benchmarking laws will give owners a single monthly total for all meters in a building, without showing any individual tenant’s usage, as long as enough meters are combined. Some can send it straight into Portfolio Manager.
Tenant authorizations
Where aggregated data isn’t available, owners collect signed authorization from each tenant to request their usage. We prepare the forms, collect them and submit the requests for you.
Utilities set their own turnaround times for these requests, and they get slower as deadlines approach. Starting in January or February is the single best way to avoid a late filing.
Common Portfolio Manager problems we fix
Duplicate properties
Two records for the same building, each with half the data — often after a change in management. We merge the history into one correct property.
Wrong property type
A mixed-use building entered as a single use, or a use type that doesn’t match how the building operates, can change your score and trigger data-quality flags.
Outdated floor area
Square footage that doesn’t match city or assessor records is a frequent reason reports are questioned. We reconcile it and note the source.
Meter mix-ups
Meters attached to the wrong property, missing from the total, or counted twice. We check every account against the bills.
Gaps and estimates
Missing months, overlapping dates and estimated reads that fail Portfolio Manager’s data checks are corrected or documented.
Lost access
Accounts tied to a former employee or vendor. We help you regain access and set up sharing so it doesn’t happen again.
What we’ll need to get started
- Building address, gross floor area and year built
- How the space is used (office, retail, multifamily units, parking and so on)
- Utility account numbers or recent bills for each fuel and water
- Your existing Portfolio Manager username, if you have one
- Tenant contact list, if tenants pay their own utilities
Once the setup is done, you can keep it current yourself or let us handle your annual benchmarking filing every year.
Frequently asked questions
Is ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager free?
Yes. Portfolio Manager is a free online tool from the U.S. EPA. Our fee covers the work of setting up the property correctly, collecting and checking the data, and keeping it ready for your benchmarking report.
Who owns the Portfolio Manager account?
You do. If we create the property, we share it with your account with full access, so you keep the data even if you change providers.
What is aggregated whole-building data?
It is a monthly total of energy use for all the meters in a building, provided by the utility to the owner without revealing any individual tenant’s consumption. Many utilities offer it to help owners comply with benchmarking laws.
How long do aggregated data requests take?
It varies by utility — from a few days to several weeks. Requests get slower near major deadlines, which is why we start them early in the year.
Can you take over an account another vendor set up?
Yes. We review the existing property, correct any problems and document what changed so your history stays intact.
Can utility data load into Portfolio Manager automatically?
Some utilities offer web services that send monthly data straight into Portfolio Manager. Where that’s available, we set it up so next year’s report starts with the data already in place.