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Energy benchmarking is possible even when bills are incomplete or building records are unreliable—but the results are only as useful as the data behind them. Start by securing whole-building utility information, correcting the building profile, and setting up a recurring process for updates and corrections. ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager is an online tool for tracking and benchmarking building energy use; nearly 25% of U.S. commercial building space was actively benchmarking in it when ENERGY STAR’s page was accessed in 2026. That figure applies to U.S. commercial space, not buildings worldwide or every building type. ENERGY STAR explains how to benchmark a building.
For owners, property managers, and construction teams working with existing buildings, the difficult part is often not choosing a sophisticated tool. It is obtaining complete utility data, keeping property and meter records accurate, and maintaining the information after the initial upload. The following eight hurdles show where a benchmarking effort can go off track—and what to do about each one.
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1. How can I benchmark a building when tenants pay their own utility bills?
Ask the utility whether it can provide whole-building aggregate data that combines tenant-paid and owner-paid accounts. If the owner collects only the bills for common areas or owner-controlled spaces, the resulting picture may not represent the full building.
In a multi-tenant or multifamily property, tenants may have separate utility accounts. That can make it difficult for an owner or service provider to assemble energy consumption for every space, even when the building’s goal is to benchmark as a whole. ENERGY STAR identifies whole-building utility data as a practical way to address this gap and describes ways to obtain utility data for benchmarking.
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Contact the utility early and ask:
- Can it aggregate usage across the building’s relevant accounts?
- Which meters, fuels, and periods would the aggregate cover?
- What authorization or account-holder participation is required?
- How will you receive the data, and how will later corrections be communicated?
Before relying on an aggregate, confirm what it includes. A data set that excludes certain accounts or spaces may still be useful, but it should not be treated as complete whole-building consumption. Keep a record of any known gaps so that a later reader of the benchmark understands its scope.
2. What if privacy rules prevent the utility from sharing tenant data?
Clarify the utility’s privacy and authorization process before you begin collecting records. Ask whether it can share building-level aggregate data that protects individual customers while still supporting benchmarking.
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Utilities may limit what customer information they release to a third party. That does not automatically mean benchmarking is impossible: ENERGY STAR notes that aggregate building-level data can help protect individual customer privacy while supplying information for benchmarking. But the process and requirements vary, so do not assume that an owner, contractor, or service provider can access tenant account details without permission. See ENERGY STAR’s guidance on obtaining utility data.
Set expectations with the owner and utility before promising a start date. Find out who must authorize access, whether the utility offers an aggregate-data pathway, and whether additional steps apply to the property. If individual permissions are required, establish who will request them and track which accounts are still outstanding. A clear authorization plan prevents privacy questions from surfacing only after the benchmarking schedule is already under pressure.
3. How much historical energy data do I need?
Gather at least one year of data for each fuel type as a starting point. ENERGY STAR’s service-provider guide says Portfolio Manager requires one year of data per fuel type and that two or more years are ideal for a more useful history.
Historical records may be spread across utility portals, invoices, former managers, owners, or separate tracking files. The guide also identifies incomplete records, typos, unit-conversion errors, and repeated follow-ups as common data-collection problems. Begin with an inventory of the building’s fuels and the time periods available for each. Mark missing months and fuels rather than treating a partial record as complete.
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When the first year is assembled, check that the dates line up and that the units have been entered consistently. If a number came from an estimate or a manually maintained spreadsheet, flag it for confirmation. Avoid silently filling gaps or converting units without documenting the source and method. Once the initial set is dependable, continue collecting records so that the benchmark can be updated rather than frozen at the first year.
ENERGY STAR’s 2021 guide to offering energy benchmarking as a service treats data acquisition and maintenance as ongoing work, not a one-time upload.
4. What should I do when utility data arrives too late?
Ask the utility whether it can deliver whole-building consumption data monthly; if it cannot, agree on a recurring collection process that fits the available delivery schedule. Monthly data makes it easier to spot missing or inaccurate records before a reporting deadline approaches.
Quarterly or annual delivery can leave a long gap between a problem and its discovery. A missing period, an unexpected unit, or a meter change may be harder to resolve when records arrive infrequently and the reporting date is near. Natural Resources Canada’s utility guidance recommends monthly whole-building data delivery and discusses delivery through Portfolio Manager web services API for larger utilities. The guidance is directed at utility data workflows; availability depends on the utility and its systems. See Natural Resources Canada’s guidance on whole-building energy data.
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If monthly delivery is not available, make the next-best process explicit: identify who requests or uploads each update, when it is due, how missing periods are followed up, and where the latest source records are retained. A recurring calendar reminder is not a substitute for utility delivery, but it can make responsibility visible and reduce the chance that a data request is forgotten. Build enough time into the schedule to resolve incomplete records before a compliance deadline, while checking the applicable jurisdiction for actual reporting dates.
5. How should I handle estimated bills, rebills, and corrected utility records?
Keep a process for capturing utility corrections and recording which periods changed. A benchmark based on an estimated bill may need to be updated when the utility later revises that usage.
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Utilities may initially estimate consumption and later true it up, or cancel and rebill historical periods. If a revised record is filed without notifying the person maintaining the benchmark, the property profile can retain a value that no longer matches the utility’s corrected information. Natural Resources Canada advises utilities to communicate data revisions so that building owners can keep their records current. Its whole-building data guidance addresses this issue.
When a bill or data feed is revised, note the affected account or meter, the period changed, and whether the record was estimated or corrected. Replace the old figure in the benchmarking record when the corrected data is available, and preserve enough documentation to explain the update. If a period’s value changes materially, reconsider any comparison or interpretation that relied on the earlier value. Do not assume that an updated bill automatically changes a benchmark entry unless your collection process confirms that it does.
6. Which building details and meter records should I check?
Verify the building’s address, postal code, floor area, property-use types, reporting units, and details that can change, such as occupancy or employee counts. Then run Portfolio Manager’s Data Quality Checker and replace temporary, estimated, or default values with actual information where possible.
Energy data is only one part of a benchmark. Incorrect building details can undermine the comparisons or calculations that depend on the property profile. Natural Resources Canada’s benchmarking best practices call attention to profile details, reporting units, and data quality. For a construction or facilities team, a handover is a useful moment to identify who owns those records and whether the information in the benchmarking account matches current building documentation.
Use a practical review sequence:
- Confirm the property identity. Check the address and postal code against the property records used for reporting.
- Confirm area and uses. Review the floor area and property-use types rather than relying indefinitely on an old default or provisional entry.
- Check units. Make sure the reported units match the source records and that any conversion has not introduced an error.
- Review changeable details. Update information such as occupancy or employee counts when it changes and when it is relevant to the profile.
- Run the quality check. Use the Data Quality Checker to identify issues, then investigate rather than dismissing alerts automatically.
Keep a note of the source for corrected values and the date of the review. This helps the next person distinguish a verified entry from a temporary assumption. Revisit the profile periodically and after relevant building or reporting changes; an accurate profile at initial setup can become stale.
7. How do I compare energy use when the weather changes?
Use weather-normalized metrics when comparing periods with different weather, and state which metric you are using. Weather normalization adjusts for actual weather conditions so that a hot summer or cold winter is less likely to dominate the comparison.
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Energy use can change from one year to the next even when building operations have not changed, simply because outdoor conditions differ. ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager’s weather-normalized metrics are intended to make period-to-period comparisons more comparable by accounting for weather. The tool’s help documentation on weather-normalized metrics explains this adjustment.
Normalization is not a universal correction for every difference. It addresses weather effects; it does not make two different buildings identical or eliminate changes in occupancy, use, operating schedules, or data quality. When reporting a trend, name the metric and avoid presenting a weather-adjusted comparison as proof that operations alone caused the change. If the question is whether a particular building improvement produced savings, the benchmark can inform the discussion, but the result still needs to be interpreted in context.
8. How can I keep benchmarking from becoming a one-time exercise?
Assign named responsibility for recurring data updates, quality checks, and follow-up on results. Treat the first complete benchmark as the beginning of a maintenance cycle, not the end of the task.
ENERGY STAR’s service guide describes benchmarking as ongoing work: data must be acquired and maintained, and results should be used to engage clients. Without a clear owner, monthly data may arrive without being entered, profile details may become outdated, and corrected bills may never reach the record. The initial benchmark then becomes less useful as time passes.
A small operating plan can make the work durable:
- Assign roles. Identify who requests or receives utility data, who updates the benchmark, and who reviews the result.
- Set a cadence. Align recurring updates with the utility’s delivery frequency; monthly whole-building data is recommended in Natural Resources Canada’s utility guidance where available.
- Track exceptions. Record missing accounts, periods, estimated values, and unresolved profile questions instead of letting them disappear into email.
- Handle corrections. Make sure rebills and other utility revisions are passed to the person maintaining the record.
- Review results with context. Consider data completeness, profile accuracy, and weather-normalized comparisons before drawing conclusions.
For construction teams handing a building to an owner or facilities manager, clarify who will maintain the energy records once the project team’s role ends. The useful handover is not just a set of bills or meter labels: it is also a clear record of data sources, known gaps, update responsibilities, and any recurring utility process already in place.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How should I choose a utility-data workflow?
Compare options by completeness, frequency, correction handling, authorization and privacy requirements, fit with Portfolio Manager, and the staff effort needed to keep the process working. The best workflow is the one that reliably supplies the scope of data the building intends to benchmark and keeps that information current.
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A utility-provided aggregate may reduce the effort of collecting tenant bills, while direct collection may be necessary where an aggregate is not offered or does not cover the full property. A monthly delivery can reveal issues sooner than infrequent delivery, but a monthly process still needs an owner who checks and maintains the records. Likewise, an automated connection does not remove the need to confirm that the right meters, periods, and building details are included.
Before committing to a workflow, ask the utility and building owner to clarify the data scope, authorization steps, delivery schedule, treatment of revisions, and how the information will reach Portfolio Manager or the person maintaining it. ENERGY STAR and Natural Resources Canada address these issues in their utility-data collection guidance and whole-building data guidance.
What reporting requirements apply to my building?
Check the rules for the building’s own city, state, province, or other jurisdiction before setting a deadline or deciding what data and authorization are required. No single reporting date or authorization threshold should be assumed to apply everywhere.
Programs can differ in who must report, which buildings are covered, what information is required, and how utility data can be obtained. The California Energy Commission’s Building Energy Benchmarking Program FAQ is an example of guidance for one state program—not a universal template. Use the applicable program’s current instructions for compliance, and treat general benchmarking guidance as a way to organize data rather than as a substitute for local requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I benchmark a building if I only have data for part of it?
You can organize and review the data you have, but a partial set should not be described as whole-building consumption. Note which accounts, meters, spaces, or periods are missing, and ask the utility whether an aggregate can fill the gaps.
Does a better benchmark prove that a retrofit caused energy savings?
Not by itself. A benchmark helps track and compare energy use, but interpretation still depends on data quality, weather, building use, and other changes; weather normalization addresses weather effects, not every difference that may affect the comparison.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallIs Portfolio Manager’s weather-normalized metric the same as actual utility use?
No. Actual utility records report consumption for the billing period, while a weather-normalized metric adjusts for weather to make comparisons across periods more comparable. Keep the distinction clear when sharing results.
Who should maintain energy benchmark records after a construction project ends?
The owner or the person responsible for ongoing building operations needs an assigned role in the recurring process. Agree during handover who will obtain updates, correct records, and review results so the work does not depend on a project team that has moved on.
