The goal of Estimated points is to help your organization fill gaps in your portfolio data. Gaps may be attributed to blockers in data collection, for example, organizations with leased sites, that are unable to access utility data or have no control over sub-metering.
Estimated points allow you to generate an annual energy consumption value for your building based on the buildings area, and an EUI of your choice. For U.S. buildings we support the Commercial Buildings Energy Conservation Survey (CBECS) database from the Energy Information Administration (EIA)*, to provide average EUI's based on building type and size. The EUI you select will then be multiplied by your building's area, to calculate an annual energy consumption value.
*CBECS' latest release in December 2022, provides average EUI's based on 2018 building energy data, which is used to power this feature.
Enabling Estimated points
Building Profile
For adding or editing estimated points one building at a time.
In the Building Profile, navigate to 'Estimated points,' to enable points for Estimated electricity or Estimated natural gas. Based on the building's location you may be able to select from the following options to generate your EUI:
Principal activity type (CBECS): Select from a list of principal activity types for your building to determine the average EUI based on building type and region. Limited to buildings in the U.S.
Square footage (CBECS): Use an average EUI based on your building's area and region. Limited to buildings in the U.S.
Custom EUI: Enter a pre-determined EUI of your choice.
Batch Building Edit
For adding or editing estimated points for batches of up to 500 buildings.
From the buildings table, select the buildings in where wish to add estimated points, and from the Actions dropdown select 'Edit buildings.' Navigate to the last 5 columns:
Estimated electricity: Select from the same options outlined above (availability dependent on building location).
Custom EUI: If 'Custom' was selected for 'Estimated electricity' enter your custom EUI in kwh /square foot. Otherwise leave blank.
Estimated natural gas: Select from the same options outlined above (availability dependent on building location).
Custom EUI: If 'Custom' was selected for 'Estimated natural gas' enter your custom EUI in cubic feet /square foot. Otherwise leave blank.
Principal activity type: If 'Principal activity type' was selected for either electricity or natural gas, select your building's type from the dropdown options.
Batch Building Edit CSV
For adding or editing estimated points for largest batches of buildings.
From the buildings table, select the buildings in where wish to add estimated points, and from the Actions dropdown select 'Edit buildings CSV.' Download the CSV template, and add or edit your buildings' estimated energy points using the last 3 columns.
Estimated electricity (optional): Enter the desired estimate type or enter a value for a custom EUI:
Principal activity type
Square footage
Enter custom EUI value
Estimated natural gas (optional): Enter the desired estimate type or enter a value for a custom EUI:
Principal activity type
Square footage
Enter custom EUI value
Principal activity type (optional): If Principal activity type was selected in either of the two preceding columns, select and key the building's principal activity type from the following options:
Education
Food sales
Food service
Health care, average
Health care, inpatient
Health care, outpatient
Lodging
Mercantile
Retail (other than mall)
Enclosed and strip malls
Office
Public assembly
Public order and safety
Religious worship
Service
Warehouse and storage
Other
Vacant
Batch Building Upload CSV
For adding estimated points during building creation.
By default the Batch Building Upload CSV template does not include the columns: Estimated electricity (optional), Estimated natural gas (optional), Principal activity type (optional). These 3 columns can be added to the end of the Upload CSV, and filled out following the same guidelines stated above.
Estimated readings
After you've saved your selections on the building profile, a point is auto-generated according to the resources you've elected to created estimated points for. These points can be found in the Points table, and act similarly to your other data points. You can adjust their scope, display units, emissions settings, assign tags, and use them in calculated points and dashboards.
Two years of historical data is generated automatically backdated from the month in which the point is created, and new monthly data is added on the first of every month. CBECS provides EUI's based on annual averages, therefore the monthly readings represent the annual consumption prorated across 12 months. If you wish to upload additional historical data you can do so using the Batch Point Data Upload App.
If at any point you wish to stop receiving data for this point, you can set the Offline threshold to Historical to stop incoming readings. If you wish to delete the point, do so by updating the setting in the Building Profile back to None.
Troubleshooting
Problem | Solution |
I don't see an option for Principle activity type or Square footage for my building. | Principle activity type and Square footage are only available for U.S. buildings.
If your building is in the U.S. and one or more of these estimation options is missing, then the EIA had insufficient data for this estimation method in your region. |
I don't see a Principle activity type that matches by building. | The list of Principle activity types provided above is a comprehensive list of the activity types surveyed by EIA. Use the activity type that would most closely resemble the kind of energy consumption of your building.
If you don't see one of the options listed in this article for your specific building, then the EIA had insufficient data for this activity type in your region. |
If you're experiencing errors with your Batch Building Edit CSV that you're having difficulty identifying. | Try using the Batch Building Edit option for a subset of your buildings (as opposed to the CSV). There is a chance that one of the options you've keyed into your CSV, may not be available for your building (see above Problems). The Batch Building Edit table will allow you to use the dropdown menus to see which options are available. |