Energy Star Portfolio Manager is a comprehensive tool that offers a variety of features to help building owners and managers track and improve their building’s energy performance. Some of the key features include:
- Energy and water usage tracking: Users can enter data about their building’s energy and water usage, including information about the types of energy used (e.g., electricity, natural gas), and track changes over time.
- 1-100 energy performance score: The tool generates a 1-100 energy performance score based on the data entered, which can be used to benchmark the building’s energy performance against similar buildings.
- Benchmarking: Users can compare their building’s energy performance to similar buildings in their region, and track progress over time.
- Resources and guidance: The tool provides a variety of resources and guidance to help users identify and implement cost-effective energy-saving measures.
- ENERGY STAR certification: Buildings that score well in the Portfolio Manager tool have a chance to earn the ENERGY STAR certification.
- Multi-building tracking: It allows tracking multiple buildings under one account.
Alternatives to Energy Star Portfolio Manager include:
- Building Energy Rating and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO) compliance tools: BERDO is a local compliance which some cities in the US have in place, which allows building owners to track and disclose their building’s energy performance.
- Other energy-tracking tools: There are a variety of other tools available that are designed to help building owners and managers track and improve their building’s energy performance, such as BuildingIQ, Lucid, and Building Dynamics.
- Green Building Rating Systems: Rating systems such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) are used to evaluate the sustainability and environmental impact of buildings.
Keep in mind that Energy Star Portfolio Manager is specific to commercial and institutional buildings in the US, while other alternatives might have more global reach and other features.