Benchmarking is only as interpretable as the boundary and evidence behind it. A hotel report can look complete while omitting a separately metered kitchen, mixing partial years, or treating an opening estimate as measured consumption. This document records those choices before a score, intensity, or peer comparison is discussed.
Use the procurement hub for supply decisions and keep benchmarking’s physical quantities distinct from offer prices. Print the collection ledger for the person gathering utility records and the person verifying property details. It contains blank fields for actual evidence, not sample hotel performance or invented comparison values.
What should the collection ledger contain?
| Input and reporting boundary | Source, units, period | Measured, estimated, missing | Reviewer, evidence, exception |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity meters: ________ | |||
| Gas and other fuels: ________ | |||
| Area and property uses: ________ | |||
| Operating details: ________ | |||
| Comparison source and filters: ________ | ________________ |
Write the building identifier, reporting tool or requirement, start and end dates, owner of the data set, facilities reviewer, final approver, and file version above the table. Add a map or account list that shows included and excluded areas. If the tool uses property-use categories, preserve the category definitions and input instructions used for this version.
Which collection checks should be completed?
- Define the building and reporting purpose.
State whether the analysis covers one building, several buildings, an entire campus, or a limited operating area. Identify the intended metric, reporting year, tool, and any applicable program instructions. Distinguish voluntary analysis from a specific mandatory reporting obligation. Record areas that share meters and areas excluded from the boundary. A procurement account group may include or omit space differently from a building benchmark. Resolve that difference before copying an annual utility total into the data set, and keep a diagram or written scope note.
Status: □ Pending □ Complete □ Exception. Boundary owner: __________. Scope evidence: __________. Exclusion or shared-meter decision: __________.
- Map every relevant meter and fuel.
List utility accounts, service points, submeters, and fuels used within the defined boundary. Match the meter map with current bills and facilities records. Include applicable district energy or delivered fuels when the reporting method requires them. Identify onsite generation, exports, or shared services and obtain the method’s treatment rather than inventing netting rules. The new-property onboarding checklist helps recover an uncertain meter map. Assign every unmatched energy source a verification owner before the collection is called complete.
Status: □ Pending □ Complete □ Exception. Meter reviewer: __________. Account-map reference: __________. Unmatched fuel or service point: __________.
- Collect quantities with original service dates.
Obtain bills and exports showing consumption, units, read status, beginning and ending dates, and corrections. Sort by service period and retain invoice dates separately. Identify periods crossing the reporting year and use the tool’s prescribed handling. Prevent duplicate quantities when a corrected invoice replaces an earlier estimate. Record gaps and irregular intervals in the ledger. The monthly bill checklist can supply reviewed records, but confirm its meter scope matches this building boundary before reusing the totals.
Status: □ Pending □ Complete □ Exception. Collection owner: __________. Original-file index: __________. Gap or correction requiring action: __________.
- Verify units and any conversions.
Keep each source series in its original unit and document the conversion required for the intended metric. Distinguish energy from power, billed demand, physical fuel volume, and cost. Record conversion factors, source, period, and calculation owner. Do not copy a natural gas dollar amount into an energy field or treat a demand quantity as consumption. If the utility applies a factor that changes over time, preserve the invoice-specific evidence. Have another reviewer check that conversions do not double-count or erase a separately recorded energy source.
Status: □ Pending □ Complete □ Exception. Conversion reviewer: __________. Factor source: __________. Unit question and resolution: __________.
- Gather area and operating descriptors.
Use property plans, facilities records, and the reporting instructions to verify required area and use information. Record room counts, operating details, laundry or kitchen characteristics, and other fields only as required by the chosen tool or comparison. Identify who verified each figure and whether it describes the same reporting year. Do not substitute a marketing brochure’s area without checking its definition. Keep changed facilities, partial openings, closures, and unusual operating periods visible because they can affect comparability even when consumption records are complete.
Status: □ Pending □ Complete □ Exception. Property-data owner: __________. Field evidence: __________. Definition or year mismatch: __________.
- Resolve or label missing and estimated inputs.
Request missing utility records before using a substitute. If the relevant method permits estimation, document the affected period, allowed method, inputs, uncertainty, and approval. Keep measured and estimated series distinguishable in the retained files. Record whether the gap affects a tool’s eligibility or the interpretation of an intensity metric. A polished annual total is not an adequate replacement for this information. Give every unresolved item a due date and owner; do not silently fill a blank to obtain a desired-looking report.
Status: □ Pending □ Complete □ Exception. Missing-data owner: __________. Recovery or estimation evidence: __________. Accepted limitation: __________.
- Choose comparisons with a stated population.
Record the source, year, property category, geographic or size filters, sample limits, and metric definition used for any peer comparison. Distinguish a tool score from a simple ratio and a survey estimate from voluntary reporting data. Keep the selection reproducible by saving the relevant settings or report. Do not describe historical comparisons as current market prices. If the group differs in operating characteristics, state the limitation and use the result as a question for further analysis rather than a verdict on hotel performance.
Status: □ Pending □ Complete □ Exception. Analysis owner: __________. Comparison record: __________. Population limitation and decision: __________.
- Review the completed data set and retain its history.
Have facilities confirm the physical boundary and accounting or the data owner confirm the utility records. Compare totals with the underlying files and resolve unexplained jumps or duplicates. Record the approved version, open exceptions, and intended uses. If the inputs support a required report, track submission and acceptance separately under that program’s rules. Retain changes when a later actual read replaces an estimate. Give the annual procurement plan only the verified findings and clearly described limitations relevant to planning.
Status: □ Pending □ Complete □ Exception. Final reviewer: __________. Approved version: __________. Remaining limitation and next action: __________.
What do the primary comparison sources establish?
EPA’s Portfolio Manager how-to guides support the practical collection, sharing, and reporting tasks. Check the instructions relevant to the property and chosen metric. They do not mean that every hotel has a score or that a completed collection file satisfies every local reporting rule.
EPA’s Data Explorer explanation states that its population includes voluntary users and properties subject to reporting requirements. Its cleaning and limitations matter when interpreting selected results. EIA’s 2018 CBECS tables provide historical commercial-building survey evidence, with methodology and uncertainty information. Use the correct category and year; neither source supplies an invented current hotel target.
How should a simple metric and procurement costs stay separate?
Assume solely to illustrate arithmetic that verified annual site energy is 12,000,000 kBtu and the corresponding area is 120,000 square feet. The ratio is 100 kBtu per square foot per year. Those assumed figures are not this hotel’s data or a peer benchmark, and the ratio is not automatically an ENERGY STAR score.
If a broker or adviser is paid for collection or related procurement work, record the payer, method, units, deliverables, and embedded or separate compensation treatment. Count embedded supply compensation once in financial analysis. Keep that cost record separate from physical energy inputs so administrative charges do not change measured building consumption.