We recently updated the BuildingAdvice software to improve the integrity of the data exchange with ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager system. This will improve our ability to get buildings in and out of Portfolio Manager. We also added the Senior Care Facility building type, bringing us up to date with the most current ENERGY STAR ratable facility list.
RELEASE DATE: This software release is scheduled for June 30th at 3pm Pacific time.
This release will move us from a hybrid Target Finder/Portfolio Manager benchmarking system to one based solely on Portfolio Manager.
Since the launch of our Portfolio Manager integration, we have seen the occasional discrepancy between ratings generated by the Target Finder and Portfolio Manager systems and the financial comparisons used in our reports. The root cause of the discrepancies relate to differences in how the two systems account for weather normalization. Portfolio Manager uses the actual weather for the bills entered whereas Target Finder uses a typical year or average year’s weather. Our reporting software currently uses Target Finder to get the score and comparison financial information. When we import a building from Portfolio Manager we use a combination of metrics from Portfolio Manager and Target Finder. After the June 30th release, we will be using only Portfolio Manager-generated scores. This should remove the score and financial comparison discrepancies moving forward though there may be differences on buildings already run through the system. The time it takes to receive a report will increase since the Portfolio Manager Automated Benchmarking Service is not a real time system. Please plan ahead when needing to deliver a brand new Energy Benchmark Report or a final Report of any type where changes have been made to the building (zip code, meters or space type information).
If you have any detailed questions, please feel free to call any of us on the Technical Support Staff.
ADDITION TO THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT TEAM: The BuildingAdvice Technical Support team recently hired another Energy Analyst. Corey Northrop has a background in general contracting and came out of the Northwest Energy Education Institute’s Energy Management program. With this additional member of the team, we have expanded our hours of coverage from 6am Pacific/9am Eastern to 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern to better serve our customers.
Corey Northrop | Associate Energy Analyst
Toll-free: 866.247.4800 x621