What is annual energy use intensity (EUI) benchmarking?

Energy use intensity (EUI) is a building's energy use per unit of floor area per year, such as kilowatt-hours per square metre, and benchmarking compares it with similar buildings or targets, to see whether a building is efficient and where to improve.

What It Is

• To calculate EUI, add up a year's energy use from bills and meters, divide by the building's floor area, and compare the result with benchmarks for the same building type and climate, such as offices, malls, or hospitals, and with energy code and green building targets, so owners can see if a building uses more than it should.
• India's energy conservation code gives references.

How It Works

• Benchmarking helps to find buildings that waste energy, set targets, track improvement after upgrades, support green certifications, and report to investors and tenants, but the comparison must be fair, since use depends on hours of operation, climate, occupancy, and equipment, so data should be adjusted, and the quality of meters matters.
• One year's data may mislead.

What to Check

• Collect accurate energy data from meters and bills, measure the floor area consistently, choose suitable benchmarks, review the results, find the main uses such as air conditioning, set a target, plan upgrades, and repeat each year, and consider an energy audit, and share results with tenants.
• Use sub-meters for detail.

Accurate data come first, so collect a full year of meter data, use a consistent floor area, compare with suitable benchmarks, and repeat the exercise each year.