When we support our clients in their GRESB reporting season, it becomes clear time and again that data availability and quality are often a challenge. Despite the increased use of software solutions, the situation has not changed much.

It is usually extremely difficult for the owners to get data from their tenants and often, meters are read irregularly or there is no one responsible for collecting the data. Going the other way and asking the network operator is just as time-consuming, can become really expensive and is not possible across all countries. Smart meters, that would make the access to the data easier, are rarely available and data only accessible for the landlord-controlled areas of a building. On top of that, where data is collected, it cannot be adequately checked, and plausibility verified.

Thus, data coverage still remains a source of frustration throughout the GRESB submittal season and the development of a proper data collection process from bottom up offers vast improvement potential.

COVID has disrupted existing processes

This year we have seen COVID complicate the situation to some extent. Due to restricted accessibility, specialist staff were rarely on site. Therefore turn-around times for queries were impacted and calling tenants and property managers became way more necessary than in previous years.

Of course, COVID also had a considerable influence on the level of consumption, especially in office buildings and retail. A drop in end energy and especially water (30% sometimes even up to 50% compared to previous year) could be observed for almost all asset classes.

The reduction could not always be attributed fully to a lower utilisation of the buildings. Could it also be due to technical circumstances? Or was it both? Added to this was the fact that different operation modes of the assets made it challenging to identify the real reasons for data outliers.

What drives data-quality?

So, it is pretty clear, that getting high-quality data and high data availability is really important.

Here are some tips which helped our clients to improve their data quality.

• Get everyone involved early, or you will be dealing with coverage instead of quality up to the last day of submittal.
• Make sure property and asset managers know their role early on; they are an important piece of the puzzle.
• Software or no software? A software solution can contribute to better data quality, but just having/using a software does not make your data accurate. Especially when data collection is done manually and then transferred into the software by a third party. This can end up being a bottleneck rather than a game-changer for data quality. Solutions like automated data collection through smart-meters, connections to energy supplier portals or building management systems and/or digital invoice readings exist according to software developers but is not always applied in the field.
• It always comes down to the people providing the raw data (property & asset managers) and how much they can be challenged on data quality. Instead of measuring their performance based on benchmarks and historical data, they should get a feedback right when they deliver the data. Advanced software can become a game-changer here. Our experience shows: the more feedback they get right at the point of data entry, the better the overall data quality.

The end of GRESB season is simply the start of the next

Even though we can now take a breather for a moment until the next GRESB season, we should already be starting to think about the next season:

• To continuously ensure high data quality, the topic should not only be highly relevant within the GRESB season. On the contrary, we should make data management an ongoing year-around activity.
• Working together with the experts from asset and portfolio management and the staff on site is really important. Now is the time to get everyone engaged and provide instant feedback on data-inputs. That helps property and asset managers to develop their own feeling whether or not their data entry is in a reasonable range.
• The amount of data is increasing. Therefore, big scaling of automated data feeds into software solutions will be even more necessary in the upcoming years. Sure, this will not necessarily solve today’s problems but helps to improve data quality as a mid-term target.
• Applying this process will ultimately lead to more efficient buildings over time because poor performing assets are identified earlier than they are today. Thus, improvement potentials can be budgeted and implemented earlier.
• Good data management goes beyond the question of coverage. Availability is the first step, which could actually start a continual improvement process. Discussing and analysing the given data should then be the second. Those findings will then stimulate earlier actions for poor performing assets and eventually lead to reductions in energy use. That is what makes tenants happy, reduces CO₂-emissions, tackles the climate crisis, and then saves the planet.

Sounds perfectly easy, doesn’t it?

Need help to implement a data management process in your company? We are happy to help. Just give us a call on +49 (0) 30 403 658 50 or send an email to berlin@es-info.com.

We are looking forward to hearing from you.