EN1: Operational Energy
Assessment Instructions
Participants must report this metric at the asset level.
GRESB automatically populates this indicator in the assessment response once participants have aggregated asset-level data from the Asset Portal.
When using the Asset Spreadsheet to upload asset-level data, GRESB recommends reviewing the instructions below in conjunction with the corresponding spreadsheet tab. The Cell Code column in the Input section indicates where to report each metric in the spreadsheet.
Asset Portal Guide Click here to download a read-only version of the Asset Spreadsheet.
Shared Services / Common Areas
Input: How do I complete this metric?
Data
Cell Code
Instructions
Consumption
M-BE7
Report two consecutive years of energy consumption separately by energy type: ,fuel, district heating & cooling, and electricity.
Consumption Value: Participants must report all known consumption per energy type for a given space, regardless of the % of ownership. If the area is supplied by utilities but consumption is unknown, leave this field empty. See examples below.
Estimation: Participants must use actual data (non-estimated). However, GRESB allows asset-level estimates under specific conditions outlined in the Data Quality & Validation page when actual data is partially unavailable.
Outdoor: Only include the energy consumption of outdoor/exterior/parking areas in the whole-building energy consumption if it is metered together with the rest of the asset.
Energy types:
Fuels: Primary fuels such as natural gas, coal, and/or oil that are combusted onsite.
District Heating & Cooling: A system for distributing hot or cold steam and water generated in a centralized location for residential and commercial heating requirements, such as space and water heating.
Electricity: The reported value should represent the electricity consumed in the asset, including renewable energy consumed by the asset (generated on-site and off-site).
Shared Services & Common Area
M-BE7
If an asset's Base Building consumption data comes exclusively from Shared Services, it is still mandatory to provide a floor area size for Common Areas.
However, if the consumption of Common Areas cannot be separated from Shared Services and is fully included in Shared Services, the Data Coverage for Common Areas should be equal to the coverage reported under Shared Services. See examples below.
Floor Area Covered
M-BE7
This refers to the floor area corresponding to the reported consumption.
If consumption is unknown, enter 0 for the floor area covered.
Max Floor Area
M-BE7
This refers to the total floor area serviced by the reported utility type.
If the consumption is not known for the entire area, the maximum floor area may differ from the floor area covered.
Examples
General Data Coverage
Example 1: The area is supplied with electricity, but the consumption data is unknown to the participant
0
10,000
Example 2: The area is supplied with electricity, and the participant knows that there was no consumption during the entire reported period
0
10,000
10,000
Example 3: The area is supplied with electricity, but the participant only knows 75% of the total consumption during the entire reporting year
12,500
7,500
10,000
Example 4: The area is not supplied with electricity
For floor areas not serviced by a utility, all 3 fields are to remain empty. If an asset is not serviced by any fuel source, all fuel-related cells should remain blank.
Common Area & Shared Services Data Coverage
Scenario A: The Base Building of an asset is composed of Common Areas (2,000 sqm) and Shared Services (10,000 sqm). Consumption cannot be separated between Common Areas and Shared Services - the entire consumption is tracked together. By definition, Shared Services overlap with the Common Areas. The entity knows the total energy consumption of Base Building (2,500 kWh), and reports it under Shared Services as:
Energy
2500
10000
10000
The resulting Data Coverage for Shared Services is [Floor Area Covered / Maximum Floor Area] = [10,000 / 10,000] = 100%.
It is mandatory to also provide a maximum floor area of the Common Area. If the Base Building consumption consists only of Shared Services, the asset's Common Area data coverage should equal that of Shared Services. As explained above, participants must also include a value in the Common Areas section.
Given that the consumption value relating to the entire Base Building has already been reported through Shared Services, any remaining consumption specific to Common Areas should be zero.
Energy
0
2000
2000
Reporting Energy consumption this way means that, while the area was supplied with Energy, the participant knows that consumption is zero.
The resulting Data Coverage for Common Areas is [Floor Area Covered / Maximum Floor Area] = [2,000 / 2,000] = 100%.
At the Base Building level, the aggregated Data Coverage would equal the weighted-average Data Coverage of both Shared Services and Common areas, respectively:
100%*[10,000 / 12,000] + 100%*[2,000 / 12,000] = 100%
The final result of 100% is correct because the participant knows all consumption values associated with an asset’s Base Building.
Scenario B: The Base Building of an asset is composed of Common Areas (2,000 sqm) and Shared Services (10,000 sqm). Common Areas and Shared Services consumption is tracked separately. The consumption for the Shared Services is 2,500 kWh and the consumption for the Common Areas is unknown.
If the entity only has data for Shared Services and does not capture Common Areas consumption, the Common Area coverage should be zero, while the Shared Services coverage should be 100% as per the example below.
Energy
0
2000
Energy
2500
10000
10000
Reporting in this manner means that while the area is supplied with Energy, the consumption is unknown to the participant.
The resulting Data Coverage for Common Areas is:
[Floor Area Covered / Maximum Floor Area] = [0 / 2,000] = 0%.
At the Base Building level, the aggregated Data Coverage would equal the weighted-average Data Coverage of both Shared Services and Common areas, respectively:
100%*[10,000 / 12,000] + 0%*[ 2,000 / 12,000] = 83.3%
Validation: What evidence is required?
This indicator is subject to automatic validation. No evidence is required. Refer to the page below for guidance on how to resolve automatic validation errors and warnings. Validation Basics
Scoring
Operational energy influences data coverage (8.5 points total) and energy performance (2.5 points total) score calculation.
Data Coverage
Step 1: Calculate Asset-Level Data Coverage
GRESB calculates each asset's percentage of data coverage based on both area and time for which data is available — separately for landlord and tenant-controlled areas:
Landlord-controlled areas include Whole Building: Landlord-Controlled, Base Building (Shared Services and Common Areas), and Tenant Spaces: Landlord Controlled.
Tenant-controlled areas include Whole Building: Tenant-Controlled and Tenant Spaces: Tenant Controlled.
Step 2: Score Each Asset
GRESB compares asset-level data coverage against a relevant benchmark distribution based on the same property sub-type and country, and specific to landlord-controlled and tenant-controlled areas. In other words, each control type earns its own score.
If the asset reports at the Base Building + Tenant Space Level:
GRESB further aggregates the control-type scores based on its floor area weight within the asset. Base Building data coverage holds a 40% weight, and Tenant Space data coverage holds a 60% weight.
Since tenant spaces can include both landlord-controlled and tenant-controlled areas, the 60% weight is further distributed based on the floor area for each. Specifically:
Landlord-controlled space scores are calculated as:
40% + 60% * Tenant Spaces landlord-controlled area proportion (%)
Tenant-controlled space scores are calculated as:
60% * Tenant Spaces tenant-controlled area proportion (%)
If the asset reports at the Whole Building level, the aggregation steps above do not apply.
How does GRESB construct benchmarks used for scoring?
First, an attempt is made to construct a benchmark by grouping values from assets with the same Property Sub-Type and located in the same Country. If there are not at least 20 values from 5 distinct reporting entities, the Property Sub-Type classification and then the Country specificity are gradually decreased.
For example, the Property Sub-Type becomes Property Type and then Property Sector. Then the specificity of the Country is decreased to Sub-Region, Region, Super-Region, and Global.
Step 3: Aggregate to the Property Subtype | Country Level
GRESB aggregates the asset-level scores to each property sub-type and country combination, using a weighted mean calculated by multiplying floor area by the percentage of ownership and the length of ownership period in the reporting year.
Step 4: Aggregate to the Portfolio Level
The scores for each property sub-type and country are aggregated into a single portfolio score, weighted by the gross asset value (GAV) for each property sub-type and country.
Energy Performance
Energy performance is a scored metric that rewards an asset with up to 2.5 points for either being very efficient (Energy Efficiency) or for improving its year-on-year performance (Like-for-Like).
This ensures that low-performing assets remain incentivized to improve while high-efficiency assets are rewarded for their superior energy performance. Each asset is first assessed for its eligibility to receive an Energy Efficiency score. If deemed eligible, it receives 2.5 points.
If not, GRESB assesses its eligibility for like-for-like scoring. Scores received by each eligible asset are then aggregated to the Property Sub-Type / Country level using the asset’s floor area, ownership %, and ownership period during the reporting year as weighting factors.
Energy Efficiency (2.5 points)
The energy efficiency score is awarded to assets that meet the following criteria:
Classified as Standing Investments
Have a full year (>= 355 days) of data availability
Have a vacancy rate lower than 20%
Have an Energy Data Coverage (area x time) of 75% or more*
Have an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) value that is lower than the corresponding threshold established by the ASHRAE Standard 100:2024**
Assets that meet the criteria above receive a score of 2.5 points. Assets that do not meet the energy efficiency eligibility criteria do not receive an energy efficiency score and do not negatively impact the entity’s score.
*For data coverage lower than 100% (and higher than 75%), the consumption value in the numerator will be linearly extrapolated to 100% to ensure completeness of the energy intensity value.
**Energy Use Intensity (EUI) performance thresholds used in the GRESB scoring methodology are established by ASHRAE Standard 100:2024. These performance thresholds are intended to indicate high operational efficiency for buildings of each Property Sub-Type (as defined in GRESB) within each climate zone (as specified in ASHRAE Standard 169:2021).
See below for more information about energy intensity and ASHRAE 100.
Like-for-Like (2.5 points)
Like-for-Like Data Availability (0.5 points)
The scoring method awards 0.5 points to an asset for which GRESB can calculate a like-for-like change value (i.e., the asset adheres to like-for-like eligibility criteria).
Only space(s) within assets that meet all the following criteria, for both current and previous reporting years, are eligible for inclusion in the like-for-like calculations:
Data Availability covers the full year (> 355 days);
Data Coverage is positive
Data Coverage is the same (within 1% error threshold);
The asset is classified as a Standing Investment.
Assets that lack LFL-eligible space are excluded from the aggregation and do not negatively impact the entity’s score.
If no asset within a property sub-type and country group meets the like-for-like data availability criteria, all assets in the group receive a score of zero for Like-for-like.
Like-for-Like Performance (2 points)
For each eligible space, GRESB compares like-for-like percentage changes against a relevant benchmark distribution (separately for landlord-controlled and tenant-controlled areas) to generate a score (separately for landlord-controlled and tenant-controlled areas).
A negative value (i.e., a decrease in consumption compared to the previous year) always results in a higher or equal score. Assets with increased or unchanged consumption compared to the previous year will automatically receive a score of 0.
GRESB then aggregates the control-type scores to a single asset-level score by using a floor-area weighted mean:
Landlord-controlled spaces scores are calculated as:
40% + 60% * Tenant Spaces landlord-controlled area proportion (%)
Tenant-controlled spaces scores are calculated as:
60% * Tenant Spaces tenant-controlled area proportion (%)
GRESB aggregates the asset-level scores to each property sub-type and country combination, using a weighted mean calculated by multiplying floor area by the percentage of ownership and the length of ownership period in the reporting year.
Finally, GRESB aggregates scores for each property subtype and country into a single portfolio score, weighted by the gross asset value (GAV) for each property subtype and country.
Scoring Examples
Example: Data Coverage
Consider 10 Residential: Multi-Family Mid-Rise | United States assets with identical square footage (GFA) and all tenant-controlled with 100% ownership for the entire reporting year. One asset has complete data coverage (100%), and nine assets have no data coverage (0%). Below is a recalculation of the Energy Data Coverage Score of this portfolio.
Each asset included in the property subtype has its data coverage benchmarked and scored separately. Out of 10 assets, one obtains a full score considering its data coverage of 100%, and nine assets obtain a score of 0% considering their data coverage of 0. These asset-level scores are then aggregated at property sub-type / country level using assets’ floor area, ownership, and length of ownership period as weighting factors. This results in a score achieved by the property sub-type / country of (100%*(1/10)) + (0%*(9/10)) * 8.5 = 0.85/8.5 points.
Example: Energy Performance
Energy Efficiency
The energy efficiency score is awarded to assets that:
are classified as Standing Investments
have a full year (>= 355 days) of data availability
have a vacancy rate lower than 20%
have an Energy Data Coverage (area x time) of 75% or more*
have an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) value that is lower than the corresponding threshold established by the ASHRAE Standard 100:2024**
For assets with Data Coverage (area x time) of 75% or more, the Energy Use Intensity (EUI) is calculated as:
Taking as an example an office building in Amsterdam:
GRESB office
Netherlands
Office: Corporate: High-Rise
1,000
17%
100%
118,500
118.5
The asset’s EUI is then compared to the corresponding threshold from ASHRAE Standard 100:2024. If the energy use intensity is lower than the threshold, the asset receives a score of 2.5 points.
GRESB office
Netherlands
Office: Corporate: High-Rise
118.5
123.33
2.5 pts
Assets that are not eligible for an energy efficiency score are assessed based on their like-for-like performance.
Like-For-Like
Like-for-Like Data Availability
Consider an office building in the Netherlands classified as a standing investment, with 100% data coverage for two consecutive reporting years, identical gross floor area (GFA), and 100% ownership.
Since this asset meets the eligibility criteria to demonstrate a like-for-like change, the asset will be awarded its corresponding fraction of available points, calculated as 1 × 0.5 = 0.5 points.
Like-for-Like Performance Improvement
Step 1: Calculate the year-on-year improvement for each asset
For each sub-space within an asset (based on control and energy type), the like-for-like performance improvement score is calculated if it meets the following criteria for both current and previous reporting years:
Data Availability covers the full year (>= 355 days)
Data Coverage is positive
Data Coverage is the same (within 1% error threshold)
The asset is classified as a Standing Investment
Increases in energy consumption compared to last year automatically receive a score of 0 points.
Below is an example of an office building in Amsterdam, assuming 100% ownership throughout the reporting year, full tenant-control, and that the entire floor area is eligible for inclusion in the calculation. The LFL performance improvement for this asset is:
GRESB office
Netherlands
Office: Corporate: High-Rise
1,000
120,920
118,500
-2%
Step 2: Calculate the Like-for-like Performance Improvement score at the asset level
The like-for-like performance improvement score is calculated in comparison to the benchmark average corresponding to this asset.
GRESB office
Netherlands
Office: Corporate: High-Rise
1,000
-2%
-3%
1.2 points
Energy performance
Step 1: Calculate the Energy Performance score for each asset
Based on their eligibility, assets receive either an Energy Efficiency or a Like-for-Like score, which represents their Energy Performance score.
Step 2: Calculate the Energy Performance score at the property sub-type and country level
At this step, the individual energy performance scores for each asset are combined to get an overall score for each property type and country group, weighted by the ownership percentage, ownership duration, and total area of each asset.
Property sub−type & country = ∑ Energy Performance score ×%Ownership × Floor area x Length of ownership period / ∑ % Ownership × Floor area x Length of ownership period
Step 3: Calculate the Energy Performance score at the portfolio level
The calculation uses the GAV of each property type and country group to weigh the final scores. Larger property subtypes and country groups will have a greater impact on the overall score.
Portfolio level = ∑ Property Sub-type & Country score × % of GAV
Energy Efficiency Supporting Information
How does GRESB calculate an asset's energy intensity?
GRESB calculates energy use intensity (EUI) by dividing the sum of an asset's total operational consumption by its Gross Floor Area (GFA), weighed by the percentage of ownership that the entity has in that asset.
GRESB will only calculate energy intensity for assets that meet the following criteria:
Classified as Standing Investments
Data availability for the full year (>= 355 days)
Vacancy rate below 20%
Energy data coverage of 75% or more. The intensity is linearly extrapolated to assume full data coverage, based on the actual asset data reported by GRESB Participants.
Note that GRESB excludes the following data from EUI calculations:
Outdoor/exterior/parking consumption: This is often relatively low across a large area. Including it may distort intensity-based insights.
Electric vehicle charging consumption: This is considered part of the building's operational consumption.
Hard outliers: Outliers substantially higher than GRESB's upper thresholds are excluded for data quality protection purposes.
How can participants read their ASHRAE 100 data?
The ASHRAE data consists of two key values, automatically provided by the GRESB Portal when an asset meets the following criteria:
The asset is classified as a standing investment
The asset’s property type is covered under the GRESB-ASHRAE Property Type Mapping (see below)
A complete and valid location has been provided in the GRESB Portal
When these conditions are met, the portal will display two outputs for each asset individually: the ASHRAE’s Climate Zone and the corresponding Energy Use Intensity Threshold.
The Climate Zone (CZ) is a system for categorizing climate based on historical average weather conditions. Each climate zone has a number ranging from 1 (hottest) to 8 (coldest) as well as a subtype of either A (humid), B (dry), or C (marine).
The Energy Use Intensity (EUI) Threshold is ASHRAE’s defined energy performance threshold for the specific property type based on the climate zone associated with the asset’s location. This means that if the asset is eligible for an Energy Efficiency score, this will be the threshold used by GRESB to evaluate the performance of the asset.
Example:
The following is a made-up example for illustrative purposes only.
In this scenario, the asset in question is GRESB’s Headquarters, located in Amsterdam. This asset is classified as a standing investment, its property type is included in the GRESB – ASHRAE Property Type Mapping, and a complete, valid location has been entered in the GRESB Portal. Since all eligibility criteria are met, the portal automatically generates the corresponding ASHRAE data.
Based on the asset’s location, the portal assigns it to Climate Zone 4A-Mixed-Humid. Given this climate zone and the specific property type, the corresponding ASHRAE Energy Use Intensity (EUI) Threshold is calculated and displayed as 123.3 kWh/m²/year.
Where can you find your own assets’ thresholds?
GRESB members can retrieve ASHRAE thresholds for their assets in two ways:
Individually (asset-level view): Go to the Asset Portal tab and select the asset you’re interested in. Scroll to the end of the Asset Characteristics section (the first section on the page). The ASHRAE outputs will be displayed there in the same format as shown in the example below.
In bulk (portfolio-level export): On the main page of the Asset Portal, users can export the ASHRAE thresholds for all their assets by selecting the Exports tab and clicking the ASHRAE Data button. Similar to the existing Real Estate Asset Spreadsheet, this export will generate an Excel file containing key asset data, including the Climate Zone and EUI thresholds, if eligible.
How do ASHRAE's property types map to GRESB's?
This table shows how properties classified under the GRESB property sub-type methodology are categorized in accordance with ASHRAE’s methodology.
This table is subject to future modifications.
Office: Office, Corporate: Low-Rise Office
Admin/professional office
Office: Office, Corporate: Mid-Rise Office
Admin/professional office
Office: Office, Corporate: High-Rise Office
Admin/professional office
Office: Office, Business Park: Office, Business Park
Admin/professional office
Mixed use: Mixed use: Mixed Use, Office/Retail
Mixed-use office
Mixed use: Mixed use: Mixed Use, Office/Residential
Mixed-use office
Mixed use: Mixed use: Mixed Use, Office/Industrial
Mixed-use office
Mixed use: Mixed use: Mixed Use, Office/Other
Mixed-use office
Office: Office, Other: Office, Other
Other office
Technology/Science: Technology/Science: Laboratory/Life sciences
Laboratory
Industrial: Industrial: Industrial Park
Distribution/shipping center
Industrial: Distribution Warehouse: Industrial, Non-refrigerated Warehouse
Nonrefrigerated warehouse
Retail: Retail Centers: Retail, Warehouse
Grocery store/food market
Healthcare: Healthcare, Medical Office: Healthcare, Medical Office
Medical office (diagnostic)
Healthcare: Healthcare, Medical Office: Healthcare, Other
Clinic/other outpatient health
Industrial: Distribution Warehouse: Industrial, Refrigerated Warehouse
Refrigerated warehouse
Lodging, Leisure & Recreation: Lodging, Leisure & Recreation: Performing Arts
Entertainment/culture
Education: Education: Library
Library
Lodging, Leisure & Recreation: Lodging, Leisure & Recreation: Fitness Center
Recreation
Lodging, Leisure & Recreation: Lodging, Leisure & Recreation: Indoor Arena
Other public assembly
Education: Education: University
College/university
Education: Education: School
High school
Education: Education: Education, Other
Other classroom education
Retail: Retail, Restaurants/Bars: Retail, Restaurants/Bars
Restaurant/cafeteria
Healthcare: Healthcare: Healthcare Center
Hospital/inpatient health
Healthcare: Senior Homes: Senior Homes
Nursing home/assisted living
Residential: Student Housing: Student Housing
Dormitory/fraternity/sorority
Hotel: Hotel: Hotel
Hotel
Lodging, Leisure & Recreation: Lodging, Leisure & Recreation: Lodging, Leisure & Recreation, Other
Other lodging
Retail: Retail, High Street: Retail, High Street
Retail store
Retail: Retail, Other: Retail, Other
Other retail
Retail: Retail Centers: Retail, Strip Mall
Strip shopping mall
Retail: Retail Centers: Retail, Lifestyle Center
Strip shopping mall
Retail: Retail Centers: Retail, Shopping Center
Enclosed mall
Residential: Retirement Living: Retirement Living
Single-family detached
Residential: Family Homes: Family Homes
Single-family attached
Residential: Residential Multi-Family: Low-Rise Multi-Family
Apartment (in 2-to-4-unit building)
Residential: Residential Multi-Family: Mid-Rise Multi-Family
Apartment (in 5+ unit building)
Residential: Residential Multi-Family: High-Rise Multi-Family
Apartment (in 5+ unit building)
GRESB property sub-types not listed in the table above are currently not supported under ASHRAE’s methodology. As such, assets in these sub-types may only be considered for like-for-like energy efficiency scoring, provided they meet the relevant inclusion criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does changing my reporting level from year-to-year (e.g., Whole Building in the previous reporting year and Base Building + Tenant Space Level in the current reporting year) affect the asset's like-for-like eligibility?
Yes. Assets must report data at the same reporting level (i.e., Whole Building or Base Building + Tenant Space) for the current and previous reporting years to be included in like-for-like calculations.
If you would like to change the reporting level for an asset without disrupting its like-for-like eligibility, make sure to update the reporting level for both years.
How should I report Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems in GRESB, and what information is required?
CHP systems should be classified and reported as an efficiency measure, not as a separate energy source. The key principle is to avoid double-counting energy. Because CHP systems increase efficiency by using waste heat, you should report only the fuel input (e.g., the amount of gas used) by the CHP system. Do not report the electricity generated.
How does GRESB construct the benchmarks used to score performance metrics?
First, an attempt is made to construct a benchmark by grouping values from assets with the same Property Sub-Type and located in the same Country. If there are not at least 20 values from 5 distinct reporting entities, the Property Sub-Type classification and then the Country specificity are gradually decreased.
For example, the Property Sub-Type becomes Property Type and then Property Sector. Then the specificity of the Country is decreased to Sub-Region, Region, Super-Region, and Global.
Get Support: Solution Providers
GRESB Solution Providers are independent, third-party organizations within the GRESB Partner network that offer specialized products, tools, and services to support sustainability performance outside the GRESB Assessment process.
The organizations below deliver commercially available solutions designed to help drive improvement for this indicator. Engagement is managed directly between the reporting entity and the Solution Provider.
GRESB will continue to update this section as the GRESB Solution Provider network grows. Please check back regularly to find GRESB Solution Providers who can support your sustainability performance.
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