Data tab displays all information on sites, buildings and meters. At the Organization level, this is a composite of the whole portfolio and included in the Site table. At the site level, the Buildings and Meters tables are displayed. The tables can be expanded and collapsed by using the arrow in the upper left corner or adjust the height by dragging the double lines in the middle of the table footer. Within all tables, clicking the headers will sort the table.
Sites
Sites table is displayed at the organization level and is collapsed by default. Expanding the table lists the sites within the organization alphabetically. Key data points are site status, primary building type, total square footage, number of buildings and meters, first reading date, date the site is current to (looks at oldest last reading date), calculates days since the current to date and continuous months of usage data.
New sites can be added via the ‘+’ button in the upper right corner. This will prompt to select the type of site to create:
- New Building/New Site – Create a new building in a new site. This process will step through specifying applicable meter sources then defining building attributes. The site will inherit the address of the new building.
- New Building/Existing Site – Add a new building to an existing site. This process will step through defining new building’s attributes as meters have already been specified.
- New Non-Building Site – Create a new site that does not contain any buildings. This process will step through specifying applicable meter sources and then open the site editor to define name and address, since there is no building with which to define.
- Wastewater Treatment Plant Site – Create a new wastewater treatment plant site. This process will step through specifying appliable energy meter sources, automatically creating a required flow meter and then open the site editor for name and address definition. Because a wastewater treatment plant is not dependent on the SF and spaces within a building, there is no building attributes to define.
If any sites have been decommissioned, all respective buildings decommissioned and all meters disconnected, a ‘bulldozer’ toggle will be displayed in upper right corner of sites table. This will allow sites table to filter out or display decommissioned sites that are no longer in service.
Buildings
Buildings table provides an overview of buildings associated with selected organization or site. Key data points are building name, status, primary building type, address, square footage, occupancy year, and related site.
If any buildings have been decommissioned via a building version, a ‘bulldozer’ toggle will be displayed in upper right corner of Buildings table. This will allow Buildings table to filter out or display decommissioned buildings that are no longer in service.
Meters
Meters table provides an overview of meters associated with selected organization or site. Key data points are meter name, status, meter type, utility, acct #, meter #, first and last reading dates, associated site and number of buildings connected to. There is also a trashcan icon to delete an erroneous meter. NOTE: if a meter is no longer active, disconnect the meter versus deleting as will want to keep the historical usage.
Meter table also has a Filter button to select the type(s) of meters to display. This selection will have an impact on the diagram view.
If any meters have been disconnected by entering a Date Disconnected in Meter Editor, a ‘plug’ toggle will be displayed in upper right corner of Meters table. This will allow Meters table to filter out or display disconnected meters that are no longer in service.
Diagram (Site Level)
At the site level, a diagram of how the building(s) and meter(s) are connected is displayed. There are tools on the right side of the window to control the zoom and reset to default layout. Buildings and meters can be dragged to a configuration that is more helpful in representing the site and the connection lines will adjust. If buildings and meters are incorrectly connected, use the Meter Editor – Connections tab to correct which building(s) the meter services.
Import
Meter Reading Import Wizard allows meter usage data to be entered or copied/pasted into an Excel workbook for mass loading into B3. Start by downloading a template which will contain a worksheet for each active meter within the organization or site. Type or copy/paste new reading data or make modifications to existing data. Any bits of existing data can be modified except start and end dates. Once workbook has been updated, relaunch the wizard to upload the data by clicking the Select files. Browse to the file location and click Open. The wizard will run through validation and if successful, report how many new and updated readings it found. If there are any warnings reported, the import can proceed however errors must be fixed and a new template uploaded. Once the import has finished it will report how many new and updated readings were processed.
Export
Export to Excel is accessible from either the bottom of the Data tab or the Tools menu in the upper right corner. Most any data that is entered into B3 can be exported back out. There are various template exports to select from on the left or utilize the Custom Export to select specific fields. Each selected template and/or custom export will create a separate worksheet within a workbook. Options at the bottom of the window allows the export to filter on a specific meter source or whether to SF or person normalize the data.
ENERGY STAR (Site Level)
At the Site level, there is the option to connect B3 sites and meters to existing ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (ESPM) properties. Usage data from ESPM can be connected to B3 for a one-time import or ongoing as the EPSM property is updated. This is helpful if a third-party (e.g. a utility) is populating ESPM with usage data. Please reference the ENERGY STAR Connection Wizard help for additional information.
Search
Advanced Meter Search is accessible from either the bottom of the Data tab or the Tools menu in the upper right corner. It allows users to locate meters using a variety of search parameters. Enter full or partial expression into one or more of the fields. The more fields you specify the more refined the search results will be. All fields will also search the Comments field within Meter Editors. Click the Return to Application button to go back.
Warnings and Errors
Throughout the application, colored triangles may be displayed. These indicate warnings (yellow) and errors (red) with the data or situations where the metric is not applicable or available (gray). Hovering over the triangle will display a message indicating the issue. Resolving warnings and errors typically requires updates to either the Building Editor or Meter Editor.