How to report your building's energy use

Building owners must file a report through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Portfolio Manager by May 15. The reports are for the previous calendar year. So, if you submit a report by May 15, 2019, the information will be about 2018.

You need to gather information on the all types of energy your building uses. This may include water, electricity, gas, oil, solar, and other sources. Eversource, National Grid, and Veolia make energy reporting easy. They'll give you a report so you don't have to collect data from individual tenants:

• Visit Eversource if they provide your utilities. You can login with your account information.
• To contact National Grid, email them at BERDOSupport@nationalgrid.com. Give them your account number, address, and contact info.
• To get steam information from Vicinity, email them at berdo@vicinityenergy.us with your address and account info.
• You can get your water usage history from the Boston Sewer and Water Commission.

You can also enter your information if you have it. You’ll need to have copies of your utility bills for the previous calendar year.

Go to Environmental Protection Agency’s Portfolio Manager and set up an account. Once you've created an account, click on "add a property" to enter your building information:

• You'll need to enter the gross floor area. Include everything inside the building.
• You don't have to include parking lots and other outside areas. You'll have to make a note if you estimate anything.

You’ll need to enter the different types of energy use for your building, and a separate “meter” for each energy source. If you got data from Eversource, National Grid, or Veolia, you can upload this information right into the system. Otherwise, you'll have to type your numbers in.

Check to make sure your numbers are accurate. You can run a check under the “summary” tab. It will tell you if there are any gaps or other mistakes in your report.

Before you make your portfolio public, go to the “property notes” tab. Make sure any important information about your building is there. You have to make a note if:

• you used default information for energy measurements
• you estimated the floor space or property use
• you typed in data instead of using the forms from your providers, or
• the report was done by a tenant who rents the building.

Make sure to add your Boston Assessing Parcel ID. This identification number is critical for how the City makes sure they're getting reports for the right building. We use it to track that you are compliant with BERDO. You can find your parcel ID through the Assessing Department's online search. Submissions that lack a parcel number will be asked to re-submit with it included.

Access the reporting template for this reporting year. You can import this template into the Portfolio Manager. The system will walk you through adding all your information.

When you’re done, click “send data.” You'll be asked to digitally sign the report. You'll receive a confirmation email once you send your report.

Building owners must file a report through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Portfolio Manager by May 15. The reports are for the previous calendar year. So, if you submit a report by May 15, 2019, the information will be about 2018.

If you filed a report with us last year, most of the hard work is already done. You need to gather information on the all types of energy your building uses. Eversource, National Grid, and Veolia make energy reporting easy. They'll give you a report so you don't have to collect data from individual tenants:

• Visit Eversource if they provide your utilities. You can login with your account information.
• To contact National Grid, email them at BERDOSupport@nationalgrid.com. Give them your account number, address, and contact info.
• To get steam information from Vicinity, email them at berdo@vicinityenergy.us with your address and account info.
• You can get your water usage history from the Boston Sewer and Water Commission.

You can also type your information in if you have it. You’ll need to have copies of your utility bills for the previous calendar year.

You'll need to add your energy usage data to the Portfolio Manager account you used last year. Login to your account and find your building.

Go to the “meters” tab. You can upload your information from the utility provider, or manually enter everything.

Add any important information in the “property notes” tab. You'll need to make a note if:

• you used default information for energy measurements
• you estimated the floor space or property use
• you typed in data instead of using the forms from your providers, or
• the report was done by a tenant who rents the building.

Check to make sure your numbers are accurate. You can run a check under the “summary” tab. It will tell you if there are any gaps or other mistakes in your report.

Access the reporting template for this reporting year. You can import this template into the Portfolio Manager. The system will walk you through adding all your information.

When you’re done, click “send data.” You'll be asked to digitally sign the report. You'll receive a confirmation email once you send your report.