NARUC’s Resolution and its Significance

The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC)’s latest resolution – ERE-1 Resolution on Customer Energy Usage Data for Multi-Tenant Properties was issued on July 17, 2024, following their Annual Summer Policy Summit.

The resolution urges state commissions to help owners of multi-tenant properties access whole-building and tenant utility data in a standardized format that protects customer privacy. It also requests that utilities allow tenants to authorize the sharing of their usage information with property owners, third parties, and federal program implementers, with proper consent and privacy protections, as permitted by state law. Additionally, utilities should develop methods to identify customer accounts in multi-tenant properties, enabling property owners to access federal funding and resources to reduce energy consumption.

Why is this important? There are many initiatives stacking up against the need for data access and data quality. The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) brings substantial funding opportunities requiring direct access to whole-building data from utilities. This recent NARUC resolution emphasizes the importance of whole-building utility data for smarter building upgrades and large-scale decarbonization goals. Simultaneously, we are seeing regulatory agencies highlighting the need for accurate data in policy language, including financial consequences for utilities should the data prove to be inaccurate.

Multifamily, multi-tenant, mixed-use buildings are often the most difficult building stock to benchmark. These buildings often have multiple stakeholders with varying degrees of access to accurate whole building data and tenant privacy and tenant consent are often roadblocks to accurate data. We waved this flag in February by sharing the joint letter from the EPA, DOE, and HUD calling for utilities to focus their efforts on providing data access to multifamily building owners and stakeholders.

Breakdown by building type in a typical IOU's service territory

Figure 1: Breakdown by building type in a typical IOU’s service territory.

Calico Energy: 15 Years of Excellence in Utility Data Delivery

With 15 years of experience, Calico Energy excels in providing high-quality utility data to all building stakeholders. Our Utilibridge™ software aggregates, delivers, and visualizes comprehensive building usage data for building owners and managers. Most importantly, we understand the critical importance of data integrity, accuracy, and reliability. Our team’s rigorous data verification process ensures issues are resolved before users access their data.

Calico’s Utilibridge™ platform is a leader in the industry, prioritizing third-party access, tenant privacy, and tenant consent – features that seamlessly address the complexities of multi-family and mixed-use buildings. Other key features include:

- - Third-party access for building owners and managers without utility accounts
  - Support for all building types – multi-family, mixed-use, commercial, and residential
  - Tenant consent support
  - SOC 2 certification
  - Flexible integration with utility data systems
  - Bi-directional integration with ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®
  - Continuous updates to meet evolving requirements

At the core of Calico’s success is our commitment to our utility partners. We understand that delivering whole-building data is challenging for utilities, whose primary focus is providing accurate data for customers and their accounts. Utilities have never had to understand what constitutes a building. As a dedicated partner, our engineers work with utilities’ existing data systems to aggregate and deliver comprehensive whole-building data to stakeholders.

Our partnerships extend beyond working with utility program managers. We build relationships with regulatory bodies within service territories to ensure a complete understanding of the policy requirements. By collaborating with all stakeholders, we can provide the best data possible for smarter building decisions. Utilities, in turn, benefit from access to accurate whole-building data with interactive views and reporting for targeted program outreach.

In conclusion, the NARUC’s latest resolution underscores the critical need for standardized, accurate whole-building utility data access to support smarter building upgrades, energy efficiency, and large-scale decarbonization, aligning with regulatory and funding opportunities.

There will be more of this from us in August. Stay tuned!

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