Commercial energy procurement
Office Portfolio Energy Procurement Guide
Office energy demand depends on occupancy, HVAC schedules, common areas, tenant density, plug loads, data rooms, and building operating hours. Hybrid work and space consolidation can make historical usage a weaker forecast than it once was.
Typical energy profile
HVAC and lighting typically create a strong business-hour pattern, with base load from common systems and tenant equipment.
Hybrid work, vacancy, subleasing, and changing tenant density can reduce or redistribute load without changing the building envelope.
Portfolios may contain different utilities, ownership entities, meter arrangements, and contract dates.
What changes the buying decision
Procurement considerations
Occupancy pattern
Use actual operating schedules and occupancy trends. Hybrid work can make prior-year usage less representative of the next contract term.
HVAC schedule
Building start/stop schedules and seasonal cooling/heating requirements often drive the shape of demand. Procurement should reflect the actual building operating pattern.
Tenant and meter structure
Identify landlord-controlled meters, tenant-controlled accounts, submetering, and common-area loads before deciding which accounts belong in a procurement scope.
Portfolio alignment
Coordinating contract data can reduce repeated procurement work, but accounts should only be grouped after utility, rate-class, usage, and ownership validation.
Building upgrades
Lighting, controls, HVAC retrofits, electrification, and space reconfiguration can change future load. Known capital projects should be incorporated into usage expectations.
Renewal and lease timing
Contract expiration should be considered alongside major lease events, asset sales, refinancing, renovations, or ownership changes that could alter the account or risk horizon.
Before requesting pricing
Questions to answer first
- How have occupancy and operating hours changed since the current energy contract was signed?
- Which meters are landlord-controlled and which are tenant-controlled?
- Are major lease events, property sales, renovations, or electrification projects expected?
- Would aligned contract end dates simplify portfolio management, or is staggered timing preferable?