The State of Minnesota B3 Energy Benchmarking program has been developed by the State of Minnesota Department of Administration and Department of Commerce to help State and local governments improve the energy performance of their buildings by tracking and managing facility energy consumption. “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
B3 Success – Energy Reductions on Campuses
- Looking for benchmarking inspiration?
The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, MNSCU for short, has been dedicated to using B3 Benchmarking for the past 5 years. The system, made up of 54 campuses whose 939 buildings make up a third of Minnesota state building space, uses B3 Benchmarking to prioritize building improvements:- When 20 campuses used the ARRA funds to undertake energy audits and recommissioning of their systems, they used B3 in identifying buildings to target for audits.
- 60% of campuses report undertaking recommissioning of their facilities to evaluate and correct energy performance of campuses.
- Even with enrollment increases from 2008 to 2012, the MNSCU system has reduced annual energy consumption per square foot by 14.8% and energy costs 16.2%.
“B3 is great for helping us save energy. We use it in our analysis to compare all of the MNSCU buildings to themselves and one another. It really helps us be efficient and effective with our time and resources.” – Ken Oas, Facility Coordinator at MNSCU
New Data Entry Options – We are excited to announce that now multiple methods are available for entering building, meter, and meter reading data:
- Manual Entry
- HOW – Log into B3 to edit building and meter information as well as enter monthly meter readings.
- WHY use this method – Your building and meter information is in the application, and you have a system to consistently enter monthly meter readings.
- COST – It’s 100% free!
- New Organization Spreadsheet Import
- HOW – Easily enter your buildings, meters, and at least 12 months of meter reading data into the spreadsheet template, and we will upload the information for you!
- WHY use this method – Because you’re just getting started with B3 and have a lot of data, you have neither the time nor resources for data entry.
- COST – Contact us to find out more!
- Meter Readings Spreadsheet Import
- HOW – Keep a copy of the Excel import workbook on hand with your building and meter information. Update the meter readings in the spreadsheet as often as is easy for you, and we will upload the data for you!
- WHY use this method – You are behind on monthly meter readings, and entering data into an Excel spreadsheet if faster for you than updating the information in B3 directly.
- COST – Contact us to find out more!
- Emailed or Faxed Invoice Entry
- HOW – Send your utility invoices via email or fax to us, and we will enter the data for you.
- WHY use this method – You may not have the time or resources to enter meter readings.
- COST – Contact us to find out more!
Improvements on the Horizon
- We are constantly trying to improve the usability and utility of B3 Benchmarking. Listed are a few of the projects we are working on to make B3 better:
- B3 Benchmarking Version 4.0 – a fresh look to the B3 interface
- User spreadsheet upload capabilities
- Electronic data transfer from utilities
- Sub-metering sensors with automatic, wireless data transfer to B3 Benchmarking
- B3 Benchmarking Quarterly Statement.
Click here to learn more about the B3 Energy Benchmarking Program >>
