Automating Billing for ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® using AcuCloud
Compliance with mandatory energy benchmarking and emissions reporting is an important requirement for commercial, institutional, multi-unit residential, and healthcare buildings across North America. Building owners are now increasingly required to submit energy performance data through ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager® (ESPM), the official government industry standard platform used for benchmarking and regulatory reporting.
AcuCloud simplifies this process by directly integrating with ESPM using a certified EPA data exchange API. Utility consumption data collected from meters and utility bills in AcuCloud is automatically transferred to a building’s Portfolio Manager account each month. This automation eliminates manual data entry and recurring uploads, helping reduce errors while maintaining accurate and traceable records without missing deadlines.
Bill Digitization and Automated Data Transfer
AcuCloud offers an integrated OCR (Optical Character Recognition) engine that extracts energy consumption data from utility bills uploaded in PDF or image formats for buildings that lack advanced metering infrastructure. With OCR, AcuCloud can automate electricity, natural gas, water, and thermal energy reporting using existing invoices if smart meters are not used to track energy consumption.
Once processed, utility data is stored in AcuCloud and automatically synchronized with ESPM to help maintain benchmarking and compliance records throughout the year.
Regulatory Compliance across North America
With increasing regulations, energy benchmarking is a legal requirement throughout Canada and the United States. In Ontario, buildings measuring 50,000 square feet or more must submit annual reports through the Energy and Water Reporting and Benchmarking (EWRB) program by July 1. Toronto has introduced additional municipal reporting requirements for buildings 10,000 square feet and more starting in 2027.
By-law 21-042 set out by Montréal requires buildings larger than 21,528 square feet to submit annual energy consumption data through Portfolio Manager as part of the city’s carbon neutrality strategy by June 30 of each year.
In the United States, New York City’s Local Law 97 levies $268 per metric tonne of CO2 above designated emissions cap. Under AB 802, California jurisdictions can impose fine up to $2,000 per day, and Seattle charges up to $4,000 for failure to submit an accurate report. With evolving requirements, accurate and timely submissions are a critical operational responsibility for building owners.
Energy and Carbon Reporting
Beyond benchmarking, AcuCloud’s Carbon Module supports Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas calculations and transfers emissions data into Portfolio Manager reporting fields. Multiple facilities can be managed from a single AcuCloud account, simplifying administration across building portfolios.
By combining automated data collection, OCR-based utility bill processing, carbon reporting, and certified Portfolio Manager integration, AcuCloud provides a streamlined solution for energy benchmarking, emissions reporting, and regulatory compliance without requiring additional hardware for existing users.
To learn more about AcuCloud Energy Management Software, visit
www.accuenergy.com/acucloud.