Occupancy changes are one of the biggest drivers of energy variance. By tracking leased and physical occupancy in Gridium, you add context that makes your cost and usage analysis more meaningful.
Entering occupancy data
To enter occupancy data for a building, open the Occupancy section on the Info tab.
The page has sections for both leased and physical occupancy, each with forecast and actual numbers and a notes field for additional context. It displays one year at a time; use the navigation controls to move forward or backward through your history. Each month’s entry shows who last edited it and when.
Where occupancy data appears
Once you’ve entered occupancy data, Gridium incorporates it into your cost and usage analysis in several places:
- Cost history charts: Occupancy appears as an overlay on both building and meter cost history charts, with options to toggle between physical and leased numbers. The data is tracked at the building level, so meter-level charts show the same building-wide numbers; this is still useful for seeing occupancy trends alongside meter-specific costs.
- Drift reports: Occupancy shows up in the factors table on variance and drift reports, alongside other drivers like weather and operational changes. If the building doesn’t have occupancy data for either the baseline or analysis period, the corresponding row won’t appear.
- Individual bill variance: Occupancy is included in the variance drivers section on individual bill pages. As with drift reports, the occupancy rows only appear when data is available for both the current and comparison periods.
Helpful Hint: Keeping occupancy data current makes your variance reports much more useful. When a bill spikes, you’ll be able to see immediately whether it’s driven by a new tenant moving in rather than an equipment issue.