ESG SDDS Wiring-Guide

To calculate actual energy consumption under landlord control, report the actual operational energy used within the areas over which the landlord has operational control, expressed in kilowatt hours (kWh) per year.

Only actual data should be included in this indicator. Actual data means consumption derived directly from verifiable sources such as utility invoices, smart meter outputs, or manual meter readings, and excludes any estimated or modelled values (ref: GRESB). If no actual data is available, report under the relevant estimated indicator (ESG3.1.3).

The indicator includes all forms of energy used in landlord-controlled areas, covering both renewable and non-renewable energy consumption, such as:

• Electricity (from grid or on-site generation)
• Fuel (natural gas, oil, diesel)
• District heating and cooling (DH&C), excluding transmission and distribution (T&D) losses (ref: CRREM).

This indicator supports the accurate reporting of actual energy use under direct operational control, which is essential for accurate GHG emissions accounting and energy performance monitoring.

Note 1: Primary data on actual building energy consumption, such as metered data, supports the highest quality PCAF real estate emissions calculations. Under the PCAF data quality hierarchy, actual energy consumption may contribute to a data quality score of 1 or 2, depending on the emission factors and other inputs used. PCAF scores apply to the resulting emissions calculation rather than to the energy data in isolation.

Note 2: Fugitive emissions (eg refrigerant leaks from HVAC or cooling systems) are not energy consumption and should therefore not be included in the energy indicators. Where applicable, they should be reported under the relevant GHG emissions indicator, subject to the reporting entity’s GHG accounting boundary.

Note 3: Landlord-controlled areas may include common areas, shared services (eg lifts, HVAC), outdoor lighting, or single-let buildings where the landlord manages operations. In line with GRESB, energy data is classified by control type as follows:

• Whole Building – Landlord Controlled: Owner fully controls the building (eg single-tenant or vacant).
• Common Areas – Landlord Controlled: Spaces shared by all tenants (eg entrances, hallways, lifts, stairwells).
• Shared Services – Landlord Controlled: Building-wide systems (eg central HVAC, electricity to the whole building).
• Tenant Spaces – Landlord Controlled: Tenant-demised areas where the landlord retains operational control.
• Tenant Spaces – Tenant Controlled: Areas where the tenant has primary authority to implement policies.

Note 4: Where the landlord procures energy on behalf of tenants, the classification of the energy as landlord- or tenant-controlled should be based on operational control rather than on who purchases or pays for the energy. Where the landlord has the authority to introduce and implement operating or environmental policies for the relevant space or building systems, the area should be treated as landlord-controlled. Where the tenant holds that authority, it should be treated as tenant-controlled. For the corresponding GHG emissions classification, refer to the relevant GHG emissions guidance.

Note 5: Users may exclude EV charging energy from reported consumption, as it relates to vehicle charging as transport energy rather than building operational energy. In many portfolios, EV charging infrastructure is owned or operated by the tenant or a third-party mobility provider, and sub-metering data may not be accessible to the landlord. In these cases, exclusion is not a methodological decision but a data access limitation. Where EV charging data is accessible, users should confirm and disclose whether it is excluded and apply this approach consistently across the portfolio.

Note 6: On-site renewable energy consumed within the building should be included in the building’s operational energy consumption where data is accessible. Energy exported to the grid should be excluded and, where generated by the landlord, reported separately under AL3.2. Where generation, self-consumption or export data is unavailable, reporters should disclose the data limitation and treatment applied. Where only net electricity data is available, reporters should disclose that gross building electricity consumption could not be determined. If separate import, generation or export data is available, it should be used to reconstruct gross consumption where practicable.

Note 7: For the treatment of acquisitions and disposals, see ESG1.6.