Arc, Autocase Team Up to Make the Business Case

Conserving energy and water is great, but in any given building, how much does it cost and how much money does it save? A new set of tools available through Arc—the building performance tracking platform created by the for-profit arm of the U.S. Green Building Council—can answer these questions. Powered by Autocase economic analyses, these reports can help building professionals make the business case for specific sustainability measures.

Three tiers

There are three tiers of analysis available.

The first level is free for anyone to use: enter or import your building’s performance data, and the system will deliver economic reports that look backward over the past year. “Any project anywhere for free can access past performance reports and get a 12-month snapshot that turns your measured performance into dollars-and-cents impacts,” said Chris Pyke, Ph.D., Arc’s senior vice president, product.

These free reports include not only direct expenses and returns but also environmental impacts and social costs. They can help companies analyze and report on sustainability measures they’ve already taken in their buildings—for example, for an annual report.

The second level is for premium Arc users and is designed to help users weigh the business case for taking action. The reports are forward-looking economic analyses based on projected performance goals. For example, what would the return on investment be in the next ten years if energy use were reduced by 30%?

The third level requires an additional Autocase membership, but the analyses available are much more sophisticated. This tier allows users to compare the costs and benefits (direct, environmental, and social) of specific scenarios for achieving targets. “You can compare different strategies against each other and choose the one that’s going to give the best bang for the buck,” explained Simon Fowell, principal economist at Autocase. “Maybe each has a different implication on energy and a different implication on cost. … It starts to operationalize the carbon goals.”

“Do more with your data”

Pyke told BuildingGreen that its partnership with Autocase is just one of many potential relationships that will help Arc users maximize how much they can learn about their buildings’ performance.

“We want every green building to measure and track performance,” said Pyke. “Now we’re having them work with partners who can …do more with your data. Take your data with you and go do something else cool.”

For more information:

Arc
arcskoru.com