Energy Use Intensity (EUI) is a key metric for evaluating building energy performance, expressed as energy consumed per unit of floor area. Calculating it involves dividing the total annual energy consumption of a building (in kBtu or GJ) by its gross floor area (in square feet or square meters). For instance, a building consuming 500,000 kBtu annually with a gross floor area of 50,000 square feet would have an EUI of 10 kBtu/sq ft. This metric allows for direct comparison of energy performance across buildings of varying sizes and types.
Tracking and analyzing this metric provides valuable insights into operational efficiency and identifies areas for potential improvement. A lower value indicates better energy performance, leading to reduced operational costs and a smaller environmental footprint. Historically, benchmarking energy performance has been crucial for driving energy efficiency initiatives, and this metric has emerged as a standard for evaluating and comparing building performance across portfolios and against industry benchmarks.