Stop treating energy as a cost centre: Turn it into your secret profit engine.

If you’re a building owner or operator (or a real estate investor), you probably see energy consumption as a necessary evil – just another line on the OPEX sheet. Fair. But with the right mindset, strategy, and tools, energy can shift from cost centre to profit engine.

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The key here is energy data. They say if you never try, you’ll never know. Well, if you don’t have the data, you won’t make the best decisions – at least as far as cost optimisations and increasing revenue from real estate assets go. 

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In this piece, we’ll talk about the ways you can use energy data to turn energy into a profit lever and make buildings more sustainable along the way. 

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The data advantage: Why granular energy data is so important

Granular, detailed energy consumption data from meters and sub-meters in buildings, separated by time of usage, can be incredibly beneficial for optimisations. Investors, in particular, are more interested in detailed environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting, which also includes energy data. 

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Let’s be honest, energy performance certificates (EPCs), building ratings, and aggregate metrics only give you a snapshot – they’re good for compliance or high‐level benchmarking. But they don’t tell you:

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• Which systems (HVAC, lighting, refrigeration, pumps) are driving unexpected consumption?

• When peaks occur, for example, midday cooling vs nighttime loads

• Where waste hides, for example, motors running during unoccupied hours?

• What impact tariffs/demand charges actually have on your bill when usage shifts just a bit?

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Without meter/sub‐meter data, you can’t answer these with confidence. And you can’t reliably isolate what to fix first for best ROI. For instance, smart and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) pilot programs show that providing interval data (like sub‐hourly) plus behavioural feedback can reduce consumption by 8% in commercial/residential sectors.

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So, yes, the investment in more detailed metering and data collection pays off. 

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Ways energy data can help optimise costs and improve profits

The biggest untapped energy savings can actually come from looking at existing data. You don’t always need to invest in new infrastructure or change utility providers. Here are the main ways energy can power real, tangible cost savings, which, in turn, increase your real estate profits. 

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Demand response

Demand response (DR) programs can be a great way to take advantage of potential energy cost savings. These programs are becoming increasingly popular worldwide, especially due to high shares of electrification (heating, cooling, EVs, etc.), volatile spot prices, and policy incentives. 

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With proper granular data, you can identify when and where the biggest cost savings lie by shifting load, shedding non‑essential loads during peak, or increasing consumption during low‑price windows. 

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Of course, you have to be strategic with what stays on and what turns off during these peak periods. A research study from Norway using a TIMES model shows that substantial DR potential lies in space heating in residential buildings. 

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Tariff optimisation

Consider this DR’s savvy sibling. Many countries, including Nordic ones, have electricity and grid charges that are quite nuanced. For instance, they might combine spot-indexed pricing, fixed feed, capacity charges, and grid tariffs, which may differ by time of use. 

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Simply put, tariffs can vary widely depending on the region, peak usage conditions, and times. Understanding those tariffs and then adjusting your building’s consumption may just help you avoid paying higher tariffs. Data can also help you find out if your existing contract matches your usage profile. 

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And if your buildings or units in them aren’t utilising dynamic contracts or time of use tariffs, it might make sense to do so to save money. Again, consumption data will help you figure that out. 

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Sweden, Denmark, and Finland have implemented time‑of‑use tariffs. Because of their smart meter rollout and strong regulatory support, many electricity suppliers in these countries offer contracts where prices vary by hour. If you can shift usage out of high tariff hours or into low ones, you save directly.

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REC and GO monetisation

Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) and Guarantees of Origin (GOs) are market instruments that certify electricity as being generated from renewable sources. 

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In North America, RECs are a thing, while in Europe, it’s the GOs. They’re basically the same instrument as they allow companies to prove that their energy consumption is backed by renewable production.

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These certificates may help with ESG reporting, proving to authorities that certain real estate assets are using renewable energy. But beyond compliance, these certificates carry financial value. They can be sold on voluntary or regulated markets and even improve brand reputation and attract investors/tenants. 

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Now, exactly where does energy data come in? And how do you really monetise these instruments?

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Without accurate, time-stamped data from meters or sub-meters, it’s impossible to verify exactly how much renewable energy has been used. Detailed generation and usage data lets you claim certificates with confidence and maximise their market value. 

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Companies with their own solar or wind assets gain an additional layer of profitability, as they can monetise excess generation through certificate sales while offsetting their own carbon footprint. 

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In this way, energy data doesn’t just track performance; it unlocks a new revenue channel that turns sustainability into a business advantage (which we have been advocating for for a long time). 

Energy data can also help with predictive maintenance (another cost saver)

You’d think energy data is just about electricity. No, it can also reflect mechanical health. Motors, pumps, chillers, HVAC units, and other equipment may show performance deterioration via increased energy consumption before they fail. 

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While you may not have appliance-level consumption data, an abnormal uptick in overall usage can, at least, set checks in motion. You could carry out inspections of larger systems that provide cooling or heating to entire buildings to find issues before they get big. 

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Although not directly, energy data can indirectly help in predictive, proactive maintenance. And that results in savings. 

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How comundo turns energy data into a profit lever

comundo is an energy data collection, sorting, and analysis solution that has optimisation at its very core. It’s how we think, really. As energy is a major driver of operational costs in buildings that are supposed to be profitable, we see it as an opportunity to increase profits, not necessarily a cost that must be borne no matter what. 

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With your property energy data at your fingertips inside the comundo dashboard, you have access to the nitty-gritty details that can be helpful in strategising energy usage. You can see where it’s costing you more, where it can cost you less, and where you can tap into any renewable production sources. You can also pull that data into ESG solutions for compliance reporting. And you could use this data to apply for green certificates. The possibilities are endless. 

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Make energy work for you

If you’re a real estate portfolio owner or investor, you can actually use energy data to prop up your yearly profits and make your buildings look sustainable (legitimately). Besides cost optimisations, good initiatives that drive efficiency in energy usage also look good for tenants. And, in order for your properties to be profitable, you need tenants. 

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The bottom line is, changing your perspective on energy consumption and using accurate, reliable energy data (provided by a tool like comundo) can make energy a profit driver.

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