Turning Tenant Utility Meter Data into Money in Their Pockets — and Yours

For most triple net landlords, tenant utility data has been nothing more than a checkbox — needed for regulatory compliance or sustainability reporting.

But getting that data hasn’t been easy. Tenants control the meters, the accounts, and pay the bills.

The truth is, they have little reason to stop running their business to send you information. And most don’t share their data simply because they see no value in it.

But that’s changing for a growing number of landlords who are shifting their approach.

Today, that same meter data is being transformed into something far more valuable: insights that drive cost savings, operational efficiency, and emissions reductions for tenants.

And the demand is real: 65% of future industrial leasing activity is expected to come from companies with carbon reduction goals, actively seeking energy-efficient buildings (1). There’s also growing evidence that properties meeting these standards command a rental premium over their conventional peers.

When landlords are the ones delivering those insights, the benefits flow both ways.

From Raw Data to Real Value

There are different ways to collect tenant utility data and each offers a different level of granularity. 

Real-time data captured through systems like shadow/smart metering delivers the highest resolution, typically in 15-minute intervals or less.

And it’s this kind of data that can unlock major savings and sustainability wins — but only if you know what to look for.

The truth is, even shadow metering data doesn’t magically turn into insights. Getting to the good stuff means going beyond visualization. It’s not about prettier charts, it’s about identifying behavioral patterns, surfacing inefficiencies, and spotting anomalies.

That’s where things get more complicated. And where the right system and AI algorithms make all the difference.

Let’s get into the meat of what actually enables you to generate those win-win insights.

Data at Scale: More Data, Better Insights

In the world of analytics, there’s no substitute for sheer volume and quality of data. It’s simple: more data = better AI.

Systems exposed to billions of hours of data across a wide range of asset types can more reliably identify real patterns — and avoid the false positives that less experienced tools might surface.

Many of the most valuable operational insights come from subtle patterns and context-dependent anomalies. But those signals only emerge when the system has seen enough variation to define a robust baseline for “normal” behavior in the real world.

Enertiv platform has been fed with an unprecedented amount of real-world building data over the past 15 years — on the order of tens of billions of hours of meter and equipment information.

Feedback Loops Make the Difference

No insight is perfect out of the box and even the smartest analytics engine needs feedback loops. 

Also, no insight is truly valuable until it’s been implemented and proven in the field. We recognize that, and we build constant refinement into our process.

When our platform generates an insight, our engineering team doesn’t just toss it over the fence and call it a day. They validate it, double-check the context, and sometimes reach out to the folks on site to ground-truth it.

That requires tight coordination between data scientists, engineers, and the teams onsite. A good system doesn’t just deliver a report and walk away; it tracks whether the recommendation was implemented, whether it worked, and what should be adjusted next time.

That’s where automated measurement and verification (M&V) makes a big difference. Instead of relying on manual tracking or tenant-provided updates, Enertiv’s platform uses real-time data to confirm if a recommended change actually happened and whether it delivered the expected savings.

That tight-knit cycle of measure → analyze → act → verify → repeat means you aren’t just getting a report that sits on a shelf; you’re getting a learning system that keeps getting better at unearthing value.

A Different Kind of Engineering

Data is great, but data alone doesn’t solve problems.

There’s a big difference between engineering for capital upgrades, like lighting retrofits or HVAC replacements, and engineering that continuously extracts insights from raw meter and equipment data.

The former is about installing hardware. The latter is about making sense of how that hardware behaves day in and day out.

There are countless variables that can affect how a building uses energy. The same site might behave very differently depending on the season, temperature, occupancy, or changes in production. That’s why even the best algorithm needs an experienced engineering team behind them.

Enertiv has analyzed data and identified opportunities in over 100 industrial buildings. That experience matters: it sharpens our judgment, trains our models, and ensures our recommendations are consistently accurate.

Other providers may claim to offer analytics, but few have the volume of data, the specialized engineering team, or the real-world repetitions required to separate signal from noise.

That’s the difference between building an engine and teaching someone to drive smarter. Many providers know how to build the engine (sell you equipment and generate dashboards), but few know how to optimize the driver (tune ongoing operations).

Getting Tenants on Board

All the data and analytics in the world won’t help if the tenant on the other side isn’t on board.

Landlords often need a compelling “why” for a tenant to pay attention initially. Simply telling them to change behavior because the landlord said so doesn’t cut it. 

Whether you're preparing for a renewal or trying to land a name-brand tenant, the conversation shifts when you bring real operational value to the table.

Instead of telling them they could have an energy optimization service, you show up with ready-to-implement recommendations, already translated into potential dollar savings or emissions reductions.

That’s your foot in the door to show you’re there to help and support them.

Once that door is open, the combination of a clear value proposition and an easy-to-use tenant portal keeps them engaged.

Our portal isn’t just a web page with charts and dashboards — it’s an intuitive interface that a busy manager or sustainability lead can log into and immediately understand where money is being lost and how to start saving, with actions ranked by priority and impact.

When you combine hard technical skills with the soft touch of user-centric design and empathetic communication, you get tenants not just willing to share data, but actively collaborating to improve outcomes.

Real World Results

All this might sound great in theory, but what does it look like on the ground?

Let’s take a look at a few real-world examples where Enertiv helped landlords deliver tangible value to tenants by putting their meter data to work.

Fortune 500 E-commerce Giant: At one distribution center for a global e-commerce company (one that ships packages to your doorstep in record time), our system identified over $130,000 in potential annual savings.

Now, this particular tenant is famous for their strict data security and operational standards — getting any new tech approved is like a trip to the White House. We underwent rigorous trials to prove our data accuracy and cybersecurity, and we passed with flying colors.

The result? Their sustainability and ESG teams were impressed by the savings and insights that they’re lobbying to bring our solution to dozens of their other sites.

Global Product Testing Leader: In another case, we collaborated with one of the largest product testing companies in the world. At one of their lab sites, the landlord had installed Enertiv’s solutions, giving us an opportunity to work directly with the tenant’s sustainability team.

With access to granular, real-time meter data, our platform identified approximately $40,000 in annual savings through pure operational improvements, without spending a single penny.

These examples span different industries, but they underline a common theme: when you combine data, smart analytics, industry expertise, and a collaborative approach, good things happen.

We’re proud that in each case, we didn’t just hand over data and say “good luck.” We partnered with the people on the ground to ensure the insights led to action. Whether it’s a Fortune 500 company or a local operation, the formula of data-driven savings and engagement yields tangible results.

Takeaway

Turning tenant meter data into mutual profit isn’t magic, it’s the result of doing a lot of things right and consistently.

You need real volume to see the signal in the noise. You need the experience to know what to look for and how to fix it. You need a good feedback loop to keep improving and verifying the impact. And you need the human touch with tenants to actually get buy-in and action.

Miss any one of these ingredients, and you might end up with just another fancy dashboard that nobody uses, or a one-off report that never leaves the PDF or xlsx file.

On the other hand, get it all right, and the value is tremendous. We’re seeing a fundamental shift in how landlords and tenants interact when it comes to energy and sustainability. Landlords are no longer stuck begging for data and being ignored; they’re stepping up to provide a service that tenants actually need.

It flips the script from landlord-versus-tenant to landlord-tenant team working towards efficiency and carbon reduction. In an era where sustainability commitments and cost pressures are only growing, that collaboration isn’t just nice to have, it’s increasingly expected.

We’ve built our solution (and our company) around making that easy for you. In the end, helping your tenants save money and meet their goals means you achieve yours as well. Their pocket savings become your competitive edge. That’s the kind of partnership the future of real estate is built on. Ready to start?