You wouldn’t drive a car without watching the rev counter. Not because it tells you how far you’ve gone, but because it shows how hard the engine’s working. Energy Use Intensity (EUI) works the same way for buildings.

Energy Use Intensity shows how much energy a building uses per square metre. The lower the number, the more efficiently the space is performing. It’s a straightforward benchmark—but it’s more than a metric. It gives decision-makers a way to step back, see what’s really going on, and move forward with clarity.

A baseline that makes action easier

When you start with Energy Use Intensity, you’re not guessing. You’re measuring. That matters—especially if you're responsible for net-zero delivery or portfolio-level decarbonisation. Energy Use Intensity gives you a normalised way to compare performance across buildings, identify outliers, and set clear, credible targets.

It’s often the first piece of insight we use with clients. Why? Because it gives immediate perspective. You can see how your performance stacks up against similar buildings, what’s driving excess use, and what needs to change first. Without sensors. Without delay. Just a starting point that makes the next step obvious.

From benchmark to outcome

Once you’ve got your baseline, Energy Use Intensity becomes a guide for strategy. You can set a target Energy Use Intensity as part of your decarbonisation roadmap. Then track how each intervention, like a system upgrade or control change, affects the result. If the number doesn’t move, you’ll know it’s time to adjust. That’s how you avoid wasted investment and stay aligned with your goals.

The benefits go beyond emissions. A strong Energy Use Intensity signals operational efficiency, and that matters to tenants and investors. In a market increasingly driven by sustainability performance, buildings with low Energy Use Intensity are more attractive, more resilient, and more future-proof.

Don’t overcomplicate it

You don’t need full real-time data capture to get started. Most buildings already provide enough information to estimate a useful Energy Use Intensity. From there, you can decide what’s worth monitoring more closely—and what can wait.

With the right insight, you can make smarter energy decisions faster. Most organisations can make meaningful improvements within six months, long before any complex tech is in place.

Did you know an average email can produce about 5 to 10 grams of CO2 emissions? Strange to think of, isn’t it? If you ask me, it gives us pause to question how much of our daily data is avoidable. It’s also why we believe that achieving decarbonisation of buildings means collecting the right information, rather than every single piece of data we can get our hands on.

The Emerging Trends Europe survey showed that 9 in 10 commercial property investors believe running an environmentally and socially sustainable business is the most crucial factor for a successful organisational transformation within the real estate industry by 2050.