What is calendarization? The key to accurate energy reporting

Without a clear breakdown of energy consumption and cost data, monitoring energy efficiency, managing budgets, and complying with sustainability regulations can become messy. 

That’s where calendarization comes in to bring clarity. Discover why calendarization is the key to turning chaotic utility bills into structured, actionable insights.

What is calendarization?

Calendarization is the process of accurately allocating utility bill usage and cost data for reporting purposes. It divides utility data into day-size chunks and assigns each chunk to the appropriate calendar month.

Why is calendarization needed?

Most utility bills have start and end dates that do not correspond with the first and last date of each month. Without calendarization, analyzing or reporting on a given month’s energy usage is difficult. For example, a company looking to analyze October's energy usage may find that approximately half of the month’s usage data is on October’s bill while the other portion is on November’s bill.

Calendarization will take this bill and prorate it into the appropriate months. For instance, the 17 days on the bill that represent October’s usage will be allocated to October, and the remaining days will be allocated to November.

Ultimately, calendarization adjusts data to be more representative of actual monthly energy usage, allowing for accurate month-to-month analysis and comparison.

Top benefits of utility data calendarization

Still wondering why calendarization is vital for corporate energy management? Here are some of the top benefits to consider.

Improved compliance and corporate sustainability 

Many organizations are required to perform energy consumption audits in order to comply with sustainability regulations. Calendarized data ensures that audits are based on consistent, accurate energy usage information. This granularity is essential for complying with energy reporting requirements and government mandates for carbon emissions reporting.

Along with reporting, this accuracy helps companies effectively achieve their corporate sustainability goals. For example, a company looking to reduce its overall energy use by 10% year-over-year would need detailed, calendarized energy data to track progress. The ability to see monthly fluctuations and identify the impact of energy-saving initiatives, such as renewable energy adoption or energy-efficient building upgrades, supports more informed sustainability decisions.

Better budgeting and cost forecasting 

For businesses managing multiple properties or large facilities, unpredictable energy costs can disrupt budgeting and financial forecasting. Calendarization allows energy managers to make more informed budgeting decisions by aligning energy expenses with the correct months. This transparency in cost allocation helps avoid surprises in monthly energy budgets. 

Enhanced energy efficiency monitoring 

Tracking energy efficiency requires a clear picture of how energy is being consumed across specific time frames. Calendarization supports more accurate analysis of energy consumption by providing data that is segmented by month. This allows businesses to measure the impact of sustainability efforts, such as installing LED lighting or upgrading HVAC systems.

Without calendarization, energy usage might seem skewed due to overlapping billing cycles, making it difficult to attribute energy savings to a particular month or project. By calendarizing utility data, energy managers can identify patterns and track improvements in energy efficiency.

Common methods for calendarization 

Many businesses today may be using costly and time-intensive methods to calendarize their utility data.

For small organizations with a limited budget, custom spreadsheets can be a simple solution for calendarization. However, relying on spreadsheets can be time-consuming and prone to human error, especially when dealing with large amounts of data or multiple utility bills. As the business grows and its energy data becomes more complex, maintaining accurate proration this way becomes increasingly difficult.

Larger businesses may rely on accounting or enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems to calendarize utility data. However, because these tools are not designed specifically for energy management, they may not easily integrate with utility providers and energy data sources, leading to potential data silos and requiring manual data entry that increases the risk of reporting errors. Customizing these platforms to handle calendarization can also require significant time, technical expertise, and cost, especially for businesses with complex energy portfolios.

How Arcadia calendarizes data

The Arcadia platform offers a highly efficient and accurate way to calendarize utility data for businesses across industries. Arcadia automatically gathers utility consumption data from disparate sources and calendarizes meter usage by comparing meter statements over time. It checks if the utility provider uses full or partial start and end dates, and calculates the average daily usage values. These daily values are then rolled into monthly, quarterly, and annual values. 

Arcadia seamlessly allocates usage to the correct calendar months, eliminating the need for manual entry or complex configurations. Automation ensures that energy data is always accurate, up-to-date, and easily accessible, allowing businesses to focus on analyzing trends and optimizing energy usage rather than managing data inputs.

For example, Arcadia’s platform allows companies to view their statement- and meter-level utility usage information calendarized at the monthly, quarterly, and annual time periods. It also gives them the ability to easily aggregate this information by site or meter. This automation provides assurance that usage data is accurate and organized while saving organizations money on the headcount that would otherwise be required for manual calendarization efforts. 

Arcadia puts calendarization on easy mode  

Calendarization is vital for businesses looking to gain accurate insights into their energy usage, improve budgeting, and meet sustainability goals. By breaking down utility data into precise monthly allocations, companies can avoid the confusion of overlapping billing cycles and make informed energy management decisions. 

Contact our team today and we’ll show you how Arcadia makes utility data aggregation, standardization, and calendarization as easy as possible.