How to achieve 100% data coverage – Scaler

Purpose of this article

This article explains how to achieve 100% data coverage in Scaler by addressing the different requirements for GRESB-aligned data coverage and Scaler data coverage.

It focuses on what needs to be true and how to get there, not on how data coverage is calculated.

Applies to: Energy, water, and waste

Understanding the two metrics

Scaler provides two data coverage metrics, each with different requirements for reaching 100%:

GRESB-aligned data coverage - For external reporting and benchmarking

Scaler data coverage - For internal data quality assurance

Important: You can achieve 100% GRESB-aligned data coverage while Scaler data coverage remains below 100%. This is expected and reflects the different purposes of each metric.

→ Learn about GRESB-aligned data coverage methodology

→ Learn about Scaler data coverage methodology

What 100% means for each metric

100% GRESB-aligned data coverage means:

Area coverage = 100%: All applicable categories have meters covering the full floor area

Time coverage = 100%: The widest date range across all meters spans the full reporting period

100% Scaler data coverage means:

Scaler area coverage = 100%: Meters collectively cover 100% of the relevant floor area (whole building OR common area + tenant area)

Scaler time coverage = 100%: Every meter has consumption data for every day of the reporting period

Key difference: GRESB-aligned coverage aggregates at the asset level, Scaler evaluates at the meter level.

Applies to: Energy, water, and waste

Achieving 100% GRESB-aligned data coverage

To reach 100% GRESB-aligned data coverage, both dimensions must equal 100%:

GRESB-aligned Data Coverage = Area Coverage × Time Coverage

If either dimension is incomplete, GRESB data coverage will remain below 100%.

This applies to: Energy, water, and waste

GRESB area coverage: What needs to be true

Requirement: All applicable categories must have meters covering the full floor area.

For energy: Fuels, DHC, and electricity (as applicable)

For water: Water sources (as applicable)

For waste: Waste streams (as applicable)

How GRESB calculates area coverage:

Area Coverage = (Sum of covered areas across all energy types) ÷ (Sum of maximum areas)

To achieve 100%:

Identify which categories are applicable to your asset

For each applicable category, create meters that collectively cover the full floor area

If a category exists but you cannot obtain data, create a placeholder meter with covered area = total floor area and no consumption data

How to check GRESB area coverage

Navigate to Data Collection Portal → Portfolio → Asset List

Edit the asset and open Meters & Consumption

Review the Energy asset coverage section

Check "Floor area covered" for each energy type

Each category type should show: Floor area covered = Total floor area

How to improve GRESB area coverage

If area coverage is below 100%:

Identify which category/categories are not fully covered

Add meters to represent the missing floor area, OR

Create placeholder meters for categories where data is unavailable

Creating placeholder meters:

Placeholder meters ensure GRESB area coverage accurately reflects that you're aware a category exists but you don't have data for it.

Note: You may hear these referred to as "ghost meters" in communications with your Account Operations Manager.

Steps to create a placeholder meter:

Navigate to Data Collection Portal → Portfolio → Asset List

Edit the asset and open Meters & Consumption

Click Add meter

Configure the meter:

Area type: Match the asset's configuration

Covered area: Enter the floor area not covered by existing meters (or total floor area if no meters exist for this category)

Subcategory: Select the appropriate category (e.g., Natural gas for energy; Potable water for water; etc.)

Meter version start date: Start of reporting period

Meter version end date: End of reporting period, or leave blank

Include in calculations: yes

Leave consumption data empty

In Description, clearly label it (e.g., "Placeholder - Natural Gas - Whole Building")

Tip: Clearly label placeholder meters so your team knows they need real data in the future.

Example: Achieving 100% GRESB area coverage (energy)

Scenario: 1,000 m² asset with electricity and fuel connections

Current state:

Electricity meters cover 1,000 m² (100% of floor area)

No fuel meters created

GRESB area coverage: (1,000 + 0) ÷ (1,000 + 1,000) = 50%

Action: Create placeholder fuel meter covering 1,000 m²

Result:

Electricity meters cover 1,000 m²

Fuel placeholder meter covers 1,000 m² (no consumption data)

GRESB area coverage: (1,000 + 1,000) ÷ (1,000 + 1,000) = 100%

GRESB time coverage: What needs to be true

Requirement: The widest date range across all meters (for a given resource) must span the full reporting period.

How Scaler handles this: Scaler takes the widest date range (earliest start date to latest end date) across all meters for each resource to maximize your GRESB coverage within the constraint that GRESB's spreadsheet only allows one date range per resource per asset.

To achieve 100%:

At least one meter (for that resource) must have a date range that spans the full reporting period (e.g., 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31).

Important: Individual meters can have partial time coverage as long as the widest range spans the full year.

Applies to: Energy, water, and waste

How to check GRESB time coverage

Navigate to Data Collection Portal → Portfolio → Asset List

In the table, view the Time coverage (GRESB) column for the relevant resource

Edit the asset and open Meters & Consumption

Review the date ranges shown for each meter

To achieve 100%: At least one meter's date range should span the full reporting period.

How to improve GRESB time coverage

If time coverage is below 100%:

Identify the meter with the widest date range for that resource

Extend that meter's date range to cover the full reporting period by:

Adding consumption data for missing months, OR

Adjusting Meter version start date and Meter version end date to span the full period (if the meter existed but data is unavailable)

Note: You do not need every meter to have data for the full year. You only need the widest range to span the full reporting period.

Example: Achieving 100% GRESB time coverage

Scenario: Asset with electricity and fuel meters

Current state:

Electricity: 2025-01-01 to 2025-06-30 (6 months)

Fuel: 2025-07-01 to 2025-10-31 (4 months)

Widest range: Jan 1 to Oct 31 (10 months)

GRESB time coverage: 10 ÷ 12 = 83.3%

Action: Extend electricity meter's date range to 2025-12-31 (add data or adjust meter version end date)

Result:

Electricity: 2025-01-01 to 2025-12-31 (12 months)

Fuel: 2025-07-01 to 2025-10-31 (4 months)

Widest range: Jan 1 to Dec 31 (12 months)

GRESB time coverage: 12 ÷ 12 = 100%

Note: The fuel meter still only has 4 months of data, but GRESB time coverage is 100% because the widest range spans the full year.

Achieving 100% Scaler data coverage

To reach 100% Scaler data coverage, both of the following conditions must be met:

Scaler area coverage = 100%

Scaler time coverage = 100%

Critical difference from GRESB-aligned coverage: For Scaler data coverage, you cannot have gaps at the meter level. Every meter must have complete data.

Applies to: Energy, water, and waste

Scaler area coverage: What needs to be true

Requirement: Active meters must collectively cover 100% of the relevant floor area for either:

The whole building, OR

Common area + tenant area

How to check Scaler area coverage:

Navigate to Data Collection Portal → Portfolio → Asset List

Sort by the relevant resource's Area coverage column (set metric to Critical (Scaler))

Edit assets with <100% and open Meters & Consumption

Review "Floor area covered" per Area type

To achieve 100%: The sum of all Covered area values must equal the total floor area for the relevant Area type.

How to improve Scaler area coverage

If area coverage is below 100%:

Identify which Area type is not fully covered

Add meters to represent the missing floor area

Ensure meters are:

Active for the reporting period (check Status)

Included in calculations (Include in calculations = yes)

Important: You must create actual meters with covered area values. Placeholder meters with 0 m² covered area do not improve Scaler area coverage.

Example: Achieving 100% Scaler area coverage

Scenario: 1,000 m² asset with common area and tenant area

Current state:

Common area meters: 300 m² covered (total common area: 300 m²)

Tenant area meters: 500 m² covered (total tenant area: 700 m²)

Scaler area coverage: <100% (tenant area not fully covered)

Action: Add tenant area meter(s) covering the missing 200 m²

Result:

Common area meters: 300 m² covered (total: 300 m²) ✓

Tenant area meters: 700 m² covered (total: 700 m²) ✓

Scaler area coverage: 100%

Scaler time coverage: What needs to be true

Requirement: Every meter must have consumption data for every day of the reporting period.

How Scaler calculates this: Scaler weights each meter's time coverage by its covered area, so missing days on a single meter will reduce overall time coverage.

To achieve 100%: All meters must have Time coverage = 100%.

How to check Scaler time coverage

Portfolio-level approach:

Use the Meter List for a comprehensive view of all meters:

Navigate to Data Collection Portal → Portfolio → Meter List

Sort by Time coverage to identify meters with missing data

Click into any meter to open its Consumption Drawer and fill missing daily values

Filtering tips:

Prioritize landlord-controlled meters (often easier to complete)

Sort by Covered area to focus on meters with the largest impact

→ Learn more about using the Meter List

Asset-level approach:

Use this when working asset by asset:

Navigate to Data Collection Portal → Portfolio → Asset List

Sort by Energy - Time coverage (metric: Critical (Scaler))

Edit assets with <100% and open Meters & Consumption

Review Scaler time coverage per meter

Open the Consumption Drawer to fill missing periods

Alternative: Using Consumption Coverage

The Consumption Coverage tool visualizes data completeness across all assets, showing monthly coverage percentages:

Navigate to Data Collection Portal → Portfolio → Consumption Coverage

Review the monthly coverage table to identify assets with gaps

Expand any asset row to see meter-level details

Click Add data next to any meter to navigate directly to consumption entry

Key features:

Color-coded coverage quality ratings (excellent, good, fair, poor)

Filter by property type, location, or custom tags

Export coverage reports for stakeholder communication

→ Learn more about the Consumption Coverage tool

How to improve Scaler time coverage

If time coverage is below 100%:

Identify which meters have incomplete time coverage

For each meter, fill missing consumption data for all days in the reporting period

Prioritize meters with large Covered area values (biggest impact)

Important: Missing days on any meter will prevent Scaler data coverage from reaching 100%. Unlike GRESB-aligned coverage, Scaler evaluates every meter individually.

Example: Achieving 100% Scaler time coverage

Scenario: Asset with three meters (same as calculation example)

Current state:

Meter A (100 m²): Time coverage = 100%

Meter B (200 m²): Time coverage = 100%

Meter C (300 m²): Time coverage = 0%

Scaler time coverage: <100%

Action: Fill consumption data for Meter C for all 365 days

Result:

Meter A (100 m²): Time coverage = 100%

Meter B (200 m²): Time coverage = 100%

Meter C (300 m²): Time coverage = 100%

Scaler time coverage: 100%

When Scaler data coverage reaches 100%

Scaler data coverage = 100% only when:

All relevant area types have 100% area coverage, AND

All meters have 100% time coverage

Completing only one dimension is not sufficient.

Comparing the requirements

Requirement	GRESB-aligned data coverage	Scaler data coverage
Area coverage	All categories must have meters covering full floor area	Meters must collectively cover full floor area per area type
Time coverage	Widest date range must span full year	Every meter must have data for every day
Meter-level gaps	Hidden by aggregation	Must be resolved
Placeholder meters	Improve area coverage	No impact
Partial meter data	Acceptable if widest range is complete	Not acceptable
Resources	Energy, water, waste	Energy, water, waste

Prioritizing your efforts

If your goal is 100% GRESB-aligned data coverage:

Priority 1: Ensure all categories are represented (create placeholder meters if needed)

Priority 2: Ensure at least one meter spans the full reporting period

Effort: Moderate - you can achieve this even with incomplete meter-level data

If your goal is 100% Scaler data coverage:

Priority 1: Identify the largest meters with missing data (sort Meter List by Covered area)

Priority 2: Fill consumption data for all days on high-impact meters first

Priority 3: Add meters to cover missing floor area

Effort: High - requires complete data on every meter

If your goal is both:

Strategy: Work toward Scaler data coverage goals, as this will automatically achieve GRESB-aligned data coverage (the inverse is not true).

Exception: If you have categories with no data available, create placeholder meters to maintain GRESB area coverage while working on Scaler data coverage for available meters.

Troubleshooting & common questions

I have 100% GRESB-aligned data coverage but only 60% Scaler data coverage. What's wrong?

Nothing is wrong. This is expected behavior. GRESB's aggregated approach can show 100% when the widest date range spans the full year and all energy types are present, even if individual meters have significant gaps. Use Scaler data coverage to identify which meters need attention.

Which metric should I prioritize?

For GRESB submissions: Prioritize GRESB-aligned data coverage

For internal data quality: Prioritize Scaler data coverage

For both: Work toward Scaler 100%, as this ensures GRESB-aligned 100% (but not vice versa)

Do I need to fill data for placeholder meters?

No. Placeholder meters are specifically for GRESB area coverage when you don't have data available. Leave consumption data empty. If you later obtain data, you can convert the placeholder meter to a real meter by adding covered area and consumption data.

How do I know which meters to prioritize?

Focus on meters with:

Large Covered area values (biggest impact on Scaler data coverage)

Landlord-controlled area types (often easier to obtain data)

Recent missing periods (easier to collect than historical data)

Can I achieve 100% Scaler data coverage with placeholder meters?

No. Placeholder meters have 0 m² covered area and contribute nothing to Scaler data coverage. You need actual meters with actual covered area and consumption data.

What if my asset has meters for only 6 months of the year?

GRESB time coverage: Could still be 100% if the widest range spans the full year

Scaler time coverage: Will be ≤50%, reflecting the actual data availability

Action: Fill the missing 6 months to improve Scaler data coverage

Does this guidance apply to water and waste too?

Yes! Everything in this article applies equally to energy, water, and waste. The principles are identical across all resources - only the specific categories differ (fuels/DHC/electricity for energy vs. water sources for water vs. waste streams for waste).

Tools to help you achieve 100% coverage

Meter List

Best for: Portfolio-wide prioritization

Use to: Sort by time coverage or covered area to identify high-impact gaps

Filter by: Resource type (Energy, Water, Waste) to focus efforts

Consumption Coverage

Best for: Visual identification of monthly gaps

Use to: Quickly see which assets and meters need attention

Asset List

Best for: Asset-by-asset review

Use to: Filter by data coverage columns to focus on incomplete assets

Meters & Consumption

Best for: Detailed meter-level review

Use to: See exactly which meters need work and their individual time coverage

Summary: Quick reference

To achieve 100% GRESB data coverage:

✓ Create meters (or placeholders) for all applicable categories covering full floor area

✓ Ensure widest date range across all meters spans the full reporting period

To achieve 100% Scaler data coverage:

✓ Meters collectively cover 100% of relevant floor area (no placeholders)

✓ Every meter has consumption data for every day of the reporting period

Applies to:

✓ Energy, water, and waste

Additional resources

GRESB data coverage methodology

Scaler data coverage methodology

Using the Meter List for data quality