Scaler Spreadsheet Tutorials

What the spreadsheet is

The Scaler Spreadsheet is an Excel-based bulk upload tool. Download data from Scaler, edit it in Excel, upload it back in. Three reasons you'd use it:

Go to Data Collection Portal → Asset List. Select the assets you want to work with, then click Download in the floating action bar at the bottom of the screen. You'll see three options:

After downloading, the platform immediately opens the Upload window. Close it for now — you'll come back to that once your edits are done.

When you open the spreadsheet in Excel, the first three tabs are reference and guidance — not for data entry:

The remaining tabs are data sheets — Asset Details, Floor Areas, Certifications, Energy Meters, Energy Consumption, and many others. Which tabs appear depends on what you selected when downloading.

These apply every time you use the spreadsheet. Getting them wrong causes upload failures, data loss, or duplicate records.

Asset Details controls which assets are processed. Asset Details always exports, regardless of your custom selection. Scaler will only process data for assets that are present in Asset Details in the same upload. Every other sheet — Floor Areas, Certifications, Meters, Consumption — is only processed for assets that appear there.

The spreadsheet overwrites your data. For any asset present in Asset Details, all changes across every other sheet are applied on upload — Scaler doesn't merge, it overwrites. Edited cells are updated. Deleted rows are deleted. Only include what you intend to keep. Only edit what you intend to change.

Never edit system-generated IDs. SCALER ASSET ID, METER ID, METER VERSION ID, CONSUMPTION ID — never edit these for existing records. If you change them, Scaler loses the match and creates a duplicate instead of updating the original. Row 9 marks these columns Don't Change.

Three-field asset identification — exact match required. Every row in every sheet is linked to an asset via SCALER ASSET ID, CLIENT ASSET ID, and ASSET NAME. All three must match exactly — capitalisation, spacing, everything. Always copy-paste these from an existing row. Never type them manually.

Download fresh — edit — upload in one session. Don't download a file and leave it for later. If someone else changes the platform in the meantime, your upload overwrites their work.

Excel only — not Google Sheets. Dropdown validation only works in Microsoft Excel. Google Sheets silently breaks it. Desktop Excel or OneDrive only.

Don't touch the hidden sheets. The LISTS, METADATA-hidden, LISTS-hidden, and EXCLUDE tabs power the dropdown validation across the entire file. Don't edit, rename, or delete them.

These tabs aren't for data entry — they're there to be read. This video gives you a quick orientation to each one, but the content is designed to be read directly, not watched on screen.

Metadata & Info — Check cell B6 for the template version number. The version history table shows every update to the spreadsheet and whether older versions are still compatible. A No in the compatibility column means you need to download a fresh copy before uploading.

How to Use This Spreadsheet — Step-by-step workflow for adding, editing, and deleting data, plus a quick reference summary table at the bottom. If you're unsure whether to delete a row or just clear the cells, the answer is in that table. Read this before your first upload.

Descriptions & Guidance — Every field across every sheet documented with descriptions, additional guidance, and framework reporting requirements. The Additional Guidance column is where the non-obvious rules live — field dependencies, validation logic, connections between sheets. Scroll right to see framework columns (GRESB, GRI, SFDR, SECR, INREV SDDS, EU Taxonomy). Filter by framework to see exactly which fields are required for a specific report.

Every data sheet has three rows near the top that tell you how to fill in each column. Check these before entering data in any column you haven't used before.

Row 7 — Type. What kind of value the field accepts: Text, Integer (whole numbers only, no decimals), Number (decimals allowed), or Dropdown (must exactly match one of the available options).

Row 8 — Unit. The unit your value should be entered in. Key ones: financial fields like GROSS ASSET VALUE are in millions (10 million = enter 10, not 10,000,000); percentages are 0–100 (3% = enter 3); floor areas are m² or ft² depending on the asset unit system; embodied carbon is always kgCO2/m² regardless of unit system. Getting the unit wrong doesn't always cause a failure — sometimes Scaler silently misinterprets the number. Always check Row 8 before entering any numeric value.

Row 9 — Requirement. Whether a field must be filled in:

The three identity fields — SCALER ASSET ID, CLIENT ASSET ID, ASSET NAME — must match exactly across every sheet in the upload. Always copy-paste them from an existing row; never type them manually. A single character difference will cause Scaler to treat the row as a different asset.

Never edit SCALER ASSET ID for an existing asset. It is system-generated and is how Scaler recognises the record. Editing it will create a duplicate instead of updating the original.

ASSET UNIT SYSTEM is descriptive, not instructional — Scaler does not convert data. If you set an asset to Metric but your floor area values are in square feet, Scaler will store those numbers as square metres. Set this correctly at asset creation and change it via Asset Details only, in a standalone upload.

COUNTRY is required and high-consequence. It drives location-based emission factors, CRREM pathways, framework report groupings, and benchmarks. Use the dropdown — do not type freehand.

MAIN PROPERTY TYPE and MAIN PROPERTY SUBTYPE are both required and affect benchmarking, CRREM pathways, and building performance standard tracking. Consult the property type mapping article in the knowledge base if you're unsure which type to use.

Sold assets still need ACTIVE IN ANALYTICS = True for the period they were held. Setting this to False excludes the asset from all reports — including periods before the sale. Keep it True until you have finished reporting for every period that includes that asset.

ACTIVE IN REPORTING OUTPUTS is the recommended way to customise a report run. Download Asset Details only, toggle this field across your portfolio as needed, upload, generate the report, then reset.

Tags and Entity Names must match exactly across portfolios — same capitalisation, same spacing — to be usable as company-level filters.

This sheet stores the floor area values for each asset — the foundation that Scaler uses for energy intensity calculations, data coverage, certification scope, and meter area linkage. Every asset needs at least the three required GFA fields before meaningful analytics can run.

ASSET UNIT SYSTEM is pre-filled on export — do not edit it. All floor area values you enter must be in the unit shown for that asset: m² for Metric, ft² for Imperial. If the column is blank for an asset, that asset's unit system hasn't been set in Asset Details yet — fix that first.

GFA — COMMON AREA plus GFA — TENANT AREA must equal GROSS FLOOR AREA (GFA). This is a hard validation. If the three values don't add up, the upload fails. When you update any one of the three, you must update all three together in the same new row. There is no partial update.

Enter 0, not blank, when there is no common area or no tenant area. All three GFA fields are required. A blank field fails the required field check. Zero is the correct value for "none of this type."

Only add a new row when floor areas genuinely change. This sheet uses the Relevant Since pattern — if nothing has changed since your last entry, no new row is needed. Scaler looks back to the most recent Relevant Since date on or before the reporting period and uses that row. If you correct a value, update the existing row. Only add a new row when the actual area changed at a real point in time.

Maximum 4 decimal places on all area values. More than 4 decimal places will fail on upload. Check any values pasted from other systems — especially converted units — and round before uploading.

The same sum rule applies to GIA and GUA if you populate them. GIA — Common Area plus GIA — Tenant Area must equal Gross Internal Area. Same for GUA. If you enter any of the three in a group, all three must be consistent.

GFA — EXTERIOR AREA (column J) links to the Outdoor / Exterior / Parking area type on meters and certifications. Enter exterior and parking areas here if you want to track their energy use separately from the building envelope. ⚠️ Note: the current spreadsheet version (v2026.02.02) shows GFA - EXTERIOR AREA on both column J and column Q — this appears to be a labelling issue. Use column J. Check the Descriptions & Guidance sheet for definitions, and contact your account team if column Q is unclear.

Leaving COVERED AREA blank on a meter or certification auto-links it to the relevant GFA value from this sheet. Update GFA here and all linked meters and certifications update with it automatically. Only enter a specific Covered Area on a meter when it genuinely covers a sub-area.

This sheet uses the Relevant Since pattern — but most fields change every year. Unlike Floor Areas, where a single row may be valid for years, Reporting Details fields like GROSS ASSET VALUE, ANNUAL VACANCY RATE, GROSS RENTAL INCOME, and PERCENT OF OWNERSHIP typically need a new row every reporting year. Only populate columns that have a new value in that row — Scaler looks back independently for each field.

Two changes on different dates require two separate rows. If Gross Asset Value changes on 1 January and a contact changes on 1 June, you need one row per date. Each row represents one point in time when something became relevant. You cannot combine two different effective dates into a single row.

STATUS START DATE and STATUS END DATE are auto-populated — do not touch them. Row 9 marks both as DON'T CHANGE / auto-generated. When you add a new row with a new STATUS value, Scaler reads your RELEVANT SINCE date as the status start date and automatically closes the previous status's end date to the day before. Your only job is to set RELEVANT SINCE and STATUS correctly.

GROSS ASSET VALUE and GROSS RENTAL INCOME are entered in millions. EUR 13,000,000 = enter 13. EUR 2,500,000 = enter 2.5. Row 7 type field confirms: number (millions). Entering the full number will make assets appear to be worth thousands of times their actual value in reports.

ANNUAL VACANCY RATE and PERCENT OF OWNERSHIP are entered as 0–100. Row 8 confirms: 0-100, e.g. 3% = 3. So 2% vacancy = 2, 75% ownership = 75. Do not enter as decimals (0.02, 0.75).

Only add a STATUS value in a row when the status is genuinely changing. If Standing Investment continues unchanged, leave STATUS blank in the new row. Scaler finds the most recent prior STATUS automatically.

This sheet does not use the Relevant Since pattern. Each row is a standalone certification record. One row per certification per asset. There is no date-based look-back logic — add a new row for each distinct certification.

GROUP → TYPE → LEVEL must be filled in that order — always use the dropdown. These three fields cascade: GROUP determines which TYPE options appear, and TYPE determines which LEVEL options appear. Never type directly into these cells and never paste values from another row or another source. Even if the value looks identical, pasted text may fail validation. Clear the cells and re-select from the dropdown each time.

LEVEL is always required, even for pass/fail certifications. If your certification type has only one level option (e.g. Obtained or Certified), you must still select it. Leaving LEVEL blank will cause the upload to fail.

DATE OBTAINED is required when the certification has been obtained. Row 9: conditionally required when OBTAINMENT STATUS equals Obtained or is blank. A blank OBTAINMENT STATUS is treated as Obtained, so if you don't explicitly set status, you must supply a date.

For in-progress certifications: set OBTAINMENT STATUS to Planning to obtain and leave DATE OBTAINED blank. Do not enter a registration date, application date, or target date in DATE OBTAINED. Entering any date in that field tells Scaler the certification has been issued. ⚠️ Note: some guidance documents suggest entering a registration date here for in-progress certifications — this is incorrect. Follow the rule above.

Leaving COVERED AREA blank auto-links the certification to the full GFA. Only enter a value if the certification covers a sub-area of the building. The unit is m² or ft² per the asset's unit system (shown in the pre-filled ASSET UNIT SYSTEM column — do not edit it).

The EU Taxonomy / SFDR fields (columns O–R) are specialist fields — leave blank if not applicable. These four fields — Primary Energy Demand, PED Meets NZEB Criteria, Percentage Lower Than NZEB, and Top Percentage of National Stock — are only relevant for EU Taxonomy alignment and SFDR reporting. NZEB thresholds are country-specific and must be sourced from national energy regulation authorities.

DATE EVIDENCE SUBMITTED FOR REVIEW — ignore this field. It's a legacy column from a one-off GRESB scoring change and is no longer relevant. Leave it blank.

This sheet defines the structure of your energy meters — what type of energy each meter tracks, which area it covers, and how consumption data will be recorded against it. Every asset that has energy data in Scaler needs at least one meter set up here before any consumption can be entered.

Each row is one meter version. A single physical meter can have multiple rows if its configuration has changed over time. Scaler links versions together automatically via the Meter ID.

Before setting up meters in the spreadsheet, set one up in the platform first. The platform interface makes the required fields and their relationships much easier to understand before working in bulk.

METER TYPE, METER VERSION, AUTOMATED, and ASSET UNIT SYSTEM are all auto-generated or pre-filled. Do not populate these. Leave them blank on new rows; they will be assigned by Scaler on upload.

METER ID must be unique per asset. If two meters on the same asset share a Meter ID, the upload will fail. If you copy a row as a template for a new meter, update the Meter ID first.

SUBCATEGORY and SOURCE must always be selected from the dropdown — never typed or pasted. The exact values drive emission factor assignments. A free-typed value that looks correct will still fail on upload.

CONSUMPTION FORMAT must not be changed on an existing meter. Changing from Consumption recording to Meter reading (or vice versa) on a meter with historical consumption data will cause Scaler to misinterpret all existing records. If the format genuinely needs to change, close the meter with a version end date and create a new version.

AREA TYPE drives scope emissions allocation — landlord-controlled meters go into scope 1 (fuels) or scope 2 (electricity, DHC); tenant-controlled meters go into scope 3. Common Areas and Shared Services are always landlord-controlled by definition.

COVERED AREA cannot exceed the linked floor area. If your GFA is 1,000 m² and you enter 1,002 in Covered Area for a whole-building meter, the upload will fail. If Covered Area is left blank, it automatically stays in sync with the relevant floor area field.

PERCENTAGE GREEN is required when SUBCATEGORY is Off-site electricity or any DHC type and SOURCE is Mix of green/grey. If left blank in that case, the upload will fail. For DHC meters with other source types, it is optional — but if blank, consumption is treated as 100% grey.

SUPPLIER must match the Emission Factor Tool exactly. The subcategory and source on the meter must also match what that supplier is configured for in the platform. A mismatch means Scaler falls back to the default emission factor silently.

INCLUDE IN CALCULATIONS defaults to TRUE when blank. Set it explicitly to FALSE for source meters feeding a calculated meter, and for tenant meters you're not yet reporting on.

To create a new meter version: add a METER VERSION END DATE to the existing row, copy the row, clear the METER VERSION field on the new row, set METER VERSION START DATE to the day after the previous version's end date, and update the field that changed. The new version's start date must be exactly one day after the previous version's end date — a gap or overlap will cause an error.

Never upload Energy Meters changes and Energy Consumption data in the same session. Upload meter changes first. Wait for Scaler to process them. Then export a fresh copy of the spreadsheet before entering or uploading consumption. If you upload both sheets together, consumption rows that reference meters not yet written to the system will fail.

METER VERSION is auto-generated — leave it blank on new rows. Scaler assigns the correct version based on which meter version was active during the consumption period. Never populate this field manually, and never copy a Meter Version value from one row into a new row you're creating.

SUBCATEGORY and AREA TYPE are pre-filled on export — do not edit them. These come directly from the meter configuration. If they look wrong, fix them in the Energy Meters sheet and re-export.

CONSUMPTION FORMAT is set on the meter, not here — and it determines which fields are required. There are two formats. Consumption recording: enter a start date, end date, and consumption quantity for a period. Meter reading: enter a reading date and cumulative meter reading value; Scaler calculates consumption from consecutive readings. You cannot mix formats within a single meter.

For on-site renewable meters (solar/wind), use PRODUCTION instead of CONSUMPTION. Leave CONSUMPTION blank and enter the gross energy produced in PRODUCTION. Enter energy exported to the grid in REDELIVERY TO GRID (use 0 if none). Scaler calculates net on-site consumption as Production minus Redelivery.

ESTIMATE USING SOLAR PANEL DATA can be toggled per row. Setting it to True for a period tells Scaler to estimate solar production using the panel count and average watt-peak from Sustainable Characteristics — useful for periods before metering was installed. Setting it to False or leaving it blank uses actual data. You can mix both approaches across different periods on the same meter.

UNIT OF CONSUMPTION must be consistent across all rows for the same meter. If historical rows use kWh and you add a new row in MWh, Scaler cannot compare them and intensity calculations will be wrong. Check existing rows before adding new ones. If the unit genuinely changed (e.g. supplier changed reporting), that warrants a new meter version.

CURRENCY is required whenever COST is populated. Both are optional, but if you enter a cost figure you must select the currency from the dropdown — do not type it.