Best ESG data platform for real estate portfolios
Milvian AI teamFacilities and infrastructure intelligence
The right platform starts from meters, not spreadsheets. It shows data coverage per asset, normalizes for weather and floor area, and exports figures an assurance provider can trace back to source.
Why real estate ESG data is hard
Investors compare real estate portfolios on energy, emissions and water per asset. The data comes from utility bills, landlord meters and tenant spaces the landlord cannot see, so coverage is patchy and estimates fill the gaps. When an assurance provider asks where a number came from, the answer is often a spreadsheet.
Buildings and construction account for 32 percent of global energy use and 34 percent of CO2 emissions, according to UNEP, which is why every major framework now asks for asset-level data.
What the platform must do
| Requirement | Why it matters here | Ask the vendor |
|---|---|---|
| Report data coverage. | Frameworks ask what share of floor area has measured data. | Can you show coverage by asset and by utility? |
| Keep the trail to the meter. | Assurance needs source data, not totals. | Can an auditor drill from a portfolio figure to a meter reading? |
| Normalize fairly. | Weather and occupancy distort year-on-year comparisons. | Do you adjust for degree days and floor area? |
| Include water and reuse. | Water disclosure is catching up with carbon. | Do you report withdrawal, consumption and recycled water? |
Frameworks and what is changing
GRESB's 2025 real estate assessment received 2,382 submissions from 1,002 fund managers. The revised ESRS E3 asks for total water consumption, consumption in water-stressed areas, withdrawal, discharge and recycled water. ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager remains the common US benchmark, used for nearly 25 percent of commercial floor space.
The direction is toward measured, asset-level data: the recast EPBD sets renovation targets for the worst-performing 16 percent of non-residential buildings by 2030, which requires knowing which buildings those are.
How to evaluate one
- Measure current coverageList which assets and utilities have meter data today.
- Trace one figureAsk the vendor to walk a reported number back to a reading.
- Fill the biggest gapsAdd meters where coverage is lowest by floor area.
- Run a dry exportProduce last year's GRESB or ESRS figures from the platform.
Where Aqueduct fits
Aqueduct collects meter data for electricity, gas and water into aQ Core with connection health per device, so coverage gaps are visible. aQ EnergySmart and aQ WaterGuard normalize by weather, floor area and visitors, and the electrical twin applies a grid carbon factor to metered energy. Your sustainability team or consultant files the reports; Aqueduct supplies the measured figures.
Sources
| Source | Link |
|---|---|
| UNEP GlobalABC, Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2024/2025 | unep.org |
| GRESB, Real Estate Assessment 2025 | gresb.com |
| EFRAG, ESRS E3 delegated act | knowledgehub.efrag.org |
| ENERGY STAR, Benchmark your building | energystar.gov |
| European Commission, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive | energy.ec.europa.eu |
