The Opportunity Register supports two approaches for recording and calculating savings on an opportunity: Manual Entry and Datasource Derived. This article explains how each works, when to use them, and what is required for each.
Estimated Savings
Estimated savings represent the projected value of an opportunity before it is implemented. These are entered during a status transition and provide the financial, carbon, and resource case for why the opportunity should be pursued.
Manual Entry
In Manual Entry mode, all estimated savings values are entered directly by the user. This includes:
Resource consumption saving (e.g. reduction in kWh)
Energy cost savings
Carbon savings
Carbon cost savings
Total cost savings
This mode is always available for any resource on any opportunity, regardless of how the site is configured. It is the right choice when automated conversion rates are not yet set up, or when a user prefers to enter figures directly.
Datasource Derived
In Datasource Derived mode, the user enters the estimated resource consumption saving only. The system then calculates all other savings values automatically using the conversion rates configured in the Site Resource Table for that resource.
What gets calculated automatically:
Energy cost savings, using the unit price datasource
Carbon savings, using the carbon-intensity factor datasource
Carbon cost savings, using the carbon price datasource
Total cost savings, as the sum of energy cost and carbon cost savings
For a resource to be available in Datasource Derived mode, it must have a unit price datasource configured in the Site Resource Table. If carbon calculations are required, the carbon price and carbon intensity factor datasources must also be set up. Resources that are not yet fully configured will display a warning and can still be used in Manual Entry mode.
A key benefit of this approach is that the estimated financial case for an opportunity stays current automatically. If energy prices change over time, the estimated savings figures update without anyone having to recalculate them manually. This means an opportunity that does not meet the required ROI threshold today may become viable as conditions change.
Performance Savings
Performance savings represent the real-world savings being delivered by an opportunity over time. These are tracked in the Performance tab and cover the same savings dimensions as estimated savings: resource consumption, energy cost, carbon, and carbon cost.
Manual Entry
All performance savings values are entered directly by the user for each resource linked to the opportunity. This mode is always available regardless of site configuration and is the right choice when datasources are not yet in place or when a user prefers to enter figures directly.
Datasource Derived
Two datasources are linked directly to the opportunity:
A Baseline datasource, providing the consumption that would have occurred without the opportunity
An Actual datasource, providing the real consumption being measured
The system calculates savings automatically using:
Baseline - Actual = Savings
All performance figures are then derived from this calculation using the rates in the Site Resource Table, including energy cost savings, carbon savings, and carbon cost savings. Figures update automatically as new data flows in, with no manual input required.
The Performance tab displays results across four views:
Performance Dashboard, showing Total Cumulative Savings and Annualised Savings
Performance vs Baseline Chart, comparing baseline against actual consumption over time
Resource Savings Details, a per-resource breakdown of all savings dimensions
Monthly Savings Breakdown, showing completed months across the full Performance Period