Key Concepts

Before diving deeper into CO2 Asset Management, here are the key terms you’ll encounter - explained in plain language.

The Location Hierarchy

These concepts describe where things are.

Estate

Plain English: Your entire property portfolio - all the buildings and sites you manage.

Think of it as: A folder that contains everything.

Examples:

• “Acme Corporation Properties”
• “NHS Trust Buildings”
• “University of Manchester Estate”

Note

Most organizations have one Estate. You only need multiple if you manage completely separate portfolios (e.g., different business units with no overlap).

Site

Plain English: A single physical location - typically one building or one address.

Think of it as: One pin on a map.

Examples:

• “London Headquarters”
• “Manchester Warehouse”
• “Birmingham Branch Office”

A Site has an address. It contains one or more Buildings.

Building

Plain English: A physical structure at a Site.

Think of it as: Something you could walk around.

Examples:

• “Main Building”
• “Annex”
• “Car Park Structure”

Tip

For simple sites with one building, you can name the Building the same as the Site. “London Office” (Site) contains “London Office” (Building) is perfectly fine.

Floor Plan

Plain English: An image of a building floor that you can place assets on.

Think of it as: An interactive blueprint.

Examples:

• “Ground Floor”
• “First Floor”
• “Roof / Plant Room”

Floor plans are where the magic happens - they turn your asset list into a visual map.

---

The Asset System

These concepts describe what you’re tracking.

Asset

Plain English: A specific physical item you’re tracking - one piece of equipment in one location.

Think of it as: The actual thing in your building.

Examples:

• “HVAC Unit #47 in the server room”
• “Fire Extinguisher by the main entrance”
• “Boiler in the basement plant room”

An Asset has:

• A location (where on the floor plan)
• Specifications (inherited from its Listing)
• Identity (serial number, asset tag)
• History (installation date, maintenance records)

Listing

Plain English: A template or product specification - the “type” of asset, not a specific instance.

Think of it as: A product from a catalogue that you can place multiple times.

Examples:

• “5kg CO2 Fire Extinguisher”
• “Model XYZ Condensing Boiler, 25kW”
• “LED Panel Light, 40W”

When you drag a Listing onto a floor plan, you create an Asset. The Asset inherits all the specifications from the Listing.

Catalogue

Plain English: A collection of Listings organized by category - like a product library.

Think of it as: A parts catalog you can browse and pick from.

Examples:

• “Fire Safety Equipment” (contains extinguishers, alarms, detectors)
• “HVAC Systems” (contains boilers, AC units, heat pumps)
• “Lighting” (contains panels, fixtures, controls)

Catalogues can be:

• Global - Available to everyone (standard equipment types)
• Estate-specific - Custom catalogues for your organization
• Supplier-specific - Products from a particular vendor

---

The Relationship

How it all fits together:

CATALOGUE ──contains──> LISTING ──creates──> ASSET
(Library)              (Template)           (Instance)

Real example:

1. You open the “Fire Safety” Catalogue
2. You find the “5kg CO2 Fire Extinguisher” Listing
3. You drag it onto a floor plan - now it’s an Asset at that specific location
4. You can drag the same Listing again to create another Asset somewhere else

Each Asset is independent - you can update its details, attach documents, record maintenance - all without affecting other Assets of the same type.

---

Quick Reference Table

Term	What it is	Analogy
Estate	Your entire portfolio	The company’s property folder
Site	One physical location	One pin on a map
Building	A structure at a site	Something you walk around
Floor Plan	Image of a floor	An interactive blueprint
Asset	A specific tracked item	The actual equipment
Listing	A product template	An item in a parts catalog
Catalogue	Collection of Listings	A product library

---

Additional Terms

Drawing Layer

Plain English: A transparent overlay on a floor plan where you place assets and annotations.

Layers let you organize different types of content - assets might be on one layer, annotations on another. You can show or hide layers.

Proposal

Plain English: A planned change to your assets - equipment you want to add, replace, or remove.

Proposals let you model changes before making them, including calculating the impact on energy use and carbon footprint.

Boundary

Plain English: An area drawn on a floor plan that groups assets together.

Useful for defining rooms, zones, or areas of responsibility.

---

Why These Concepts Matter

Understanding this structure helps you:

Goal	How the concepts help
Find assets quickly	Navigate Estate → Site → Building → Floor Plan
Maintain consistency	Catalogues ensure everyone uses the same specifications
Track locations	Floor Plans show exactly where assets are
Plan improvements	Proposals model changes before implementing them
Calculate carbon	Asset specifications include energy data

---

Ready to use these concepts? Start with the 5-minute quick start →