Data and decarbonisation

Claire Robinson, Sales Director at IAconnects reviews the range of regulations in place regarding carbon reporting and explains why sound data is the key to ensuring compliance

According to the UK Green Building Council, commercial buildings represent 23 per cent of built environment carbon emissions in the UK. Many businesses now recognise the importance of sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint. This has led to the need for new “net zero buildings” — highly energy-efficient facilities that generate and supply the energy required to operate from renewable sources.

Meanwhile, others are retrofitting buildings with sophisticated hardware and software solutions, which enable them to monitor key parameters like emissions and energy consumption. Offices, warehouses, and other facilities are striving to reduce their carbon footprints, requiring facilities managers to navigate a variety of frameworks and standards.

This means that when it comes to carbon reporting and reduction, FMs are at the forefront. As well as working directly with the carbon-producing systems, assets and services, they understand how active monitoring and control can help regulate and reduce emissions.

THE REGULATIONS AND STANDARDS

The UK’s target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 continues to shape organisations’ carbon-cutting efforts — but there are also several other commitments for FMs to meet.

The Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) came into force in 2019 and applies to large UK companies, limited liability partnerships (LLPs) and quoted firms. SECR requires organisations to share energy use and carbon information in their annual reports. This includes reporting on their global Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and at least one emissions intensity ratio. Scope 1 refers to emissions directly owned or controlled by a company, such as on-site furnaces, and Scope 2 covers indirect emissions, like those from purchased energy.

Meanwhile, the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) mandates energy audits and carbon reporting for large organisations. Reporting on usage is crucial, as companies can use this to calculate their overall carbon consumption.

There are also various voluntary commitments for FMs to consider. These include the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which promise to “Build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation”. Despite their broad nature, some commercial facilities are now working towards the UN’s goals and embedding them into their company missions. As well as this, there are international standards on GHG reporting, such as ISO 50001, which helps organisations manage and improve their energy consumption and efficiency.

THE DATA TRACKING ESSENTIALS

As a minimum, we’d recommend tracking the data needed for Scope 1 and 2 reporting, which means gathering as much information as possible about on-site and energy-based emissions. Though harder to measure, voluntary reporting on Scope 3 emissions — those from the wider supply chain — is also good practice.

Energy consumption data, including electricity, gas, and water usage, is also crucial. Evaluating the performance of energy efficiency measures like insulation or solar panels, where data is available, provides a clearer picture of environmental impact.

In sectors like manufacturing, carbon intensity metrics, such as emissions per unit of energy produced (CO2e/kWh), are also important. These allow for performance comparisons over time and across different facilities.

ENTER DATA SOLUTIONS

Often, effective carbon reporting hinges on being able to monitor energy use accurately across a facility. IoT-enabled solutions, such as those offered by IAconnects, are crucial. By integrating sensors, gateways and other sophisticated IoT-enabled tools, FMs can access real-time data on consumption, emissions and system inefficiencies. These granular insights support compliance with SECR, ESOS and other standards, and the real-time monitoring offers immediate insights for energy efficiency adjustments.

Automation further streamlines the reporting process. Centralised, cloud-based platforms can improve accessibility and scalability, helping organisations manage carbon reporting in a timely, accurate way. Meanwhile, the advanced analytics offered by these platforms enable data-driven decision-making by identifying usage trends and predicting energy demands.

Ultimately, these solutions can help organisations better understand their environmental impact. Using these energy monitoring solutions, FMs can lead the charge in reducing the built environment’s carbon footprint while future-proofing against evolving regulations.

THE VALUE OF DATA-DRIVEN REPORTING

Accurate carbon reporting is essential for facilities to meet the compliance standards we’ve discussed and demonstrate sustainability commitments. Advanced energy monitoring systems provide detailed insights into energy usage and emissions, helping organisations align with SECR, ESOS and other key frameworks. This transparency not only helps avoid penalties but also fosters strong relationships with stakeholders, both internal and external.

Centralised data collection and predictive analytics further enable FMs to identify inefficiencies and forecast energy needs. All in all, this will help them reduce costs, meet their sustainability goals and demonstrate compliance in energy and carbon-related disclosures.

Effective carbon reporting is not just a necessity for compliance but provides a strategic advantage. By leveraging advanced IoT-enabled energy monitoring solutions, organisations can achieve accurate emissions tracking, streamline reporting, and make data-driven decisions to enhance sustainability while meeting their regulatory obligations.