As the government continues to strive towards meeting net zero targets by 2050, it has been simultaneously faced with increased budgetary burdens brought about by higher borrowing costs and strained public services as well as soaring energy and fuel prices. Alongside the ever-growing pressure to mitigate the damage wrought by climate change and secure for ourselves a sustainable future, this additional financial stress only emphasises the UK’s need to further drive its net zero carbon goals and to do so effectively and economically.
With the Climate Change Committee warning in its recent progress report on the government’s plans to ‘Build Back Greener’ that emissions reductions in buildings must progress at a steeper rate to achieve net zero, it is critical for companies to act now to reduce the carbon footprint of their built environment. Sustainable construction practices and techniques in reducing embodied carbon are necessary, but organisations should also be looking to maximise both the use of innovative and effective energy management and monitoring software in order to produce data that can inform their energy management strategies and truly make a difference.
Implementation requires accuracy
Net zero carbon energy software can play a fundamental role in supporting organisations in achieving their sustainability goals. This constitutes an array of applications and platforms designed to monitor, analyse and implement carbon strategies effectively, as well as process and pinpoint exact data points that can feed into this carbon-reduction process.
Without effective data, net zero carbon strategies – which encompass practices such as renewable energy adoption, increased energy efficiency and carbon offsetting – are incredibly difficult to put into effect and measure. This has the knock on effect of impacting how companies can meet required reporting standards, such as the carbon reduction commitment (CRC) and energy saving opportunity scheme (ESOS).
Further, with the introduction of legislation like the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES), it has become compulsory for property owners to work with energy-efficient equipment and systems to reduce their Energy Performance Certificate ratings and, ultimately, overall carbon emissions. High levels of capital investment are often required to move toward improving carbon footprints and energy efficiencies – emphasising the need for data that will ensure budgets are going exactly where they need to in terms of energy management.
Without the accurate data that interactive bespoke software and hardware solutions can offer, companies working towards a greener future will soon realise that net zero carbon strategies will be far from straightforward to effect.
The long view: streamlining processes and reducing costs
Businesses should seize the opportunity to integrate new technologies into their software systems to streamline the retrieval of data, ensure its accuracy and apply the findings to their operations. The results can inform budgeting decisions and highlight areas of the business where net zero strategies can be implemented, inevitably reducing overall costs in the long run.
Software programs that collect and report continuous energy usage data for properties – revealing trends and evidence of energy spikes as well as allowing for usage trends to be forecasted – can make a real difference in identifying energy inefficiencies within a built environment.
One such technology that the sector could look to utilise is Autonomy Energy, a bespoke piece of property software that collects energy data from the built environment in real-time. The platform integrates with working systems and is fitted out with intuitive dashboard features, offering real-time insights into energy consumption as well as suggesting actionable strategies for optimisation.
Software like this is laying the groundwork for current and anticipated sustainability and data tracing efforts, acting more as a solution than a mitigating strategy. It can also empower businesses to make data-driven decisions that will reduce their costs and also drive sustainability initiatives, all while saving human time input in the process.
Looking ahead…
The part software plays in pushing for progress increases by the day; we must not underestimate its role in helping us to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change and economic precarity on the environment we share. It is only by investing in the technology of today that we can accurately and effectively plan for the future, and build a greener, cleaner world to live in.