In the past three to five years, legislative changes have prompted many New Zealand businesses to evaluate their contributions towards the country’s net carbon zero targets. Despite their commitment to sustainability and reducing CO2 emissions, many companies find themselves stuck at the implementation stage due to a lack of necessary data.
The Importance of Data in Sustainability
The journey towards sustainability is fundamentally dependent on data. Data is crucial, from setting decarbonisation goals to determining the actions needed to achieve those goals and monitoring progress. Most sustainability projects involve significant investments in onsite energy generation, transitioning to renewable energy sources, diversifying the energy mix, or investing in more efficient machinery.
Granular data collected at the machine, process, and facility levels empowers decision-makers to justify their investments and confidently implement sustainability initiatives.
Establishing Baselines and Monitoring Progress
Once an investment decision is made, organisations need to establish baselines and monitor progress. Highly accurate IoT devices can measure energy use and emissions across critical machinery, creating a baseline for tracking progress and identifying areas for improvement. Monitoring energy consumption, operational efficiency, and emission levels allows organisations to set realistic, data-backed sustainability targets, monitor initiatives over time, and collect the data needed to meet reporting obligations.
Case Study: The Power of Data in Action
A national retail chain, a client of Total Utilities, demonstrates the power of data in action. The Panoramic Power Energy Intelligence solution helped identify out-of-hours energy waste equivalent to 51,000kg of Scope 2 CO2 emissions. By using Panoramic Power sensors to measure the energy consumption of their HVAC system, they identified an opportunity to optimise these assets during non-operational hours, achieving $105,000 per year in total energy cost savings.
Criteria for Effective Data Utilisation
For data to successfully drive sustainability initiatives forward, it must meet the following criteria:
- Generate Insights: Organisations striving for net zero need more than just raw data; they need actionable insights. A robust data tool is required to generate these insights, allowing key stakeholders to visualise the full energy picture, identify sources of waste, and determine where interventions will have the most significant economic and environmental impact.
- Be Readily Shareable: Companies worldwide often suffer from data silos, where relevant data does not reach those who need it for daily operations. A data tool that facilitates easy sharing across departments and stakeholders empowers both site and management levels to carry out their tasks efficiently and accurately.
- Ease Reporting Obligations: Organisations face increasing pressure to collect and maintain accurate emissions and resource consumption data and report on decarbonisation efforts. A data-driven energy monitoring strategy provides a clear view of energy and carbon performance and generates detailed reports required for regulatory and legislative compliance with Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
Harness Energy Intelligence and Boost Your Sustainability Initiatives
When organisations have confidence in their data, they can better manage their energy use. Data will be the cornerstone of successful sustainability journeys going forward. By collecting, analysing, and acting on data-driven insights, manufacturing organisations can bridge the gap between commitments and implementation, achieve net-zero goals, and build a more sustainable future.
How Total Utilities Can Help
Our expert team can help you unlock significant energy savings with a short-term return on investment (ROI). Typically, we can identify up to 25% savings with an ROI of less than 2 years.
We offer the easiest-to-install, and fastest for ROI energy management solution, that scales effortlessly from a few devices to full-site or multi-site operations. Experience actionable insights and real-time analytics that drive efficiency and sustainability. Our solutions work for everyone, helping your organisation kickstart cultural transformation towards a sustainable future.
For more information check out a brief overview of our service here.
Ready to start saving? Contact us today to schedule your energy audit and begin your journey towards greater efficiency and cost savings!