Why accurate data is the vital first step to net zero

As we eagerly await the government’s Net Zero Review and Energy White Paper to understand more about how the UK will be expected to meet its 2050 net zero goal, many businesses are already taking steps to work towards their own net zero targets.

While investing in on-site renewables, installing low-carbon technologies or buying 100% renewable energy are more likely to make headlines, the reality is you can’t accurately reduce your emissions if you don’t first understand what you are using as a business.

The key first step is therefore ensuring you can accurately measure the energy that you consume. And for this, you need good data.

This is where metering comes in. And more specifically, how the consumption recorded by your meters is then converted into data.

Making an informed decision

Despite being a mandated service, choosing a metering and data collection partner isn’t something many companies give much thought to.

They may just go with their energy supplier (if they are accredited to offer metering services) or the provider that’s historically always done it.

Or if they are new to metering – for example, as a result of becoming Half-Hourly settled due to regulation P272 – then the cheapest provider.

But historic or cheap doesn’t always translate to accurate. And unless you have an all-inclusive contract, default charges and extras can mount up over the lifetime of your contract.

Providing certainty

In these uncertain times, the last thing businesses need are unexpected costs. At npower Business Solutions, we offer an all-inclusive rate for all our contracts, both on and off supply. So any necessary upgrades, new meters or fault fixes are included in the contract price.

When you consider that 50% of meters require a maintenance visit each year, it’s easy to see how cheaper-sounding MOP agreements that instead charge by the service can soon add up to be very expensive.

And you don’t have to be on supply with npower Business Solutions either – we can provide an accredited Meter Operator or Data Collection/Data Aggregation contract for any Half-Hourly settled business, regardless of who your energy provider is.

Remote working is not new to us

We have deployed the latest technology to maximise accurate remote communication with your meters, which negates the need for manual meter reads on site.

As standard with our Data Collection proposition, we include Intelligent Analytics energy management software, which provides online visual access to Day + 1 consumption information from wherever you need to access it. 

You can carefully track energy use by site, forecast costs and carbon emissions, compare site performance and set alarms, plus various other functions whenever you wish.

For enhanced granularity to help companies better understand exactly how and where they are using energy for individual assets or site areas, we also offer our innovative data analytics technology in:site. This allows you to convert real-time data into actionable insights beyond the meter.

Industry-leading accuracy

When it comes to data accuracy, we have an industry-leading position, providing 98% accurate Day + 1 Half Hourly data on average.

Even with Covid-19 restrictions limiting the number of site visits we could safely complete in 2020, we’ve maintained a 95% average so far this year.

Covering the whole of the UK

All our metering services are delivered by our experienced Advanced Metering Team in Leeds, who continue to work well remotely.

Together with a highly-skilled field team based throughout Great Britain, they are able to address faults, push through upgrades and resolve any issues between meter communications and data delivery.

This ensures our customers receive a seamless and comprehensive service.

The best place to start

With delivering net zero by 2050 now firmly on the UK’s agenda, the need to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions is likely to become mandatory for many businesses before long.

So having the latest metering technology and access to accurate consumption data is the best place to start.

If you’re already an npower customer, contact your Client Lead otherwise Get in touch to find out more.