Consumer-led Industrial and Commercial (I&C) flexibility allows large energy consumers (factories, retailers, office blocks, data centres, hospitals etc.) to adjust their net energy consumption for short periods in response to the needs of the grid, incentivised through flexibility markets.

In the electricity market, this enables demand to respond to supply, a crucial shift as sectors move towards electrification and as electricity production shifts to cheaper, cleaner, but more intermittent, renewable sources.

Flexibility forms up a core part of the government’s Clean Power 2030 Action Plan and is explored in depth in the Clean Flexibility Roadmap. It also delivers clear value, from reducing system costs for networks to unlocking new revenue streams and resilience for energy users. But, realising its full potential and accelerating the transition to Net Zero requires market-wide adoption.

Benefits of I&C flexibility

For grid operators, enabling flexibility can deliver:

• Reduced generation curtailment
• Reduced need for expensive grid-scale energy storage projects
• Reduced costs for grid capacity upgrades
• Alignment with Ofgem’s forthcoming RIIO-ED3 price control

For I&C Consumers, benefits include:

• Lower energy costs
• New revenue streams
• Reduced expenditure on grid connection upgrades
• Increased resilience for key consumers, such as hospitals, in times of grid stress

Data is the common thread

And yet, I&C flexibility isn’t one-size-fits-all. It encompasses a spectrum of approaches from direct demand response (where consumption is increased or decreased for a set period) to more sophisticated coordination of co-located technologies like solar, battery storage, heat pumps, and EV fleets.

What connects these approaches is data. Granular, trusted data sharing enables I&C sites to assess what options are feasible and maximise the benefits of participating in flexibility markets. Electricity networks also need real-time, high-quality data to plan and operate their networks, and to balance supply and demand. Without this, take-up of I&C flexibility will not reach its full potential, or will be costly to implement.

Sharing large amounts of data between diverse groups or organisations can lead to challenges including:

• Varying data formats, standards and semantics
• Separate representations of network assets and constraints
• Different data publication schedules
• Non-interoperable licensing and permissioning frameworks
• Issues with machine-readability
• Commercial and security sensitivities
• A lack of easy consumer data portability
• Fragmented data on existing I&C flexibility participation and performance

For I&C consumers, these barriers make it harder to identify viable flexibility opportunities and build robust business cases. This increases cost and complexity, often diverting time and investment elsewhere.

Unlocking flexibility at the speed and scale required to decarbonise the grid will therefore require a fundamental shift in how data is shared.

A data sharing scheme to accelerate I&C flexibility

The market needs a way for I&C actors to securely and easily share data with authorised parties to assess, plan and deliver flexibility at scale. Open Energy’s mission is to collaboratively define and develop a data sharing Scheme to support this, recognising that delivery is a co-ordination challenge, requiring collaboration to solve.

No single organisation can solve this alone, and implementing technical solutions without understanding the needs, constraints, and capabilities of others risks becoming an expensive exercise with unreliable outcomes.

The scheme will align with wider energy and cross sector initiatives such as NESO Data Sharing Infrastructure, RECCo Consumer Consent Solution, Elexon Flexibility Market Asset Register, Market-Wide Half-Hourly Settlement, and Smart Data policy), strengthening the overall data ecosystem and enabling interoperability.

Open Energy brings together energy system and I&C participants to build the data foundations for accelerating flexibility. IB1 acts as a neutral facilitator and data governance expert supported by the Energy Sector Trust Framework, a ready-to-use mechanism for governing the exchange of data in a consistent, trusted, and scalable way, without the need for centralised infrastructure.

How your organisation can benefit

If flexibility impacts your organisation, whether as an opportunity, a challenge, or a dependency, being part of Open Energy gives you a seat at the table, where the future of data sharing is being built. You’ll also help shape how the Energy Sector Trust Framework evolves to meet the specific needs of the flexibility market.

For networks:

• Contribute to, and benefit from, sector-wide alignment on data classification, licensing, and access controls
• Reduce the risk of costly inconsistencies emerging as flexibility markets mature.

For flexibility providers and aggregators:

• Access cleaner, more consistent data pipelines
• Access a governance framework that makes it easier to operate across multiple network areas.

For large energy consumers and trade bodies:

• Gain faster visibility of viable flexibility opportunities and incentives
• Access insights to support adoption and decision-making

Join us & your peers

To find out more about the Industrial & Commercial Flexibility use case, or to join Open Energy, get in touch with us at openenergy@ib1.org

And register for our upcoming webinar: https://events.humanitix.com/oe-i-and-cflex-webinar

The decisions being made now will shape the direction of the energy sector for years to come. Those helping to shape it will be best placed to benefit from the opportunities that follow.

Carbon accounting is complex. The methodologies used to calculate emissions can vary significantly depending on carbon accountant, framework, or data source. And, while inconsistencies exist across all emissions factors, they are particularly problematic when it comes to Scope 3 emissions – the indirect emissions that occur across a company’s supply chain.

Scope 3 emissions typically represent the largest share of a company’s footprint – around 75% of total emissions on average. This, coupled with the voluntary nature of reporting for SMEs, means a significant gap exists in supply chain emissions reporting.

In short: the biggest share of emissions is the least reliable to measure.

There is also a distinct lack of harmonisation in approach. Current methods are often incomplete, inconsistent, and difficult to compare and data is collected in multiple formats, using different methodologies. This culminates in a fragmented landscape that burdens businesses with information that is rarely decision-useful.

Without reliable, comparable data:

• Businesses struggle to identify emissions hotspots and prioritise action
• Banks and corporates lack certainty around their supply chains when making financing decisions
• Governments and regulators face barriers to designing effective policy interventions because the underlying data is inconsistent or incomplete.

The importance of this high-quality carbon data is rapidly increasing too; becoming central to procurement decisions, taxation frameworks, cross-border adjustment mechanisms such as CBAM, and access to sustainable finance. And yet, the current data ecosystem is lagging behind this growing demand.

Transparent, unified and harmonised

CC was created to address this challenge. Instead of another competing standard, it will create a transparent, unified, and fit-for-purpose approach towards a harmonised methodology, and principles for calculating hybridised, system-complete, emissions factors.

If this can be accurately addressed, then the benefits could be far reaching, helping businesses manage supplier risk, tackle incoming regulatory pressures (TCFD, CSRD, CBAM, SECR), and allowing them to respond to stakeholder demands.

For SMEs, the impact could be particularly transformative. Through Perseus we’ve seen how reliable emissions data can help unlock access to sustainable finance. With its focus on Scope 3, CC could help SMEs streamline reporting requests from large customers, and provide a clearer pathway for them to participate in low-carbon supply chains.

Our approach

The solution to improving supply chain carbon accounting hinges on pre-competitive collaboration. CC facilitates this, alongside independent governance and oversight, ensuring outputs are practical, robust, comparable, and fit-for-purpose, while drawing on technical and academic expertise.

Membership

Joining CC offers organisations an opportunity to shape the future of supply chain emissions data. Benefits include:

• Helping shape a harmonised approach to emissions factors that is practical, scalable, and aligned with real-world business needs.
• Gaining early access to outputs (e.g. hybridised emissions factors) for integration into products, services, and reporting solutions.
• Staying ahead of regulatory change and influence alignment with standards, regulators, and policymakers.
• Gaining early insight into developments in carbon reporting, procurement requirements, and international mechanisms such as CBAM.
• Strengthening your organisation’s supply chain resilience and sustainability
• Supporting the creation of reliable, comparable data that enables better risk management and decision-making.

To find out more about membership and fees, reach out via cc@ib1.org

You can read the minutes of our latest Steering Group meeting here: https://ib1.org/2026/02/11/carbon-commons-steering-group-january-2026-minutes/

with Rohan Graham, Head of Asset Data, National Grid and Jay Chen, Data Process Administrator, IT&D Data Engineering and Process, NGED

Data sharing is key for reaching our net zero targets; this is something IB1’s strategic partner National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) has long recognised. And, as the company looks to cement its position as a digital leader in the energy industry, IB1 remains a key component and catalyst in accelerating its digitalisation journey. 

We caught up with Rohan Graham from National Grid and Jay Chen from NGED, to discuss how interoperability across Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) is fundamental to unlocking the potential of open data in the energy sector.

Building trusted open data

Last year, NGED identified a need to improve how it publishes assured open data. While the DNO had already established an open data portal, it wanted to review both what it was publishing and how it was publishing it. This shift signalled a commitment to providing data that is trusted, consistent and usable across the sector. 

“Our goal is to contribute to the broader movement of publishing interoperable assured open data, explore genuine shared-data use cases, and understand how to make that data available securely through trust frameworks, while considering and aligning to the DSI under development.” Rohan Graham. 

Sector-wide collaboration

NGED sits within a much wider ecosystem of UK DNOs, all of which publish similar datasets. Because these datasets are used across the energy sector, (not just within each DNO’s own business) ensuring their interoperability is essential.

To achieve the level of interoperability required and to build sector-wide collaboration, harmonisation is essential. Once in place, the value of this interoperability is far-reaching: it strengthens trust, encourages the wider use of data across the sector and ultimately accelerates the entire sector’s digital maturity. 

“Over the next 3-5 years, we’ll see the increase of interoperability of data between organisations as well as the increasing use of flexibility services across multiple DNOs.” Jay Chen, NGED. 

Data Action

The Data (Use and Access) Act might also be a catalyst for positive change in the sector. Its focus on the roll-out of smart data schemes is a move in the right direction. But, whether this alone will galvanise the sector toward a more connected, net-zero future remains to be seen.

“It’s definitely a positive move. It’s set up some of the frameworks for how Open Energy can be pushed forward, but really, the Act alone won’t create immediate change. Specific to Open Energy, the real push comes from facilitation by Icebreaker One, a common purpose and active participation from members of the ecosystem.” 

Rohan Graham, National Grid

IB1: The great facilitator 

Through our Open Energy programme, IB1 has helped to establish best practices for publishing open data; focusing on machine readability, standardised metadata and overall consistency; all of which help to facilitate trust across the sector. 

“Working with IB1 has been really valuable in providing awareness, guidance, and direction, mainly from an open data perspective, so far. One of the biggest benefits has been driving the collaboration between the DNOs through steering and working groups. This kind of collaboration is crucial for progressing interoperability and shared best practices”. Rohan Graham.

“Our strategic partnership enables NGED to have a driving seat in shaping the future of decarbonisation through working groups with sector organisations, facilitated by IB1.”

Jay Chen, NGED

What’s next?

Looking ahead, National Grid is set to continue its progress toward a more connected, digital energy system. Central to achieving this vision is the ability to continue identifying datasets that truly move the dial on flexible energy markets and decarbonisation.

“Understanding who needs that data, why they need it, and how to deliver it securely and at scale will be key. The sector needs to  remain focused on publishing what truly drives progress toward net zero – whether that’s open or shared data.” Rohan Graham. 

IB1’s work in Open Energy is creating a connected web of energy data – making it more discoverable, interoperable, and impactful, in the collective mission to reach net zero.

If you’re interested in becoming a Strategic Partner, an Open Energy member, or part of our expert network, you can join us at ib1.org/join or reach out at partners@ib1.org to start a conversation about unlocking data for net zero.

Data has a huge role to play in delivering net zero by 2050.

Reliable data is vital for verifying that organisations are meeting their sustainability commitments. Investors depend on it to shift their investments towards greener companies, while innovation in energy production will hinge on the smart use of data.

But despite generating huge quantities of data every day, we’re not making the most of it. Take data about companies’ emissions. It’s languishing in spreadsheets, carbon calculators, smart meters and other siloes. Even when organisations do share their emissions data, it’s generally seen as an exercise in after-the-fact reporting.

Databases of low quality, out-of-date information are not a foundation for developing new products or technologies, or unlocking new markets.

When it comes to net zero, data is everywhere, just not where we need it.

At IB1, we don’t try to bring ‘all the data into one place’, as others attempt. Nor do we host data or seek to provide analysis services using it.

Instead, we [orchestrate] [schemes] of [data governance] that enable groups of organisations to share continuous flows of well-structured, assurable data with one another.

Governance

Our focus on [data governance] is driven by the view that making data work harder for net zero isn’t a technology challenge.

Rather than a deficit of data or technologies to manage it, it’s a deficit of effective processes for groups of organisations to come together, cooperate on and set the terms of data sharing that’s really holding us back.

“Incentives in our organisations and society prompt us to beaver away on our own. Collaboration is the catalyst of innovation, [but] we often struggle to practice it when it comes to overcoming complex challenges and making efforts towards positive social progress”. – Miranda Dixon, Brink

As with other collective action problems, only good governance can align fragmented interests, enable collaboration and facilitate shared investment.

In our work, governance is an ongoing process. The execution of this process produces decisions that enable data sharing to take place. In practice, this involves establishing principles, defining clear roles and responsibilities, and agreeing priorities and tasks. It also involves collaborating to create artefacts to express and enforce these decisions, such as legal agreements and technical standards.

We have a particular approach to organising data governance at IB1. We use a tiered system of Steering, Advisory and Working Groups to bring organisations together. These groups work together to agree and adopt:

• User needs & impact: commercial priorities, business cases, and prospective new products and services.
• Technical infrastructure: shared ontologies, APIs, schemas and standards to support data exchange. 
• Licensing & legal: data sharing agreements, modes of redress and liability frameworks.
• Engagement & communications: common language, stakeholder engagement and recruitment.
• Policy: alignment with corporate policy and industry regulations.

Participation in this process can be either voluntary (initiated by the market), or mandatory (demanded by regulators). 

Our approach is inspired by the UK’s Open Banking ecosystem, which enabled data to be shared in new ways across banks and other financial services. It now has 10 million users and is projected to sustain a $12bn market of data-driven products and services. This change has been achieved not by building a big, centralised database of customer banking data, but by governing who should access it and how it should flow. 

Schemes

As well as neglecting governance, attempts to build databases of net zero data fail because they try to be all things to all people.

In a 2024 talk, Building scalable public data sets for scientific innovation, John Wilbanks described how effective data systems generally begin life by addressing a small set of very specific primary uses, before evolving to enable more over time:

“No one has ever built a complex data system by setting out to build a complex data system [from day one]. You build one by answering five questions at a time, using a standards based approach… And then when you’re able to answer twenty, you’ll have a functioning complex data system”.

We agree that specificity is a necessary condition for effective data sharing. We enable groups of organisations to come together around tightly-focused challenges or use cases related to net zero, which we refer to as [schemes].

Our flagship scheme, Perseus, enables small-and-medium sized businesses to share granular emissions data from their smart meter systems with banks and other lenders. By providing lenders with the accurate and assurable data they need, the scheme enables participating businesses to access loans and other finance to help reduce their emissions.

Perseus isn’t trying to cast a net around all sustainability data, or work for every company. It demonstrates how good governance—anchored around a very specific goal —can unlock data from the real economy and put it to use for net zero.

Orchestration

We don’t have a monopoly on this view of data governance. But we think groups of organisations can go further, more quickly with our [orchestration].

We provide and maintain the following Trust Services to enable schemes like Perseus to function:

1. A machine-readable rulebook that codifies how data can be shared within the scheme.
2. An approach for verifying which organisations can take part in the scheme.
3. An open directory of the organisations that have been verified to take part in the scheme.
4. An approach for monitoring and assuring that access to data within the scheme adheres to the agreed rulebook.
5. An open catalogue of the data that is made available within the scheme.

None of the services we provide rely on particular software or a singular technology vendor. What we deploy depends on the needs of the scheme. Data access can be enabled by API, more advanced privacy enhancing technologies… even fax machine. (Although we wouldn’t recommend the latter.) What’s important is that the solution meets our NOVA principles: a Networked, Open, Verifiable Architecture. 

Our non-profit status is another key element of this work. There’s a risk that the direction of data use will be dictated by commercial actors, if schemes are left to the market alone. Our approach at IB1 ensures that no individual or entity can take disproportionate control of net zero data, and that end user needs rather than organisational agendas drive progress.

We’re glad the importance of this orchestrating role is now being recognised. A recent analysis of ‘data spaces’ being built across the European Union found that successful efforts have an independent organisation at the centre:

“It is crucial to have a neutral orchestrator facilitating the exchanges between participants before the operations and governance of a data ecosystem solidifies.

The orchestrator should prioritise use cases, map business value creation, test business models, and set up governance models. During the operation phase, the focus will shift toward onboarding, enforcing the rules, ensuring the governance works as it should, and scaling up”.

Infrastructure for real progress

Making data work harder for net zero ultimately depends on trust, coordination, and infrastructure that works across organisations. 

Ever-bigger, centralised databases won’t get us there. What we urgently need are well-orchestrated schemes of data governance that enable decision grade data to flow.

But making this shift requires resources—and partners.

If you’re working along the same lines, or if you’re looking to fund the infrastructure that underpins real progress on net zero, join us.

Reach out via:  icebreaking@ib1.org

We spoke with Pierre Tabet, Founder and CEO of Voltview, about how the company began, the growing role of smart data schemes like Perseus, and Voltview’s contribution as part of the Perseus technical advisory group. We also explored how banks, eager for more accurate data to strengthen their ESG reporting, are likely to see Perseus as a critical enabler.

Ross: How did Voltview begin? 

Pierre: So, I started Voltview just over two years ago. I’d always been interested in the energy sector, having previously worked as a back-end engineer for an energy management company. When I moved back to the UK, I knew I wanted to stay in that field.

At the time, I began speaking to business owners who were unknowingly in the middle of the energy crisis. Many were still on fixed contracts, but when their renewals came up, their bills more than doubled. Hospitality businesses were hit especially hard because of their high energy consumption. For example, one fish and chip shop I spoke with saw annual bills jump from around £10,000 to £35,000. That kind of increase can threaten the viability of a business.

We saw huge pressure on SMEs, and I realised that’s where Voltview should focus. Early on, I had conversations with Smart DCC, who pointed me towards a government grant for smart tariff comparison in the non-domestic sector. Now, we just missed out on getting that grant, but we were still interested in the space. And from there we pivoted slightly.

Rather than just offering comparisons, we wanted to combine switching with retrofits, so businesses could save on tariffs and reduce consumption. Think of it like Booking.com: when you book a flight, they also suggest hotels, car hire, or insurance. But in energy switching, businesses never get offered solutions like heat pumps, EVs, or electrification measures, even though the data used for switching could easily support those recommendations. With reforms like market-wide half-hourly settlement, that data is more valuable than ever. It felt wasteful for switching to end with just a new tariff, when it could instead trigger bigger energy and cost-saving changes.

Ross: This makes a lot of sense to me. Especially now, what with rising energy costs. It reminds me of Open banking and how it opened up consumer choice. How do you ensure the data accuracy and transparency when you’ve got these tariff comparisons? 

Pierre: Open banking is a great comparison as it allows you to share financial data with authorised third parties, who then provide tailored services. As I’m sure you know, the government now wants to replicate that model in energy, having passed the Data Use and Access Act. 

This is especially relevant in the commercial sector- currently about 80% of UK commercial buildings aren’t compliant with the EPC B rating required by 2030. Non-compliance could mean fines. To address this, businesses need access not just to energy data but also building data, credit scores, financial history, everything required to prioritise and fund retrofits.

What’s really cool now is, a lot of the administrative work which took up a lot of energy consultants’ time, can now be done with AI, so that they’re only working on sort of the high value work.

Ross: That’s really interesting. How exactly can EPC data be linked to financial impact? Is there a link to green mortgages here, in a similar vein to SME emissions data being linked to green finance with Perseus? 

Pierre: Absolutely. Perseus is a great example and we’ve been lucky to contribute on the technical side. It provides a trusted way to share Scope 2 emissions data with banks, who in turn reward businesses with lower interest rates.

The bigger picture here is increasing electrification. In the UK, only about a quarter of energy use is electricity, compared to roughly half in Norway. To close that gap, we need incentives  like cheaper capital for retrofits, particularly for SMEs. Many owners are busy running their businesses, so making retrofits easy is critical to driving uptake.

Ross: And so you’ve got EPC data, half-hourly meter data, and financial data – how hard is it to bring all that together on one platform?

Pierre: It is challenging. Only about 60% of UK business meters are smart compared with roughly 95%+ in some European countries, so many firms are effectively flying blind. The first hurdle is getting half-hourly data; the second is aligning it with building and financial data. We start with specific use cases and design the simplest possible customer journey around them.

Ross: Very cool. And as you mentioned, the Data Use and Access Act should hopefully accelerate this work and smart data schemes like Perseus. I also saw on your website that your clients save 17% on energy bills. Can you share an example of this?

Pierre: Sure. Savings usually come from two areas: matching clients with tariffs that suit their load profiles, and cutting waste. One example was a restaurant kitchen where the ventilation system was switching on at night. The owners had no idea until we flagged it with half-hourly data alerts. Fixing that single issue accounted for about a third of their total savings. So really the savings are already in the data- you just need the right tools to uncover them.

Ross: Let’s dig into Perseus a bit more. How have you found being involved in its development?

Pierre: It’s been a great experience. We’re part of the technical advisory group, which has focused on making Perseus trustworthy, scalable, and incredibly easy for users. Ultimately, it’ll be as simple as ticking one box. In December, when Perseus trialled the process manually, it gave us confidence in how it can work at scale. We’re now about six months away from real-world rollout, and we’re excited to integrate it into our ecosystem.

Ross: And what would that integration look like for Voltview?

Pierre: It might not sit directly on our platform. We may simply guide clients to enable it through their accounting software. The point is that all our customers gain access to cheaper capital for retrofits, regardless of where they switch it on.

Ross: Do you think financial institutions are ready to adopt Perseus and scale up green finance for SMEs?

Pierre: Increasingly yes, the real bottleneck is data quality not intent. Almost half of FTSE 100 companies have had to restate climate metrics every year, mostly due to emissions in their suppliers. Banks and lenders want more reliable data to strengthen their own ESG reporting and sustainability-linked products. Perseus helps by providing verifiable upstream data so there is less estimation, fewer restatements and more confidence to deploy capital.

Ross: Great. To wrap up, what’s next for Voltview?

Pierre: We are nearing the end of the Smart Data Challenge funded by the Department for Business and Trade. The challenge has been to incorporate more cross-sector data into our platform. Our next step is to launch use cases that almost any SME can tap into by sharing their energy, building and financial data. We will announce these later this October as we complete the Smart Data Challenge.

Perseus is supporting UK SME decarbonisation efforts by unlocking green finance from banks and lenders. It does this by automating access to assurable data to support lending decisions and related sustainability reporting.

In this episode, we speak with Tony Greenham, Managing Director of Sustainability at the British Business Bank to hear his insights on the role of finance in accelerating SME decarbonisation.

00:00 – Intro to British Business Bank – Role, funding impact, focus on businesses outside London.

03:00 – Small Businesses & Net Zero – Why SMEs are essential for meeting climate goals and the challenges they face.

05:00 – Carbon Reporting & Costs – Viewing carbon as a business cost, importance of measuring, and not letting reporting block action.

07:45 – UK Industrial Strategy – £4bn Industrial Strategy Fund and priority sectors, including clean energy and agritech.

10:10 – Project Perseus – Making emissions measurement simple (starting with electricity) and potential expansion to other inputs.

14:55 – Demand for Sustainability Data – Banks, investors, and corporate supply chains using data for financing and contracts.

17:43 – Political Climate & Long-term Investment – Navigating net zero backlash, focusing on commercial benefits, and future-proof investing.

Data is the missing piece to this decarbonisation puzzle. Often, when people think of decarbonisation, they picture wind farms, solar panels and electric vehicles. But the fact is, none of these can reach their full potential without data or more specifically; trusted and accessible data. 

“Data is essential to net zero. It underpins almost all of the actions we need to take to get there: measuring emissions, putting in place low-carbon technology, and getting capital into the right places to finance the transition”. Gavin Starks, CEO, IB1.

But why is data so important? And what role can it play in getting us to net zero?

Across the energy system, valuable data is locked away in silos. It’s collected by organisations but often not shared, hard to find, or it’s in formats that can’t easily be used by others. This means that people and companies working to decarbonise – whether that’s by building new infrastructure, rolling out Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers, or managing grid connections – often don’t have the information they need to make smarter, faster net zero investment decisions.

And this isn’t an issue isolated to the energy sector. We see it in finance, transport, the built world, water and beyond. Data is the backbone of decarbonisation across these sectors and trusted data sharing is the key to unlock their potential. Without it, we’re guessing. With it, we can build the connected, intelligent systems required to reach net zero. 

This isn’t a hypothetical issue either, it’s something we’re already solving at Icebreaker One. 

Our Open Energy programme is creating a connected web of energy data and has already demonstrated how better access to data leads to tangible, net zero aligned outcomes. The approach with Open Energy, and all of our programmes, is use-case focused. This simplifies the process, and allows us to do ‘one thing well’. 

For example, in our work with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), our use-case was centred around matching EV charger roll-out with increasing EV demand. We demonstrated how improved access to data could help the Distribution Network Operator (DNO) align grid capacity with demand from newly installed EV charge points. Better access to charge points means consumers will be more comfortable in making the switch to an EV, helping to reduce the carbon emissions stemming from petrol and diesel cars.

But this is just one example. Trusted data sharing can also provide a clearer picture on real-time demand and supply of energy, it can enable smarter infrastructure like smart meters to help better understand business emissions and it can prolong the life of energy assets such as pylons by making better use of granular weather data. For more examples, check out the bottom of our Open Energy UK page. 

“It (Open Energy) makes it easy to search, access and securely share energy data and will unlock access to data held by thousands of organisations and institutions to enable an open marketplace which will pave the way to our net zero future” OpenUK Open Technology for Sustainability Day, COP26: Keynote: Lord Maude of Horsham. 

Great! So let’s make that happen – seems easy, right? 

The issue is that too often, access to energy data vital to the transition is blocked by lack of trust, difficulty agreeing access, and inconsistent data standards. Our approach helps to tackle this by driving the design, implementation and adoption of open standards to create assurable data flows between organisations. 

Now we’re getting a bit technical. What do we mean by ‘assurable data flows’?

As a helpful analogy, think of assurance like taking a flight. You want to know that the airline has a licence to operate, that their planes are maintained and their staff well-trained. Assurance works the same way for data: it gives people inside a company confidence in how they share the data (like staff training and pre-flight checks), and it gives others confidence that the data is trustworthy and handled properly (like knowing the plane is safe to board).

Open Energy brings together stakeholders to define assurance levels for both Open Data (freely accessible to anyone) and Shared Data (available to approved users under agreed rules). All of which helps build trust across the entire ecosystem.

Still with me? Let’s look at how it’s done

At Icebreaker One, we work together with domain experts from across the ecosystem – including large and small companies, regulated and unregulated actors, and the public sector. We bring together these experts into Advisory Groups and Sector Steering groups to co-create the rules on data sharing. We call this process ‘Icebreaking’, and it makes up one of the three different ways you can get involved in our work.

Want to help build a connected web of energy data that gets us to our net zero future?

Join as a member and you’ll shape this future by tackling shared industry challenges, gaining market visibility, and contributing to Open Energy and its Trust Framework – all while demonstrating your commitment to net zero and joining a community of experts with the same goal. 

*The energy sector comprises energy production, energy conversion and generation, transmission and distribution , energy retail and supply, energy services and management, policy, regulation, and markets. 

Title: Open and shared data: Making UK data more accessible to those who can generate value, while protecting it from those with harmful intentions.

Description:
Explaining the important actions happening nationally and across the sector to remove the barriers to realising maximum value while minimising risk from opening and sharing data.

Chair welcome and introduction
Melissa Tallack, Stream Co-Lead – Northumbrian Water

Emerging and changing landscapes
Gavin Starks, Chief Executive – Icebreaker One

Call to action: Join the IB1 Constellation

Overcoming barriers to data sharing – cross sector progress
Brian Matthews – STFC

Insights from the data sharing working group to drive best practice across sectors
Sarah Hayes, Chair – Digital Twin Hub Data Sharing Working Group

The Perseus pilot – in which banks allow Perseus monthly emissions information to be used in the decision making process for one or more green loans – represents a huge step towards automating reporting for UK SMEs, bridging the gap between real-world energy data and financial decision making.

We’re speaking to those involved in Perseus – from Banks, Carbon Accounting Providers, non-profits and policymakers – to explore what the pilot means for their business, their customers, and the broader net-zero transition.

In this episode, we sat down with Zarina Banu from Tide, who outlines the company’s role as a digital CFO and business management platform supporting SMEs across the UK, India, and Germany. The conversation reinforced just how vital SMEs are to national and global sustainability targets and why they need continued support to succeed.

Zarina highlights how Perseus is ‘ahead of its time’, noting its potential impact and ability to decode sustainability and net zero practices for SMEs. She also spoke to the importance of cutting through the noise—reminding us that while business priorities may shift, the urgency of tackling climate change remains unchanged.

Timestamps:

00:00 – Introduction to Tide and Zarina’s role

01:00 – Key financial and sustainability challenges for SMEs: Discussion on how energy efficiency and cost-cutting are closely tied to emissions reduction and financial stability.

01:35 – Current product offerings and net zero plans: Zarina explains Tide’s current carbon insights product and outlines ambitions to deepen their net zero solutions for SMEs.

03:00 – The challenge of decoding information for SMEs: Insights on how the abundance of sustainability information causes friction, and the role communications and partnerships play in helping SMEs.

04:15 – Introduction to Perseus and Tide’s involvement: Zarina discusses how Tide got involved with Perseus through B4NZ and why it aligns with their SME-focused mission.

06:15 – Value points of Perseus & the pilot: Positioning SMEs as critical stakeholders, and the expected impact of the pilot program.

08:40 –Potential hurdles: staying committed to net zero and silencing the noise: Emphasis on staying committed to the climate mission despite distractions, and how Tide is doubling down on net zero with a dedicated lead.

10:55 – Integration of Perseus into Tide’s platform: Exploration of how Perseus might fit into Tide’s offerings depending on pilot outcomes and scalability.

11:45 – Uniqueness of Perseus in the market: Zarina reflects on how Perseus stands out due to its reach, potential impact, and early-adopter hurdles.

13:05 – Final thoughts on business case advocacy: A call to keep making the business case for Perseus repeatedly to keep it front of mind for decision-makers.

Transcript: 

Ross: So yeah, I think, can we just start really by you giving a brief overview of Tide and your and your role at tide?

Zarina: Yeah, sure. So Tide is a business management platform. We’re live in the UK, India and Germany, and we’re on a very proactive international expansion plan. We currently have over 1 million members. Those are customers in those three markets. And what we do is, we are their CFO. So we manage and receive payments. We manage business expenses in the app, create invoices. We do accounting. And this is all served by a number of services. So small businesses are very time poor. So tide acts as their fundamentally their finance function. And we are expanding into business management as well very actively.

Ross: Yeah, that’s great to hear. So the small businesses there, what do you see? You know, is their main challenge when it comes to their targets for sustainability and, you know, broader challenges, financially.

Zarina: Essentially, the reduction of emissions goes hand in hand with energy efficiency. So cutting waste, optimizing supply chains and lowering electricity and fuel costs, many of tides business owners are energy dependent. So that’s very key for them. And in the long run, of course, sustainability efforts can drive financial savings. So there’s a huge upside there.

Ross: Yeah that’s great. And with that knowledge what kind of products do you offer SMEs?

Zarina: At present we offer only carbon insights. But you know we’re very much in sort of deep dive mode at the moment. So what we’re doing is we’re looking at net zero for members. Tide is a net zero business itself via carbon removals. And as this year rolls out, we are looking at a much deeper product offering for our members because we do know that, you know, net zero. For example, in the UK it’s written into law that the UK is going to get to net zero by 2050 and there is no path to net zero in the UK and dare I say it, in other markets that Tide exists in, without this path to net zero cannot exist without SMEs. So the path to net zero is entirely dependent on the success of SMEs to get to this themselves. I think one of the challenges for SMEs is to really to decode this huge amount of information out there. For example, this is causing friction for SMEs. So we know from our insights, we know from our data that SMEs want to get to net zero. And they really do want to do this. The motivation is there, the desire is there, but this huge amount of information and how to decode it for them is currently a huge friction point for them. So I think one of the solutions, well, from a comms point of view is, you know, what are the steps it takes to get SMEs on the path to net zero? So people on my side of the fence in the comms industry, we can offer practical tips, advice, insights, one stop shops for SMEs to get to net zero, which is of course, you know, updated all the time because it’s an ever changing landscape, you know, which throws up different challenges all the time. And fundamentally, SMEs are very, very time poor. They’re busy. They’re focused on running their business. So, you know, let’s not forget that many of them are in sort of survival mode, or those that are in growth mode are still super, super busy. And so sustainability for them is a sort of an add on that they just don’t have the brain space all the time to, look into deeply. And so this is where Perseus can come in and where Tide, you know. And partnerships like this can play a key role in simplifying the journey for SMEs. 

Ross: That’s great. I’m glad you brought Perseus there. So I dont need to segue myself. 

Zarina: I’d be a bad PR person if I didn’t. Right?

Ross: Yeah. Can you talk about mainly how you started to get involved with Perseus? I know you’ve been on board for a while.

Zarina: So this goes back a couple of years when we were involved with Bankers for net zero, which is now B4NZ, and Perseus is obviously an offshoot of B4NZ, and, you know, it is entirely aligned with our business. Tide is entirely focused on small businesses. We serve small businesses with no finance function and about 0 to 9 employees. So we’re entirely aligned and fundamentally on the same mission right here to support SMEs to get to net zero. So from about two years ago we got involved with the Icebreaker team. They presented the proposition, it was very, very exciting. And, you know, if Perseus can scale this nationally, you know, who knows where this can go. And certainly I think the potential is huge. And also to get it on the map at the top table because currently the net zero and SME sort of alignment is not really being discussed at the top table of government. So I think it’s really important that you know, we jointly keep pushing this in front of the right stakeholders, both on the business side, you know, amongst Perseus’s various members and also at the governmental side, you know, this is kind of mission critical.

Ross: Yeah. No, that’s that’s really good that you brought that up the the government’s role because I know, there can be a lot of emphasis on bigger businesses, and I wonder whether they, not that they ignore it, but they don’t see the impact that smaller businesses can have given that they’re, you know, they make up the larger businesses, supply chains. Yeah, I think can we move mainly into obviously the Perseus pilots coming up, but I wanted to just get your overview on the key, you know, value points of Perseus.

Zarina: Well, I think, you know, number one is the decoding of international best practice and UK best practice. You know, what do SMEs, what do businesses adhere to and really how to decode the noise and make the path simple to net zero. So that’s one thing. The second thing is really to understand that SMEs are part of the solution, and it is how we get them on the journey, how we get external stakeholders on the journey. Business as well as government as well as, you know, public private to understand that, you know, in the UK, for example, SMEs form about 6 million businesses and they employ multiple amounts of people. So really it is really about how to push this conversation front and centre for SMEs and to understand that we need more representatives from this sector early on the discussion points. And then lastly, the impact of the pilot. I think the pilot is going to be a huge milestone for Icebreaker, for Perseus and also for this conversation, because once business fundamentally and SMEs – both time poor, really want to get to the end point very quickly – can see how it’s actually working. And to understand that this is a thing that is going to be real and especially for big business, if you like, internally how to scale this across our customer base. So I think there’s those three points there that I’ve outlined.

Ross: No. I definitely agree. Yeah. It will be a huge milestone. I’ve started to see some of the demos of what the pilot will actually look like. And I think that actually solidifies in your mind that, you know, it’s happening and it’s, you know, going to be quite easy for SMEs and banks to use. Where do you see the main challenges with Perseus coming? As we want to expand, as we want to get in front of people? What are the hurdles, really, that we could think about now and avoid in the future?

Zarina: I think it’s important to remain focused on the long term. You know, climate change is not going anywhere despite the noise out there. And it’s really, really important to focus on that. So you know the UK has got its 2050 target. But the fact is that there is a huge amount of noise distracting, for a lot of people. For others, perhaps it’s an excuse to take a detour. But at present, you know, unless the science proves otherwise, net zero is not going anywhere. I mean, for Tide, we will continue to be a net zero business, we’re working on offering net zero solutions to our small businesses across our markets. And so I think that is the challenge. You know, stay true to the mission. Stay true to the need to reduce climate change. And in amongst all the noise, do what people feel is principled and right.

Every business has its own imperative and its own challenges and its own strategy and its own stakeholder base. But definitely at Tide, you know, we are actually, funnily enough, doubling down on this. We’ve hired a net zero lead who’s come in and is doing a deep dive on net zero, not just for Tide as a business but also for our members, our customer base. So, yes. No, absolutely. For the long term, you know, we’re committed. And there’s no change there. What it will look like might be slightly different. But, yes you know, we’re a  committed business. And I think it’s really important to understand as well, as a finishing point, that many other businesses remain committed to net zero. It’s just if you look at it from a PR perspective, the news that creates the noise is the news that’s likely to be picked up. So those people who are just getting on and just getting on with the business aren’t likely to make the headlines.

Ross: I was thinking there, once the pilot is operational and we move forward. Will Perseus make up, you know, part of what you offer SMEs like on your site, they’ll be able to go to the site and use Perseus as a tool. I was going to ask how it fits in with Tide’s offerings?

Zarina: I think that’s a great question. It’s definitely something that we can bring back into the business and really at the moment, and I think what we’ve done really well with Perseus, Tide as a business, is to continue to keep the conversation open and to really fundamentally, we are here for our members and we’re here to make life easier for them. And, you know, if the Perseus pilot and the impact of that is going to be able to be scalable even if we start small, then that’s definitely something that Tide would certainly be interested in having a conversation. And, you know, Perseus is best placed to do this at at present. I can’t see anyone else doing it, so we absolutely have to keep the conversation open.

Ross: Yeah. No. Amazing. Are you part of any of the projects like Perseus or is it quite unique?

Zarina: I actually don’t know what’s out there, to be honest Ross, call me ignorant, but I can’t see anything else out there that has the reach, the scalability and the involvement from the right people. Personally, I think it’s way ahead of its time, which is potentially sometimes what’s the challenge with adoption of both of the membership and potentially of the pilot? Because it is way ahead of its time, people are potentially finding it a challenge to understand its potential impact right? So its early adopter phase, people don’t quite know what it is. They don’t know how it’s going to affect them. They don’t know how it’s going to drive up or drive up in the right places and drive down in the right places, revenue, both on the business side and on the member side.So, you know, I think it’s genuinely a trailblazing product.

Ross: Yeah, that’s great to hear. That’s actually that’s actually most of my questions. But if you wanted to there’s anything more you wanted to add then feel free. 

Zarina: I think I’ve said this before. I think it’s really important that, you know, the business case is made continually and strongly. Just because the business case was made, say, 18 months ago, doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be made again repetitively. So at the end of the day, people who are making the decisions on the membership side are very, very busy executives. So I think it’s always of value to continue to put that forward, to make the case, to provide clarity and to always, always demonstrate the business case.

Ross: Yeah, absolutely. That’s hopefully where work like this comes in as well.

Zarina: Yeah, absolutely. If you don’t put it down, how are people going to know about it?

The Perseus pilot – in which banks will allow Perseus monthly emissions information to be used in the decision making process for one or more green loans – represents a huge step towards automating reporting for UK SMEs, bridging the gap between real-world energy data and financial decision making.

We’re speaking to those involved in Perseus – from Banks, Carbon Accounting Providers, non-profits and policymakers – to explore what the pilot will mean for their business, their customers, and the broader net-zero transition.

In our latest conversation, Conrad Langridge from Sage discusses the challenges SMEs face in carbon reporting, particularly around education, data accuracy, and complexity. Through Perseus, Sage aims to simplify these challenges, enabling SMEs to easily track their emissions through smart meter data and detailed analysis, helping businesses save money and reduce their carbon footprint.

Timestamps

00:00 – Introduction to Conrad Langridge and Sage Earth

01:00 – Sage’s net-zero strategy overview

02:40 – How Sage supports SMEs on carbon accounting

03:22 – Common struggles SMEs face in carbon emissions reporting

07:30 – The shift from traditional accounting to carbon accounting

08:54 – Sage’s role in educating SMEs and accountants in carbon accounting

09:53 – Advantages of smart meters for SMEs

13:00 – The value Perseus brings to carbon accounting providers: Granularity & Accuracy

16:30 – The wider adoption of smart technology and data sharing trends

19:00 – Conrad’s experience and perspective on Project Perseus’s organisation and momentum

Transcript

Conrad: Conrad Langridge from Sage, the accounting, HR and payroll software company that you all know and love. Probably recognised from the Rugby if you’ve been watching that recently. But I work for Sage Earth, which is the carbon accounting sort of body or business unit within Sage. So, yeah. So Sage carbon accounting, it’s as the sort of name suggests, it’s a carbon accounting solution, which helps businesses better understand their environmental impact and sort of start to build strategies on how they can reduce their impacts. Yeah.

Ross: Yeah. No. Really interesting. And you’re sort of going into it there, but could you go more in depth on, you know, Sage’s plans in the net zero space? For yourself, you know, in terms of carbon carbon emissions.

Conrad: Yeah. So if we’re looking if we think about Sage’s net zero strategy, it largely sort of falls into two buckets. One is getting Sage to net zero. So these are looking at all of the you know our offices, how we commute, all of those sort of things, which probably make about 20% of our emissions. Then the two big buckets are: the use of our products, so people actually using Sage solutions and then also our suppliers. So all of the people we spend money with, marketing agencies, office management, that sort of stuff. So we’ve got that’s one part of our strategy. But we’ve also got SMBs to net zero so this is looking at small businesses and small and medium sized businesses and understanding their impact on the planet. And we’ve worked out that the emissions of our customers alone is in the tens of thousands of orders of magnitude greater than Sage’s impact. So, you know, we obviously work with businesses across all different sectors. But, just a few thousand construction companies is going to have a greater impact than a big software company. So yeah, so we’ve got this big opportunity to support small and medium sized businesses across the globe. And that’s sort of one of our biggest parts of our sustainability strategy is doing just that. Not only are we offering carbon accounting, carbon footprinting functionality to SMBs directly through Sage Earth or Sage carbon accounting, but we also do it through an API service. So we’ve been working with a number of banks including NatWest, who are part of the project Perseus initiative, and we work with others as well. So we’re offering those carbon accounting API services to sort of a broader range of enterprise businesses and banks.

Ross: Yeah, that’s really interesting. On that, I was going to ask, you know, what problems do SMEs come to you with when they’re trying to report their emissions? What kind of things do they struggle with?

Conrad: Yeah. So thinking about SMEs and where they struggle from a net zero or carbon accounting perspective, education is probably the biggest piece. We went to Accountex a couple of years ago and we polled their generally accountant audience there, but also includes sort of businesses. Everyone, nearly everyone knew climate change. A few knew net zero. But then as soon as you get into the sort of the sort of language which you really need to know about things like scopes and carbon accounting, people didn’t understand that terminology. And really, to build a sustainability strategy, you need a bit more of a sort of an understanding in terms of education. So education is a big piece. Money is a blocker, but it’s not often the biggest blocker from my view. The blocker is, the education and understanding of how to use the software and what information to capture. And then the nuance on all of the details, which goes into like building a strategy and understanding which parts of your carbon footprint are really material, so where you want to focus your energy. So that’s, I guess, where they struggle.

But using a tool like ours. We’d like to think the process is nice and simple. We take them through that journey. We also have a net zero hub, which does that sort of upfront educational scene setting and building the business case. But yeah, the tool really, as I say, hopefully takes them through that journey to make it easier, but then also gives them the hotspot analysis, which allows them to see which areas of their business have the material impact. So I think that’s where actually the biggest learnings come for small and medium sized businesses. Suddenly they can see where they actually need to focus their energy. And I think from a Perseus perspective, the same thing is true, right? So scope two is a really important part of a carbon footprint. Not always the biggest, but it’s one which is always sort of in the control of the business. It’s one of the levers they have an impact over, unlike some things within scope three, like your supply chain, which is much harder to manipulate. So yeah, looking at scope two and being able to see the emissions associated with your electricity consumption allows businesses to see; in terms of how they’re operating, what changes they can make. So linked to the benefits of smart meters, if you can see your business is using electricity, you know, at a peak time and you’re doing lots of peak consumption, you’re going to see your carbon footprint’s potentially higher. And normally, your bills will be higher. Whereas if you’re using off-peak, you’ll be able to reduce your emissions and your costs.

Project Perseus allowing us to connect to smart data meters is going to allow businesses to see when those emissions are ramping up and start to control that. Yes, it’s great the emissions are likely to be lower but the big thing for small businesses is they’re going to pay a lot less for their electricity.

Ross: Yeah, that’s really good. It’s really interesting that you brought up that education, guidance piece as well. Because if I think of accounting in the traditional sense, not carbon accounting, I can see how you’ve developed that and then moved into carbon accounting and grown that guidance for businesses, which is really good to see.

Conrad: Yeah, I guess I’ve got a follow up point on that. So if you think about financial services or accountants within a business, often they’re the trusted advisor for all of those things to do with money, cashflow, all that sort of stuff. And, when it comes to carbon accounting and net zero, businesses are going to need the same sort of support. Well, they can either educate people internally to bring them up to speed, or they can go to a carbon accountant. But more and more, there are loads of great carbon accountants. Well, sorry, there are carbon accountants and they’re great, but there’s not loads of them, so there’s not really enough. Well, there’s definitely not enough to go around. So we either need to get way more carbon accountants or we need to educate accountants in carbon accounting so they can be the trusted advisor for the thousands of small businesses they work with. And we’re seeing that trend at Sage, we see increasingly, numbers of accounting firms who were traditional accounting firms a few years ago, turn and either focus on carbon accounting as their big sort of differentiator in market, or they add it as a subsidiary service, which is giving them a new revenue stream. And, I don’t know if it’s just the ones we speak to, but all of them are doing really well because there’s so many businesses, small businesses out there who are looking for this support and accountants are doing, you know, a great job at educating themselves on it. Even across a carbon account there’s no one who’s sort of nailed that. It’s not a direct, exact science like accounting is. With accounting, you can count every penny and things can, you know, line up perfectly with the carbon accounting. There’s sort of boundaries in which things can be shifted or you can sort of pull things in and out of scope. And so it’s not a perfect science yet. So just starting or just getting your SMBs on that journey is really the best place to be.

Ross: Yeah, definitely. And like you said, once you know, we start integrating smart meters more, we can get more reliable data for improving that as well.

Conrad: Yeah, I think the benefits from smart meters, there’s kind of two sides to it. I see for SMBs or SMEs the benefit is the smart meter even at that end, there’s loads of benefits for them. Being able to see when you’re using your electricity, using electricity off peak, going from like a fixed meter where you pay, you know, they’re taking that money from you, whatever. There’s the current system and this is how I’ve got at home, admittedly, I’ve not got a smart meter for my sins. But I’ll be billed up front and I’ll be paying for electricity, which I’ve not used for like months and months, and it builds up and I get all this credit. But for a small business, that’s actually cash flow, which could be worked into much better effect within their business. And there’s all these different benefits paying for electricity that you’ve actually used, automating it so you don’t have to report your electricity consumption back to a provider, seeing it in like a smart environment so you can log on and it’s just there rather than thinking about your smart meter every, few months and you forget about it. So there’s loads of benefits from a small and micro sized business perspective on smart meters. And then there’s a sort of subsidiary benefit which is a better understanding of your carbon footprint. And again, why do you need to know your carbon footprint? There’s obviously great benefits from a sustainability perspective, but businesses need this information for a whole host of other reasons, even small businesses. So if they’re looking to do business with central government or the NHS, you need a carbon reduction plan, PPN 0621, if you’re working with a big supplier, say for example, you work with Sage or you work with Sainsbury’s or whatever, suppliers are going to be asking for carbon footprint data to feed into their emissions reporting.

But you’ve also got banks. Increasingly, banks are going to their small businesses and asking them for carbon data including scope two electricity consumption, and offering them loans based on their net zero trajectory. So if you’re a small business that has completed a carbon footprint and has got a net zero plan, you’re a much lower risk than the exact same business within your sector who hasn’t started that journey. Because there’s a lot of risk associated with your activity. And the fact that you’ve not even started looking at that is a bit of a red flag to banks. So if they can start working with small businesses who are clued up on all of this stuff, even if they’re in a riskier sector, there’s more likely that business will come through and actually become profitable, will remain profitable. So yeah, a whole host of benefits.

Ross: Yeah, definitely. And I think I’m just thinking there, obviously I can see if we sort of move into Perseus here a bit. It was always very clear to me the benefits for small businesses because you can access green financing. And then for banks, you know, they’ve kind, if you use that carrot stick thing, they’ve got regulation behind them where they’re having to report on this. But then for carbon accounting firms where do you see the benefit of this work more generally and Perseus?

Conrad: There’s a whole bunch of benefits for carbon accountants and carbon accounting software providers. For me, probably one of the biggest things is granularity and accuracy. And with that comes trust and traceability and just general confidence around carbon accounting. So our current methodology, we’d typically or one of the methodologies we would use, would be understanding what someone spends on their electricity consumption, and we could read this from their accounts really quickly. But with that, that might be, you know, a month’s worth of energy usage of which we don’t know whether they’ve used that in peak or off peak or when it was a particularly windy day and there was lots of renewables in the grid, or if it was sort of peak times during EastEnders and there was no wind, or when there was no wind and the sun was shining and it was like natural gas was 70% of the grid. So we can’t see that within our system. So any estimate on carbon footprint is exactly that, an estimate, and that sort of over a year or average out. And it won’t actually be too far from the truth. But month by month, it could be sort of wildly or wildly inaccurate. But moving to a smart meter data reading and going from monthly data to Half hourly data just reduces that error risk within that calculation.

So that’s one thing. It improves the number the user sees. But also with that old methodology, if a business makes a change to their carbon footprint or their consumption, the only way you really recognise that is from reduction in cost. And that would come from moving to an off peak piece. But actually with the 30 minute reading, you would be able to see the direct changes more clearly. So if someone had moved all of their charging to overnight or at different times, but perhaps the price hadn’t changed, we’d still be able to see the benefit from a carbon reduction perspective, and all of that would be tracked within the system. So it just gives, it’s like that positive feedback loop so a business can make changes to their operations. And with this Perseus model, they’ll be able to see those changes within their carbon footprint the next day because the information would be there. Versus waiting a month and not really knowing if you’ve made a difference, you have made a difference, but it’s not actually recorded because of the existing methodology.

Ross: Yeah, that’s really interesting getting that kind of instant behavioural change. But for whole businesses. Sort of going off on a tangent a little bit, you know, there’s a big push now from smart data from governments and there’s more recognition now of this kind of work. Are you seeing that, you know, influence with the banks you work with or the businesses, whether there’s more willingness to open up to, you know, open data, smart data, and these kind of areas of work?

Conrad: I think because it’s such a, it’s like a topic which touches society at large. It’s such a big trend. I definitely think the adoption of these technologies is just happening across the board. But I think that’s just as the general public gets on board with this sort of technology in their lives. I think that’s where the biggest shift is, because I think you can see trends within enterprise businesses adopting different technology. But that’s only the sort of very few people who sort of operate in that sort of business landscape. But for something like smart meter adoption and amongst micro and SMEs. That’s really just a reflection of society much more broadly. And there’s so many, you know, when you talk, think about micro micro-businesses and small businesses. There’s literally millions of them. So it’s just like, is the general public seeing this adoption of technology? And it’s generally. Yes. So that’s what the trend is. There’s not like a quick shift like you’d see in a sort of enterprise where you only only see like a few thousand people need to be convinced it’s the right thing to do. And those people are looking out for things which they can do to adopt. This is millions of people who have got millions of other things to worry about. So the behaviour change is a lot slower, but it’s really positive, I’d say.

Ross: Yeah. Those are most of my questions. But is there anything more, you know, on Perseus, on the pilot specifically that you wanted to talk about? Basically, how it’s going.

Conrad: Yeah. So I guess I’ve been involved with Perseus for a couple of years. Since it’s sort of ideation, really. And I’ve always been impressed at how well it’s run, from an organisation point of view. Yeah, the organisation, the structure, the sort of this is what we’re going to achieve in year one. And this is the sort of process in which we’re going to do it, and this is how we’re going to engage with the stakeholders who are on board and the sort of the working group structure, all of that sort of stuff, I’ve been really impressed with. I’ve been involved with other sort of similar projects which launch with the same amount of excitement, but the momentum isn’t kept. And that’s not because people aren’t excited by it, but it’s because it’s not run properly and the expectations aren’t set and the operational structure isn’t in place for it to work well. And I think Project Perseus does have that super you know, the organisational structure, the AGMs, the updates, the email updates, the different working groups, all work to keep people, to keep the many stakeholders on board so people know what’s going on. So yeah, I’d say that’s one of the best parts of it, is essential what keeps it going.

The upcoming Perseus pilot – in which banks will allow Perseus monthly emissions information to be used in the decision making process for one or more green loans – represents a huge step towards automating reporting for UK SMEs, bridging the gap between the real and financial economy.

In the lead up to the pilot, we’re speaking to those involved in Perseus – from Banks, Carbon Accounting Providers, non-profits and policymakers – to explore what the pilot will mean for their businesses, their customers, and the broader net-zero transition.

In this conversation, Ian O’Donnell MBE from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) talks about being a voice for the small business community, sharing insights on how to empower SMEs to report their carbon emissions effectively. With SMEs accounting for 99% of UK businesses and nearly 50% of business emissions, they face significant barriers to carbon reporting, including limited resources, restricted access to energy data, and complex landlord-tenant relationships. The FSB continues to advocate for stronger government support, standardised carbon accounting, and financial incentives to ensure SMEs can play a vital role in the UK’s transition to net zero.

Timestamps

[00:00] Introduction: Ian O’Donnell, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB)
[00:40] Defining the small business community: The importance of representing micro-businesses
[01:40] SME challenges: Reporting carbon emissions, resources, and limitations due to tenancy arrangements
[03:17] SMEs represent around 50% of UK business emissions; importance of government support
[04:33] Value of Project Perseus for FSB: Simplifying SME emissions reporting, particularly scope 1 and scope 2 emissions
[05:55] Working through challenges of data accessibility with Perseus
[06:40] Simplifying carbon accounting by connecting SMEs with existing tools
[08:35] Main barriers for SMEs engaging with Perseus and opportunities to improve uptake
[10:00] Future of Perseus & Future use cases: Water, electricity and gas.
[10:35] UK Governments role: Need for targeted SME education and tailored support. Differentiating big / small business
[12:40] Landlord-tenant challenge: Impacts SME’s ability to invest in energy improvements
[13:45] Financing complexities: How tenancy duration affects investment decisions for SMEs
[15:00] Geopolitical trends and their impact on SME commitments to sustainability
[16:30] Importance of consistency and stable deadlines for SMEs in sustainability strategies
[17:05] Closing remarks: Simplicity, accurate data, procurement access, and inclusive finance for SMEs

Transcript

Ian: I’m Ian O’Donnell, I’m deputy chair of policy at the Federation of Small Businesses and one of the non-executive directors there. And as an organisation, our role really is to support and help the small business community, both through a range of sort of support tools, including insurance and things like that. But also, crucially, and the key reason for our being is to talk to stakeholders at national and local level, in government and otherwise, about how they can make sure we have the right environment for the small business community for them to thrive.

Ross: Yeah. And I guess, yeah. So the small business community there, what kind of size are we looking at?

Ian: So we, we represent the SME business community. But the majority of our membership and the businesses we engage with are at the micro end of the small business community. So less than ten employees. Though we have a fair few members as well who are sort of in the 10 to 50 employees and a few who are bigger than that. But primarily we’re there to support sort of the smaller end of the SME community. And to really ensure that they get a voice when individually they wouldn’t have a voice. So obviously each of those individual small business owners don’t have the time or the resources in the way that a large business does to speak to government. So we very much act as a collective voice for that small business community.

Ross: Yeah. No. Really cool. I guess moving in into the net zero space then I guess there’s a, thinking about what you just said there, it’s like, do they have the education? Do they have the power to, you know, track their carbon emissions? You know what’s SMEs plans in that space?

Ian: Yeah. So the challenge here is two-fold. Obviously A. The rules coming down the line in terms of reporting of carbon footprint, carbon calculation. And particularly actually that’s already being felt through the procurement process. Obviously larger businesses have already got to report on scope three. And obviously that inevitably means if they have small businesses in their supply chain, those small businesses are being asked to report on their carbon footprint, even though actually legally as yet, they don’t have to report. And so the supply chain already means that this is coming into effect. And, the problem for many micro and small businesses is they don’t have the knowledge, they don’t have the skills, and they don’t have the access to resources to A. Monitor and measure their carbon footprint. And B. Sometimes don’t have the ability to put changes into practice in order to reduce their carbon footprint, if they’re in shared premises, if they’re in a tenanted building, rather than owning their building, short term leases quite often often means they don’t have the capacity to to make the changes that they want to, for example.

Ross: Yeah, definitely. Yeah, it’s a really good point the, it’s always quite clear when it’s like large corporations what they need to do to stay in line, but the small businesses actually make up the larger businesses supply chain.

Ian: Exactly. And also in terms of the economy as a whole. So it’s why it’s so important that we don’t and the government in particular, doesn’t leave the SME community out of this sort of race to net zero in terms of their support and enablement for that. You know, five over 5 million of businesses in the UK making up over 99% of the business community are SMEs, and over 2 million of those are less than ten employees. So this is a significant proportion of our business community here in the UK. So if we don’t solve the problem for those businesses, we are not going to solve the macro problem of how we get to a net zero carbon neutral economy.

Ross: Yeah. No. Very true. I was reading this SMEs make up around 50% of UK business emissions as well.

Ian: Yes, exactly.

Ross: I guess now it’s good. We’ve, we’ve kind of set the scene now to lead into Perseus. And just where do you see the value of Perseus for FSB and, and your, your SME customer base?

Ian: Yeah. So the real value of this, from our perspective, is if we can automate and simplify the process by which a micro or small business can get the data it needs to report on its carbon footprint, particularly in their scope one and scope two emissions from micro business, because they have less requirement to report on scope three, but certainly their scope one and scope two, they’re having to report up supply chains. It’d be invaluable.

There are challenges to it, and it’s great that you know what Project Perseus has also given that opportunity to discuss some of the challenges around how this happens, because what with many small businesses being in tenanted premises or even in shared premises, they often don’t have direct access to metering and details of their energy consumption. And so I know it’s been really good recently through Project Perseus, to have some of those discussions about how do we still enable those small businesses through other forms of technology, to be able to report in using the project Perseus mechanism, to then allow that data to be transferred.

Ross: Yeah. Yeah. That’s amazing. Really good. Really good to hear that you’re working through those challenges. And I guess you work through the challenges in a collaborative environment as well, so you can hear other people’s pain points.

Ian: Yeah. Exactly that. You know, it’s been great with Project Perseus that you’ve got, you know, a good range of people, from the financial institutions to the those involved in the metering through to representatives like myself, representing the business community. And sort of all looking at the problem in different ways, but all with an overall passion to say, how do we make it as easy as possible for the SME community to be able to get the data it needs to be able to report accurately?

Ross: Yeah. And how do you think, thinking more long term. How do you think Perseus could slot into you know, what you offer SMBs? Could it be part of your offerings, like education, teaching them on sustainability? Could Perseus that slot in there.

Ian: Yeah. So I think for us it’ll be about connecting people up. So you know what carbon calculators are out there. Accountancy packages, all the rest of it. How do we work with those to make sure they’re plugging in data when it’s available through Project Perseus and other things that may become available to simplify for SMEs that process of producing a carbon report.

We’re also involved in organisations like UKAS, which is the UK accreditation service, on how do we make sure that there is a common standard and universality about data reporting, because at the moment, as many, you know, and we’ve discussed again through Project Perseus, is actually you can go to several different tools and get several different answers on what your carbon footprint is. So how do we create some consistency and some certainty about the data, which is obviously vital when it comes to SMEs accessing. Two key things one procurement opportunities and second biggest issue affecting many SMEs – access to finance. And with banks obviously requiring to know what the carbon footprint is. And wanting some assurity of that data. Anything we can do to help create that is vital. But notwithstanding that challenge of making sure that all SMEs have access to the data. Which isn’t necessarily going to come through half hourly metering for all of those SME community.

Ross: What do you think the barriers might be for SMEs engaging with Perseus. We can help with this kind of work we’re doing right now. But how can we improve engagement?

Ian: The reality is SMEs themselves are probably not going to be engaging with Project Perseus directly. They’re going to be engaging with the partners who come on board, who provide that mechanism for that data, to then become available in the tools that SMEs are using. So when we look at accountancy packages; Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, etc. you know, it’s vital that they engage with Project Perseus because then that data flows naturally into those systems and they, you know, just the same way as I can do my balance sheet of my accounts, I can go on there and I can get my carbon report. If we connect all the dots well, through Project Perseus, that’s where SMEs are really going to see a benefit for those that have got access to that data in the current form. And also I think where Project Perseus, as it starts to see that success and that enablement, there’s increasing pressure to say, how do we solve the problem of businesses that don’t have access to half hourly metering? And, you know, I’m sure you know, as a collective we’ll be able to create pressure and, and also create some of the solutions to how that data can be sourced.

Ross: Yeah, definitely. And there’s also the fact that, you know, this is our first use case is electricity. And then it could move into to, a lot of people are saying gas, at the moment. But there’s loads of other ways to go.

Ian: Water is, you know, the three big ones for any micro business, small business is going to be electricity, water, gas. So if we can solve those, those big three and automate that, and then obviously we then move into many other areas in terms of travel and so on. But those are more in scope three. But if we look at scope two, those are the biggest. How can we make that simple and straightforward for the SME community?

Ross: Yeah. Really cool. Yes. I’ve spoken to Sage and I’ve spoken to a few others, but, I think FSB is interesting in the sense that you work with government and policy makers. I wanted to talk about what inkling you get from the government on, you know, on this topic and how important it is tracking SMEs emissions. How important is that for the government?

Ian: I think, you know, overall, this government has continued to be fairly positive on the discussion around how do we reach a low carbon economy. And so continue to have that as a focus, or at least there’s been some consistency for a while now around the importance of reducing carbon footprints for all businesses. Um, I think the challenge, as inevitably government understands big business a bit more readily than it understands small business. And I think the reduction in carbon and the way that a big business can adapt is very different from a small business. And I think one of our key roles has been to sort of have that constructive discussion with the government to sort of say, yeah, that that scheme, that program you’ve got over there works very well if you’re a big business. But actually small businesses are different. And how do you help them and support them in a slightly different way. So. And one of the key areas of that is around education. So it’s great that we’re through Project Perseus creating the tools. But we’ve also got to provide the education and support for that small business to be able to adapt and change and deliver on a carbon reduction plan within their business over the next few years.

And alongside that, also, we’re very much in discussion with government about, well, how do you facilitate that? So I know I keep going on about it, but the sort of the tenanted aspect, small businesses do not generally own their own premises – actually creates not just the challenge of access to data, but it also creates a big challenge in terms of the ability to affect change. If I own my premises and it’s a big premises, it’s no problem to stick solar panels on the roof. It’s no problem to switch over to air source heat pumps. If I don’t own my premises. I don’t necessarily have the access and the ability to make those changes. And also, if I’m perhaps only got a five year tenancy as opposed to a 25 year tenancy that a bigger business might have if it is a tenant, I don’t have the ability to finance that and get return on investment within that relatively short timescale. So how do we again looking to government for support and perhaps creating the frameworks whereby you can have transferable finance around, adaptations to buildings and things like that?

Ross: Yes. Is that a data problem or a legislative problem?

Ian: It’s partly a legislative problem. It’s partly just a you know, the finance industry is not used to the fact that who owns the the asset is quite challenging in that scenario. So if I as the business don’t own the building, but I’m the one who wants to put on the solar panels, but I might be moving out in five years, how does that journey look from a financing perspective? That’s not something that is a traditional financing model that they’re comfortable with. Especially as some of the technologies we’re talking about are emerging technologies. And so again, financiers are also slightly wary of that. So really we’re looking for business to step in and give some assurity to those who are providing finance, to be able to give confidence in the data about carbon reduction that these will provide. How, through Project Perseus, we can get accurate data about the impact it’s having for that business. And how do we solve the problem of, in effect, the landlord tenant split on these things.

Ross: Yeah, fantastic. And just thinking there on, this is again more geopolitical. But you’re talking about big businesses and banks there, and there’s this trend that seems to be coming from across the pond. HSBC, BP now changing its sustainability targets when you’ve got these big businesses changing their net zero plans. Do you think that’s going to have a knock on effect for SMEs, or is it more time to double down on SME emissions?

Ian: It’s really interesting sort of seeing the way different big businesses are responding. So, some are actually responding by saying no, we think this is the right thing to do. We are in, we actually want to locate in the UK because it’s a good place to be from a support and a framework around low carbon. But other businesses, obviously, as we’re seeing perhaps located elsewhere, are reducing their targets. And I think it does create a challenge for SMEs because any business wants certainty, any business wants to know the landscape into which it’s planning. When you’ve got a lack of certainty and moving targets, then it becomes very difficult to plan. Bearing in mind that a small business needs ROI on a much shorter timescale than a large business can afford to have when making investments such as carbon reduction, type investments will tend to be. So yeah, one of the things that’s really vital is that we we have a consistency of approach, and that deadlines and timelines don’t keep moving for SMEs, because otherwise I know from experience, from conversations that we’ve had in the community, is that if the timelines keep moving and keep getting pushed back, the response is, well, actually what I will do is not bother because it might never come anyway.

Ross: Yeah, definitely. And that’s really, really interesting. I don’t know if you wanted to add anything to discuss on Perseus itself or, or even anything coming up for FSB you think might be relevant?

Ian: No, I mean, I think the key things that I think we are affecting the small business community is simplicity and a assurity of data, so that if data is available, that we can know it’s good and that it’s simple and easy to report on. And that we give access to data for the whole small business community. So solving the problem around access to data, if you don’t have half hourly metering available in whatever building you do, bearing in mind, as I was talking to somebody just earlier, you know, working in a garden office in their home, you know, what does that look like from an energy reporting business for a small business, when it’s part of your overall household energy bill? And then making sure that we maintain access to procurement and access to finance for SMEs and don’t exclude them as carbon accounting and the sort of requirement for scope three emissions reporting becomes ever more prevalent. Let’s not exclude small businesses, but let’s use supply chains to help and enable them to make that transition effectively.

In this episode, we speak with Andrew Myers, Lead Architect, Northumbrian Water Group (NWG). Our conversation covers the water sector’s ambitious net-zero goals, flexible energy allocation, NWG’s work with Icebreaker One on the Stream open data project and the evolving public perception of water companies in the media.

As a potential solution to this, the report acknowledges the value of Perseus. Recognising the project’s value in offering a reliable model for data sharing, the report views Perseus as a potential bridge for the property sector’s data gap. What’s more, with the Perseus pilot fast approaching, the project serves as an inspiring example, holding the potential to accelerate decarbonisation in the property sector and beyond.

The energy data deficit

The property sector’s data deficit is nuanced. While owner-occupiers are able to access energy consumption data with relative ease, the same can not be said for tenant and landlord, where the sharing of data is far more restricted. According to the report, this is due to privacy laws that limit data-sharing capabilities and make it difficult for landlords to gather and track energy usage effectively. The issue becomes especially problematic when considering that over half of UK commercial real estate and one third of the residential sector are tenanted.

The report explains that “within the energy sector, Ofgem has identified licensees who are subject to data sharing regulations, which does not typically include property owners. This results in a situation where there is currently no legislation requiring the exchange of energy consumption data between property owners and occupiers.”

Perseus

With this in mind, the report indicates the need for a framework that facilitates data sharing, looking to Perseus as a prime example. If Perseus’s model of facilitating data sharing between SME and bank could be applied to the real estate sector, then data from tenants could be securely shared with landlords, ensuring energy consumption is monitored and decarbonisation efforts are tracked.

“(Perseus) demonstrates that setting up a governance framework and automated processes to build trust between stakeholders and to facilitate data sharing is possible from the perspective of the finance and banking industry. A similar framework could also be applied to the real estate sector to facilitate data sharing between tenants and their landlords, while ensuring that the data will be shared securely and used for the sole intended purpose of enabling the net zero transition.”

“We’re always keen to innovate and lead. So, we moved fast, and engaged with the stakeholders that we thought would be the biggest users of our data. This approach really helps to tease out the data sets, maps and dashboards that people might want.” Yiu-Shing Pang, Open Data Manager at UK Power Networks tells Icebreaker One.

Not only this, but the company set about publishing historical data and allowing organisations to request the data they wanted to see. They then simplified access to this data by creating an easy-to-navigate portal with clear, understandable terms and conditions for use because as Yiu-Shing highlights “Many people aren’t sure what they can do with data, or whether they can use it.”

Mapping out open data

One of the practical applications of UK Power Networks’ open data can be seen in the form of a comprehensive map – their Network Infrastructure and Usage Map – it contains multiple layers of the company’s substations, poles and towers, overhead lines, with information on what these assets are doing.

These kinds of initiatives have also been instrumental in helping developers connect clean energy projects to the grid. Connecting to the network is a lengthy process but UK Power Networks’ maps and dashboards allow developers to see, in near real-time, where they can potentially connect to the grid. Equally, the maps are helping energy companies better understand grid constraints and curtailment.

“Open data is there to enhance the quality of insights and reduce the time it takes to obtain them. In this case, open data can satisfy that initial bit of homework that everyone has to do in order to connect to the grid. This saves developers time and money”.

A more recent example of open data in action can be seen in the company’s IRENES datasets, which is helping onshore wind and ground-based solar developers find land suitable for projects. The tool, developed in collaboration with the University of East Anglia, examines the potential energy density of over 3.5 million individual areas for both solar and wind installations using wind speed and solar irradiance data. Given the new government’s recent lifting of the onshore wind ban, this tool now seems particularly timely.

A delicate balance

As UK Power Networks continues to push forward with their work on open and shared data, they’ve found the demand for increasingly granular data is growing. “We’ve moved from data on large substations, to smaller ones and then on to power cables. Knowing what the power cable is doing and what’s happening upstream at the substation can save significant time and money in the application process”, Yiu-Shing explains.

And while this detailed information provides clear benefits for those looking to connect to an EV charge point, the DNO is grappling with opening up data within the constraints posed by legacy legislation such as the Utilities Act. Legislation that is not necessarily compatible with contemporary needs.

“If I’m trying to show people what the power cable outside your home is doing and there’s only two of you on that street. There’s potential to provide insight into individual household activity and behaviours, which could encroach on personal privacy or commercial sensitivity. But, if it’s 100 customers connected to that power cable, the risk is reduced because there’s enough aggregation that you can’t spot what an individual is doing.”

It’s clear that as UK Power Networks continues to push for greater transparency through open data, the DNO will have to navigate the delicate balance between providing granular, useful data and protecting individual privacy.

The bill promises to accelerate data sharing and unlock innovative uses of data, while ensuring protections are in place to protect consumers, citizens and businesses, across the economy. This is supported by the work of the Smart Data Council.

According to the government, the bill will “enable new innovative uses of data to be safely developed and deployed and will improve people’s lives by making public services work better by reforming data sharing and standards; help scientists and researchers make more life enhancing discoveries by improving data laws; and ensure data is well protected by giving the regulator (the ICO) new, stronger powers and a more modern structure”

Looking beyond Open Banking

One of the more notable areas of the bill is its reference to ‘Smart Data Schemes’, which would make it easier to securely move data between organisations. In a similar vein to Open Banking, these schemes will allow customers to share their account information with third parties. This could shape how customer data is shared and unlock innovation in fields beyond Open Banking: “by empowering consumers to share their data with sectors we also hope to encourage the economic growth we’ve seen from Open Banking, across the economy”.

“As we accelerate into a data-enabled future, Smart Data Schemes will become integral to economic growth and we must address data rights at their foundation. Schemes in areas such as Finance, Energy, Transport and beyond will enable interoperability between our real and financial economies while protecting both businesses and consumers.”, Gavin Starks, CEO, IB1

For instance, with a smart data scheme in place, a consumer might decide to share detailed data on their energy usage patterns with a third party provider. The potential benefits of this might manifest in tailored energy plans, energy demand response systems, improved efficiencies and to support reductions in carbon footprint. What’s more, with a robust and cohesive legislative backing, smart data schemes will have the comprehensive foundations they need to create real impact.

Regulatory foundations to build confidence

A clear regulatory framework for data sharing, coupled with a desire to minimise the amount of data collected or shared, could help build confidence in sharing data. Data minimisation means organisations must only share, store and use the data that they need to help make recommendations and/or decisions that create positive outcomes. It also means reducing the risk of oversharing, or holding onto sensitive information that could have unintended consequences.

“We have entered an era whereby data rights are central to unlocking value and protecting everyone. The same data may be used for many different purposes and by different actors, with different consequences and liabilities.”, Emily Judson, Head of Research, IB1

Led by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), the bill has been endorsed by the likes of the Centre for Finance, Innovation and Technology (CFIT) and Open Banking. Top of its list of recommendations for improving SME lending to drive economic growth, CFIT has expressed a willingness to ‘Prioritise the Digital Information and Smart Data Bill’.

At IB1, we strongly support the development of Smart Data in the UK. It is highly aligned with our work on Open Energy, STREAM, Perseus, SERI, and other areas.

“There’s two ways to tackle this issue; either through supply options like reservoirs or through demand management. And, with a 5 billion litres per day gap to 2050 across the UK, regulators are saying half of this will be achieved through demand management.” Lina Nieto, Water Net Zero Manager, at Affinity Water

Water Neutrality 

Water neutrality, which involves reducing the water footprint from activities as much as  possible, is an example of demand management. Water companies and developers can, together, ensure that new developments are built as efficiently as possible, for example, by installing fittings to prevent leakage. But this is only one part of a multifaceted problem. A lot of the issues surrounding water use can be boiled down to behaviour and our perception of water. 

“Lots of water is being wasted because no one really looks at a water bill in the same way they look at an energy bill or a mobile phone bill. The challenge really comes down to the way that people perceive water.” 

Project Zero

Lina and her team recognised the behavioural element that comes into play with water usage, leveraging this in their water neutrality campaign, Project Zero. Using a combination of customer behavioural change, technology installation and offsetting, Project Zero’s goal was to bring down water consumption across three sites covering around 1,000 homes each in ‘Bidwell West’ in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire. 

“In our supply area, new properties are expected to use an extra 83.03 million litres of water a day by 2032, on top of what is already being used. By working with behavioural change specialists, we created pledges for people to commit to and found that almost 100% of people stuck to their pledge and successfully changed their behaviour in relation to water usage”. 

These pledges helped people to quantify the amount of water they use and ultimately the amount of water they could save through small, everyday changes. One example is turning the tap off while brushing your teeth, which can save 20 litres of water. And, while the project found that behaviour change alone could reduce water use by an average of 24.9 litres per household, people still need to use water. To achieve water neutrality, the project also set about offsetting water consumption in non-households like schools and businesses. 

“Water offsetting is in its infancy with different geographical approaches being trialled to achieve offsetting targets, and buildings of social value are being prioritised. This first, very localised approach, ensured that the water used by new homes and its offsetting, is linked to the same water source.”

Government attitudes

Government attitudes to the water sector have also played their part in the industry’s apparent lack of progress: “We’re ten years behind the energy sector. Water is cheap, people take it for granted and so it hasn’t had the same focus that the energy sector has. We weren’t even part of the government’s net zero roadmap, which is surprising because water is a very energy intensive industry”. 

But, with a parliamentary refresh in the shape of a new Labour government, there have been some more positive signs. A new Water (Special Measures) Bill was laid out in the King’s Speech, part of which referenced a requirement to install ‘real-time monitors at every sewage outlet, with data independently scrutinised by the water regulators’.

A smart move

As the project pushes to the next phase, it plans to move away from the time-consuming process of manual meter readings, instead choosing to install smart meters. Smart meters provide a more granular and timely view of water usage, as well as saving time and money when compared to manual readings:

“While costly, installing smart meters has proved worth the outlay, as taking manual readings is time-consuming and costs money. The data quality of smart meters is more reliable with a granular level of data, which supports the understanding of the impact of the campaign.” 

At the NSTA, Sara is part of a regulatory body, pushing for security of supply and reduced emissions, as it influences industries spanning Oil & Gas, Offshore hydrogen and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). 

As Chair of the Board at Elexon, the Balancing and Settlement Code (BSC) administrator for Britain’s energy system, Sara is part of an organisation that has, for some years, been proactively shifting its approach to data. An approach that it shares with UK energy regulator, Ofgem. 

A common thread

Despite being on different sides of the regulatory fence – one as a regulator and the other as a soon-to-be regulated entity – the two organisations share a common thread in their net zero ambitions, viewing data as foundational to achieving this. Sara explains that Elexon recognised, early on, the value of making data discoverable, accessible and interoperable:

“Elexon was already heading in the direction that the regulator (Ofgem) was pushing for. In June 2021, we passed a modification that stated all data under the BSC were presumed open. Now we have market-wide half hourly settlement data on the horizon, which is going to massively increase the amount of data that we have to handle”. 

Elexon saw the critical role that data would play in the future of energy, understanding that the amount of data it would need to handle was going to increase exponentially. Following appointment by Ofgem in 2021, Elexon now leads a push that will require settlement on a half-hourly basis across the entire energy retail market by the end of 2026. 

Open Energy 

Sara found herself in a similar environment of preempting regulatory drivers, when working with Icebreaker One on the Open Energy project:

“I first got involved with Icebreaker One in early 2021 and remember thinking, how are we going to get companies to open up their data without a regulatory push? They either need to be able to see the advantages for themselves or need to be required to do it. Otherwise, it all seems quite theoretical.” 

The Open Energy project looked at how energy data should be classified, laying the foundational principles of Trust Frameworks while delving deep into work on APIs (application programming interface). Crucially, the project was use-case centric, questioning why and for what purpose the energy industry would want to open up their data. Potential benefits for EV charging infrastructure and solar energy offered two suitable use cases and potential answers to this question. 

“There’s been a number of developments in the energy sector since this work. Most notable is a recognition of the importance of automatic asset registration. Installers  have to share data on location of certain assets with their local network operator. It’s a prime example of people being more aware of the issues and the possibilities that can arise from sharing data” 

Water sector woes

The energy sector looks to be leading the charge in their approach to data. Compare this to the water sector, and we see an industry that is seemingly lagging behind. One potential reason for this disparity and a driver for the energy sector’s progress is competition. 

“I’m a firm believer that competition drives innovation, this certainly rings true when it comes to data. Competition opens up possibilities and aids the development of new ideas. And, as companies look at new ways to innovate, having more open and better-quality data only expands these possibilities”. 

Political Pressures 

With Labour’s recent victory in the UK general election, our thoughts now turn to how this change in government might impact Elexon and the NSTA. For the NSTA, whose sole shareholder is the Secretary of State, the change in government could bring in different opinions on which direction the regulator should take. 

For Elexon, the expectation is that the direction of the company will not change. And, more positively, the new government is looking to accelerate progress towards a zero carbon electricity system. Despite this, there may be a slowing down of progress in certain areas. The organisation is due to be industry-owned, for example, transitioning from the newly set-up National Energy System Operator (NESO). The outcome of the election could slow this process. 

“With any new administration, roles change and it is likely to take some time for things to get back on track again – although the Labour government does seem to have hit the ground running”. 

“Legislation is a really powerful tool, as it removes the argument on whether the data should or can be collected, replacing it with the fact that the law says this is how it’s going to be’’. Nic Granger, Director of Corporate, North Sea Transition Authority.

You might expect a radical change in a sector’s approach to data could be met with some resistance, but this was not the case. Instead, organisations now had a legal requirement to fulfil, including the need for a named individual to hold these responsibilities, meaning data management teams were given the budget and attention they’d been asking for. And now, the regulatory foresight shown by the NSTA has led to far-reaching benefits in sectors such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), hydrogen, offshore wind and oil & gas. 

Carbon Capture and Storage

The NSTA’s mission is to accelerate the energy transition, support emissions reduction and ensure the UK maintains a secure supply of energy. This involves regulating and influencing industries spanning oil & gas, offshore hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS). 

CCS (the process of capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions and storing them, often underground or within rock formations) is seen by many as a critical component of the UK’s net zero strategy:

“We see carbon capture and storage having a significant impact on the energy transition. The 21 licences that we issued in September, could capture ten percent of UK carbon emissions,” says Granger, “and the six licences which were in place before that could add even greater capacity.”.  

The previous government set a target to store 20-30 million tonnes of CO2 by 2030. And, while the plans of the newly-elected Government remain to be seen, the first round of CCS projects critical to meeting these targets are due for a final investment decision in the near future.

Seismic Data

One type of data, previously used for oil and gas projects, is now proving its worth in CCS. By helping to identify geological formations and assess storage capacity, seismic data is immensely valuable in CCS, highlighted by the fact that the NSTA’s data downloads increased 20-fold on the day the CCS licensing round opened. 

Now, following an announcement in the 2023 Energy Act, the NSTA has the power to collect carbon storage data from industry. Again, demonstrating its proactive approach to data governance as the CCS industry begins to pick up speed.

The value of seismic data stretches beyond the confines of the CCS sector however, it includes the top 100 metres of geological data, making it ideal for siting offshore wind farms:

“In 2015, the government funded two large chunks of seismic data. That data was intended to be used for oil and gas but what we’re now seeing is the data being reprocessed and used for offshore wind, another crucial pillar for energy transition in the UK.”

Democratising Data

Another type of data showing promising benefits across industries is GIS (geographic information system) data. Primarily generated through regulatory transactions, and made openly available by the NSTA, GIS data is helping to identify existing oil and gas infrastructure such as pipelines. These pipelines then have the potential to be repurposed for use in hydrogen or carbon dioxide transportation.

“This data is available on the equivalent of an open government licence, so it’s an open NSTA licence. We’ve now had over 500 million spatial server requests, roughly 2 million hits a week. The data is great from a spatial planning point of view, and it really helps to explain the importance of data when you can see it visually.”

By opening up datasets like these, the NSTA is also helping to democratise data and reduce costs. This allows academics to access datasets that were previously too expensive for their research budgets. Armed with these datasets, academics can then research ways to phase out fossil fuels and achieve net zero, faster. But, having large quantities of data is one thing, in order to truly reap the benefits of open data, it must be high quality.  

“Our approach is to open up as much data as we can. There’s a huge volume of industry data available under the NSTA’s NDR user agreement but the ownership is retained by industry. We have over a petabyte of data and we’re now ensuring new data loaded is high quality and machine readable.”

“We recognised, early on, that a shift was needed in the way we viewed ourselves as ‘just’ an energy company. We looked at what these big technology companies were doing and recognised the value that better access to data could have in areas like predicting asset failure”  Michael Glass, Data Governance and Information Manager, SSEN Distribution

The great enabler

SSEN Distribution looked to leave behind a mindset that viewed data and data governance as a ‘nice to have’. Replacing it with a firm belief that ‘data is the single biggest enabler of a decarbonised, decentralised and digitised energy future’, and critical to achieving net zero. SSEN Distribution recognised that data needed to be embedded in the day to day decision making of the business and that this data needed to be accurate and trustworthy. 

“Good decisions made with bad data are just bad decisions we don’t know about yet. It’s only with good data that you can make good decisions.”

The journey of EV uptake has not exactly been a smooth one. At the beginning of 2023, amidst a backdrop of higher electricity prices and falling fuel prices, uptake dwindled. But, rather than stunting it, the turbulent nature of EV uptake has only strengthened the case for aligning chargepoint demand with network capacity. By working with Icebreaker One to tackle data silos and build out data-sharing opportunities, SSEN Distribution was one of the first among their peers to take action on this crucial piece of work.

“The installation of EV chargers ultimately boils down to network capacity. A consumer might purchase an EV without being informed that there’s not yet network capacity for home charging at their home address”.

This mismatch might, understandably, lead to some disgruntled consumers, but it’s a mismatch that breaking down data silos or isolated pockets of data can help solve. If data on network capacity is made available for EV charger installers and EV sellers to access, this can help manage expectations for EV owners and potential owners and optimise charger roll out.

Icebreaker One’s work with SSEN helped the DNO to access hundreds of datasets with just one round of authentication and technical integration. This improved access to data is helping them align grid capacity with demand from newly installed EV charge points. Better access to charge points means consumers will be more comfortable in making the switch to an EV, helping to reduce the carbon emissions stemming from ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles. 

Beyond EVs

The work between Icebreaker One and SSEN has now stretched beyond the EV market, with far-reaching benefits in areas such as renewable energy and domestic and commercial heat pumps. In our next instalment, we look at some of the tools that SSEN Distribution has built off the back of this work and delve deeper into data governance.

“Working with IB1 allowed us to see what our data journey looked like, and build the foundations of data governance. It helped massively, allowing us to communicate what we meant when talking about data sharing with our consumers and stakeholders. It’s also allowed us to build tools that are more suited to real world use cases.”

Aligned with our ethos of collaboration: ‘to go far, we go together’, they contribute to our mission of making data work harder to reach net zero. Now we want to highlight some of the important work they do for both people and the planet.

Icebreaker One employees make up the foundation of our constellation and in this week’s Q&A, I speak with our very own Chris Pointon, Product Manager, Data Services. We delve into the world of Open Net Zero, before gaining a deeper understanding of assurance and its impact in securing confidence and trust along the net zero value chain.

Ross: Hi Chris, thanks for taking the time to do this.  It would be great to start by talking about Open Net Zero. Could you explain what it is and how it’s developed over the last year?

Chris: Of course. So Open Net Zero is an index. You could think of it like Google in the sense that Google doesn’t contain all of the content of all of the websites. It simply turns them into an index so you can find them. And that’s exactly what Open Net Zero does. It doesn’t store any data, it just finds it and points to it.

Last year, the IB1 data services team spent a lot of time on Open Net Zero, dramatically increasing the number of organisations and datasets that it can cover. This was because we added some capabilities to our indexing that allowed us to harvest the data catalogues of other people’s data portals and add them to our index, so you can find them all in one place. This meant that we went from a few hundred datasets at the beginning of 2023 to about 55,000 data sets, currently. Now one of the transitions we’re focused on is looking at how we join up these 55,000 datasets. One dataset is not usually the answer to a question. It usually takes several datasets that are connected together, for instance, because they’re in the same geography or they’re related to the same theme. 

Ross: Why is it so important to have these datasets in a machine readable format?

Chris: We’ve still got a backlog of dozens of really good data websites that we can’t index using standard mechanisms. The reason we can’t index them is because they’ve built a website with data on rather than building a data portal. So when it comes to best practice in publishing data, organisations should provide a machine readable catalogue, meaning a file that a computer can parse which describes the data in their data portal or on their website. Typical formats for this file include DCAT, INSPIRE and GEMINI, but there are other options. When they publish that, we have the simple job of including the URL of the catalogue in the index and keeping up to date with it over time. We’ve been prioritising finding websites that publish data relevant to people who want to get to net zero, but also have this well-structured publishing technique. 

Ross: You also launched ‘assurance’ last year, can you explain exactly what this is and why it’s important?

Chris: Assurance gives confidence to people inside companies that they’re allowed to share data externally. It also gives confidence to external users, as they know that they have permission to access what is being supplied, and can rely on the data management practices of the publisher. There are two types of assurance. First, we assure organisations. As a minimum, we ask, does this organisation meet some basic identity requirements and have they signed an agreement that means people can rely on the assurance they provide? Basically, it means that they’ve got some skin in the game.

The second level of organisational assurance is about entering into a secure data publishing environment. Level three and four are about indicating greater certainty of the identity of who’s involved. So instead of them self-asserting who they are and providing their own assurance measures, you bring in third-party auditors to provide additional assurance about how the organisation is managing its data. 

Ross: What about assurance on the data side?

Chris: This is the other type of assurance. Again we have multiple levels. At level one, the data’s got to have a licence. The metadata has to be machine readable, publicly on the web, with no personal data and for open data there needs to be a clear open data licence. Level two starts to bring in tighter requirements on the licensing. The licensing has to have certain features that outline what people’s rights to reuse are. Level two also requires additional metadata to cover the timeframe and geographical aspects of the datasets, and the publication of documentation for them. 

Level three builds on the above by requiring documentation on the data provenance and processing, open standards for data formats and machine-readable definitions of the fields in the data. Finally, at level four, we require that all of the information above  – licences, provenance, quality parameters – are provided in machine-readable formats, so they can be passed along a chain.

We had been consulting about assurance over the summer last year and came up with these definitions. Then in September we launched an update to Open Net Zero that showed the assurance level of assured datasets. At roughly the same time, SSE launched their open data portal, showing assurance on their site. And so when we index their data portal, it shows their organisational assurance and their dataset assurance. From a technical perspective this is just a little data field, but from an organisational and internal processes point of view, it’s really an important step.

There will be a new version of these assurance levels coming soon. We’ve had some feedback and we’ll incorporate that before putting it out for another public consultation. It’s important to note that the purpose of assurance is not ‘we’ve got assurance and everyone has to put up with it’. It’s that we’ve got assurance and we want to know whether it works for people, whether it actually helps them feel more confident, have a greater trust in data and to what extent can it be improved. We’re all ears to hear ideas for making it better and better over time.

Ross: So how does assurance tie into the wider goal of net zero?

Chris: One of the fundamental things we talk about is the data value chain. And, the data value chains we want to bolster are the ones where the data becomes more and more valuable to getting to net zero. The way the data value chain works is data gets generated from all sorts of activities and sources and once it’s published, it’s then available for people to process and turn into information. 

Take our Perseus project for instance. It covers the data governance needed to access half hourly electricity readings, and turn them into the carbon footprint of your electricity consumption using grid factors. So in that journey from electrical consumption to carbon emissions, you’re moving along the value chain. Next up in the chain the banks say ‘we’re going to use this information to prioritise lending to organisations that take steps to reduce their carbon footprint’ and that data has become more valuable because it’s been aggregated by a lending institution. Then finally the banks use all of that and another level of aggregation to say to the government – ‘we’re on track as a public limited company in the UK to meet the UK’s net zero requirements’. 

Now going back to the question of assurance, you need to have confidence at each step of the value chain that the data is being handled properly and that the organisations are reputable, and by reputable it also means they are part of a legal framework that allows you to hold them to account. You can audit them too, which gives everybody confidence along the value chain. Compare this to the current reality, in which the government asks the banks ‘what are you doing to reduce the carbon in your lending portfolio’ and they can only talk in sectoral language, such as we’ve got 50,000 small office-based businesses on our books. The average footprint for an office-based business based on ONS is this and so they provide a rough estimate.