Smart Grid Firm EnerNOC Buys Into Carbon Reporting

Smart grid specialist EnerNoC has acquired hosted carbon management software provider eQuilibrium and says it can now offer better technology to help companies comply with greenhouse gas emissions reporting rules.

EnerNOC said it plans to integrate eQ’s carbon footprint measurement software with its own PowerTrak smart grid technology, and offer through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model, to help companies better manage their energy efficiency and stay in-line with upcoming climate change legislation in the US and other countries.

The UK is bringing in mandatory carbon accounting rules and IT services companies including PwC aim to develop a business in that area.

“Our customers continue to look internally for cost-cutting strategies and energy management is an obvious choice,” said Tim Healy, EnerNOC’s chairman and chief executive. “eQ’s applications fit nicely into our strategic roadmap as they enhance our customers’ ability to identify and prioritise energy efficiency opportunities while concurrently satisfying existing as well as pending greenhouse gas reporting requirements.”

According to EnerNOC, as many as 30,000 businesses in the US would have to calculate greenhouse gas emissions if the country’s environmental regulator, the Environmental Protection Agency, introduces proposed rules for greenhouse gas reporting.

Terry Kellogg, former director of environmental stewardship at clothing brand Timberland and current chief executive Officer at environmental business group, 1% for the Planet said that companies will need more sophisticated green metrics as more stringent environmental regulations are introduced. “EnerNOC’s integrated approach is particularly important as the market evolves from the challenge of simply compiling greenhouse gas inventory reports to planning and optimising the corporate response,” he said.

According to EnerNOC, the integration of eQ’s software with its own should help customers to more effectively manage their energy efficiency and sustainability plans. “Customers can create their own energy efficiency projects in the software, and share the energy, environmental, and financial results in a standardised format across their organizations,” the companies stated.

Recent research from analyst Gartner revealed that UK IT departments are not taking the necessary steps to prepare their organisation for the information management needed to comply with carbon reporting and trading schemes, according to new research.

In a report issued in March, Too Many Organisations Are in Denial About Carbon Management, analyst Gartner revealed that along with France, UK IT departments appear to be among the least prepared in the world for technical implications of carbon cap and trade despite impending carbon trading legislation due to take effect next year.

The analyst group reported that only 7.9 percent of UK companies believe carbon trading is influencing their organisation’s future planning. Gartner described this as “surprising” given the fact that the UK’s Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) goes into effect in 2010 and is estimated to affect 5,000 organisations.