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critical data approach

In data we trust… Too easily

The biggest problem with energy and carbon data isn’t that it’s missing. It’s what we think is reliable.

Most organisations genuinely believe they have their numbers under control. Spreadsheets, smart meters, and automated reports give the reassurance that everything adds up. But scratch beneath the surface, and you’ll often find gaps, inconsistencies, and figures that can’t be traced back to the source. The data looks solid, but can you rely on it and more importantly, will it pass an independent audit process? When it comes to energy data, quality will always trump quantity.

The illusion of reliability

We live in the era of data. Most of us are surrounded by more information than we can process, and we’ve come to assume that volume equals truth. But we rarely stop to ask where the data comes from, how it’s managed, or what quality checks exist behind it.

Many of the processes we still use to gather and manage data were designed long before digital systems — some even before the advent of the personal computer. Over time, we’ve layered technology on top, automated the routines, and made them faster. But we haven’t always made them better.

This is especially evident in how we handle energy and carbon information. The systems most organisations use are patchy at best, far below the standard we’d ever accept for financial data.

What finance gets right

Executives in well-run businesses expect accuracy, traceability, and confidence in their financial reporting. Every figure is tied to a source. Every record is auditable.

Imagine managing company finances using only monthly bank statements — with no insight into what those transactions comprised, no ledger, and no verification. Most of us would call that unthinkable and predict the business wouldn’t last long. Yet that’s precisely how many are still managing their energy and carbon performance.

Yet, in our experience, most organisations have plenty of data. The problem is that it’s often siloed, inconsistent, outdated or unverified. You’d never accept unverified figures when acquiring a new business. You’d check every assumption, every claim, every piece of supporting data before signing the deal. If anything didn’t add up, you’d walk away. The same scrutiny needs to be applied to our energy data.

Moving from assumption to assurance

The first step is straightforward enough: structure. Following an established framework such as ISO 50001 is a good start. It gives us a system for collecting, validating, and reporting energy and carbon data. But structure alone isn’t enough. Data quality has to be actively managed.

This means having the right systems that make the data visible, trustworthy, and insightful for planning, monitoring, and reporting purposes, as well as validating what’s already there.

Because in the end, sustainability decisions are only as good as the data behind them. Treating energy and carbon data with the same rigour as financial data isn’t bureaucracy — it’s credibility. Because the real risk isn’t having too little data, it’s trusting data that can’t be trusted.

The power of perspective: how understanding Energy Use Intensity can transform your building’s performance

You wouldn’t drive a car without watching the rev counter. Not because it tells you how far you’ve gone, but because it shows how hard the engine’s working. Energy Use Intensity (EUI) works the same way for buildings.

Energy Use Intensity shows how much energy a building uses per square metre. The lower the number, the more efficiently the space is performing. It’s a straightforward benchmark—but it’s more than a metric. It gives decision-makers a way to step back, see what’s really going on, and move forward with clarity.

A baseline that makes action easier

When you start with Energy Use Intensity, you’re not guessing. You’re measuring. That matters—especially if you're responsible for net-zero delivery or portfolio-level decarbonisation. Energy Use Intensity gives you a normalised way to compare performance across buildings, identify outliers, and set clear, credible targets.

It’s often the first piece of insight we use with clients. Why? Because it gives immediate perspective. You can see how your performance stacks up against similar buildings, what’s driving excess use, and what needs to change first. Without sensors. Without delay. Just a starting point that makes the next step obvious.

From benchmark to outcome

Once you’ve got your baseline, Energy Use Intensity becomes a guide for strategy. You can set a target Energy Use Intensity as part of your decarbonisation roadmap. Then track how each intervention, like a system upgrade or control change, affects the result. If the number doesn’t move, you’ll know it’s time to adjust. That’s how you avoid wasted investment and stay aligned with your goals.

The benefits go beyond emissions. A strong Energy Use Intensity signals operational efficiency, and that matters to tenants and investors. In a market increasingly driven by sustainability performance, buildings with low Energy Use Intensity are more attractive, more resilient, and more future-proof.

Don’t overcomplicate it

You don’t need full real-time data capture to get started. Most buildings already provide enough information to estimate a useful Energy Use Intensity. From there, you can decide what’s worth monitoring more closely—and what can wait.

With the right insight, you can make smarter energy decisions faster. Most organisations can make meaningful improvements within six months, long before any complex tech is in place.

How you can get big results with little data

Ever used or heard of Shazam? When you hear a song you like and get curious about the title, Shazam will take a small piece of information and analyse it to tell you exactly what music is playing around you, including the name of the songs, the lyrics, the artist - and more.

Why having too much information is not efficient

We’ve all heard variations of the expression: “Too close to the wood to see the trees”. It’s where you’ve gotten so deep into the detail that you have lost sight of the bigger picture. Or to put it another way – you have so much information, that you have no idea what to do with it.

It can be very easy to find ourselves in that place with building performance data. There is so much a building can tell us, with all of the data that technology makes available. But the question you need to ask yourself is – which information do you really need?

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critical data approach

The cost of data: the hidden expenses in building monitoring

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